Tulum is one of the most representative Mayan ruins of the Riviera Maya in Mexico.
By the time the Toltecs had annexed the Maya lands to their vast territories, Tulum was a thriving merchant port and remained so until the Spanish arrived there in 1518. The city reached its splendor in around 1200 AD as a characteristic example of the Maya late PostClassic era.
Tulum means wall, trench or fence in the Maya languaje and the conquerors were amazed by the beauty, size and strength of this ancient fortress built on a cliff overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean below.
At the time it was built, the Maya cut-and-carve stone art and dexterity had degraded to a large extent but what was lost in intricate decoration and grandiose architecture is made up by the beauty of the location.
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