Tulum Mayan Ruins (Mexico)

Tulum is a popular day trip for those who go to Cozumel, Mexico.

If you are going from the cruise port, you have many options to buy anything you need for the day. On the ferry they will sell water for $3 or so (calling it “almost free”). Additionally, they sell water shoes, hats, waterproof bags for your phone, and other things for around $20 each. You don’t need to fall for these prices. Everything is easily available when you get off the ferry for less.

As happens on most tours, a few leg stretching stops are made. You will likely take a brief stop at a chocolate and or tequila shop as breaks on the way to and from the attraction you are visiting. In my case, this tequila stop was fortuitous as I bought tequila for probably the first time in my life. (I’m more of a rum girl). Why? The place we visited had coconut, coffee, chocolate, caramel tequilas. I bought caramel and chocolate and they are great sipping tequilas. They packed them safely for me in bubble wrap so I could easily get them home.

How did they do it?

The size and scope of Tulum (and all the other Mayan ruins like Chichen Itza and Kohunlich. ) are amazing. Particularly when you consider the Mayans had no beasts of burden when they were built. It was all done by hand. They didn’t even use the wheel (other than for children’s toys). The largest animal around was a tapir, and you can’t exactly train them to drag a cart. Additionally, they had no metal tools, as the only metals in the regions accessible to them were gold, silver, and copper. While being great for making jewelry and ornamental items, which they excelled at, these are of no use for cutting rocks.

A little bit of history

Now, when the Spaniards arrived, they didn’t care about iron or other metals. However, they were definitely interested in the silver and gold. Luckily for them, when they arrived, they looked like gods to the locals. What with their big shiny heads (helmets), scary non-brown eyes, and white skins. They also came in what seemed to be six floating temples on the sea. And as an added bonus, the Mayans had a myth that their god Kalculan (also known as Quetzalcoatl) would come in white from the oceans. Because of this they greeted the Spaniards like gods and gave them gold and silver. In return, the Spaniards gave them all sorts of new (but definitely not fun) diseases. Not exactly a fair trade, and we know how well it worked out in the end for the natives.

Pro-tip: While walking down the road to Tulum, keep an eye out in the scrub along the road. If you are lucky you may, like us, see a pack of coatimundi.

Note: you can’t take in good film cameras, video cameras, or camera stabilizers (which my guide did not say was a problem, and was taken from me while I was at the site) without paying for it. The costs is low, but the line is really long. I’m sure some people waited for an hour so you just don’t have the time if you are on a day trip.

Here’s a YouTube video from my trip:

Pro-tip – The exit and parking lot are far from the ruins – plan on 30 minutes to get back to the bus park if you walk a reasonable speed.

You will likely get to the ferry terminal at least 45 minutes before your ferry leaves, so you can do some shopping while waiting  to board ferry

For more similar ruins in Mexico, check out Chichen Itza and Kohunlich.