We recently took an opportunity to visit the Mayan Ruins in Mexico – Tulum, and Coba. I want to share some things we learned on this trip and how our journey in life has some parallels.
While many people visit the ruins on their own, we decided that since we had friends visiting for a short time we should take a guided tour. The cost was $55 US per person and included a buffet lunch.
Our day started out around 8:30 in the morning in Puerto Morelos where we met the driver and one other person. We had our backpacks with suggested items – sunscreen, bathing suits, sturdy shoes, hats, water, and of course our sunglasses which we were already wearing. There were six of us altogether – the driver, a young woman named Kathy from Hungary, and our party of four. The sun was shining and everyone was in a carefree happy mood. Our driver was friendly, our vehicle comfy and air-conditioned, and the time passed quickly.
TULUM
Our Arrival
With one stop on the way to take a bio break and pick up some coffees/water, we arrived about two hours later at the beginning of our journey. (That’s hubby and me by the sign to the entrance.) It is about a 10-minute walk to the entrance to the ruins; if that sounds tiring, there is a tourist train available.
This would also be the time to take advantage of the washrooms before heading to the ruins.
Location of the Ruins
Tulum (original name Zama which means ‘place of the drawing sun’) is a resort town on Mexico’s Caribbean, approximately 130 km south of Cancun and 65 km south of Playa del Carmen. The word Tulum means ‘wall.’ Taking you back to the 13th century, the archaeological site at Tulum overlooks the sea on 39-foot cliffs along the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. It survived about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. Diseases brought by the Spanish settlers caused high fatalities resulting in the abandonment of the city.
It is believed that Tulum was an important site for worshipping the Diving or Descending God. Three main structures of interest are El Castillo, the Temple of the Frescoes and the Temple of the Descending God.
El Castillo
El Castillo was built on another building that was colonnaded with a beam and mortar roof. Serpent motifs are carved into the lintels (structural horizontal blocks that span the space or opening between two vertical supports) of the upper rooms. It has also been called the lighthouse.
It is suggested that El Castillo was built in stages. A small shrine appears to have been used as a beacon to guide incoming canoes. This may also have been why Tulum became a prominent trading port.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Sverzel – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3993280)
The Temple of the Frescoes
The Temple of the Frescoes contained a lower gallery and a smaller second-story gallery and was used as an observatory for tracking the sun. The temple is decorated with ‘diving god’ or Venus deity figurines. The ‘diving god’ is positioned above the entrance to the western wall and is still preserved. There is a mural on the eastern wall called Mixteca-Puebla but visitors are no longer allowed entry.
The Temple of the Descending God
The temple of the Descending God consists of a single room with a door facing the west and a narrow staircase built on top of another temple and was used as its base. Above the door is a sculpture that can be found throughout Tulum. It has wings, a headdress, and is holding an object. He is shown as being upside down. Tulum isn’t the only place this figure is found – it is also found in Coba on a small temple on top of the Grand Pyramid. It is also associated with Venus which in turn was associated with war and fighting.
Tulum is one of the best-preserved Mayan sites and is very popular among tourists. They are the third most- visited archaeological site in Mexico after Teotihuacan and Chichen Itza, with over 2.2 million visitors in 2017.
Spectacular Views
IGUANAS WERE EVERYWHERE IN ALL SIZES
Before we headed on to Coba, we stopped and had a delicious buffet lunch which was included in the cost. This lake was across the road from the restaurant. According to our guide, it is supposed to have lots of crocodiles but we didn’t see any. Not sure if this was true but we certainly kept our distance.
COBA
Our next stop was Coba (which means “waters stirred by wind”) and I must say I found this ruin even more interesting than the Tulum ruins. Our guide pointed out that we should take photos of the Temple (Nohoch Mul), the Observatory and the “Ballgame” court.
The site covers about 30 square miles with the ruins covering four miles. You can explore it on foot but it will take several hours. We all took advantage of the chauffeured tricycles (125 pesos round trip for two) to get us between the buildings, otherwise, we would have had a long walk.
The Mayan site of Coba was set up with multiple residential areas that consisted of around 15 houses in clusters connected by elevated walkways (sacbeobs). Most of its construction was between 500 and 900 AD.
At its peak of civilization, Coba is estimated to have had some 50,000 inhabitants; today, there are approximately 1500 inhabitants on the outskirts of Coba.
Nohoch Mul
The Temple or great pyramid, Nohoch Mul, is the highlight of the Coba Ruins and one of the most significant and popular of the Mayan sites. It is a challenge for those who want to climb and reach the top but once there you will see a panoramic view of the surrounding jungle.
Nohoch Mul which means ‘mound’ is 137 feet tall; it is the tallest Mayan pyramid on the Yucatan peninsula and the second tallest Mayan pyramid in the world (the largest pyramid known to exist in the world today is the Great Pyramid of Choula located in Choula, Pueblo, Mexico).
If this is something you would like to do, you will have to take care as the steps are worn and slippery in places; there is a rope to assist you.
Out of our group, Kathy was the only one who ventured this climb (and she made it all the way – 120 steps!). My friend and I only went up about 10 steps so we could stop and have our photos taken.
As Kathy climbed to the top, we were all encouraging her and cheering her on. This reminds me of our journey in life, where we are faced with challenges and obstacles. How good it feels when we are fortunate enough to have someone in our corner willing to cheer us on and encourage us to reach our goals. Kathy’s goal was to reach the top and she succeeded. It was another of life’s lessons and came at an unexpected moment.
La Iglesia
(PHOTO CREDIT: Ken Thomas – KenThomas.us (personal website of the photographer), Public Domain)
Sounds like you had a fantastic time! I definitely envy you as I have always wanted to check out the Mayan ruins (among other wonders!) so I pretty much devoured your write-up. I can’t say I have ever done anything near this cool but I’d like to! I guess it’s never too late to get started, right?
Cheers!
Trust me Buck, it is NEVER too late to travel. I am in my 60’s and didn’t start travelling untill about 7 years ago. For the last 3 years I have spent two winters in Costa Rica and now this past winter in Mexico. If you had told me 7 years ago I would be doing this, I would have said “no way!”
Hello there,I hope that you are well. I saw your article in the search results that talks about the Mayan Ruins. The heading really captured my interest, however, I was a bit disappointed.
The main reason as to why, is that when I tried to click on the link it told me that Google is trying to find the page. I am sure that the article would have been an interesting read. Could you please check it out, and let me know when it’s up and running as I look forward to reading it.
Regards
Roopesh
Hi there. I am not sure why you were unable to view the article. Other people have commented on it without any issues. I will add the link here – hopefully, it will work for you.
https://thetravellinglife.com/…
Travelling is very good and interesting, most likely the part that you will meet difference people with difference culture and also it’s good to meet friends and relative afar off. Assuming you didn’t travel to Tulum and coba now you wouldn’t have gotten this experience. You are even lucky that the vehicle you entered with other 6people is air-conditioned which make your journey enjoyable. Anyway thanks for the article.
You are welcome Chris. Having an air-conditioned vehicle on such a hot day was indeed welcoming. Tulum and Coba are very interesting ruins and the next time I see them, I would love to rent a car and take my time.