June 2022. Although I have been in Mexico before, the last time was in 1994-1995. Twenty-seven years later, Oriol and I are doing a classic tour of the United Mexican States, featuring Mexico City (CDMX); Palenque in Chiapas; Villahermosa in Tabasco; Uxmal, Mérida, Chichen Itza, Ek’ Balam, Valladolid,  and a few cenotes (waterholes) in Yucatán and Tulum in Quintana Roo. We returned via Cancún to CDMX and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Tulum is the site of a pre-Columbian Mayan walled city which served as a major port for Coba, in the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo.

The ruins are situated on 12-meter-tall (39 ft) cliffs along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea.

Tulum was one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya; it was at its height between the 13th and 15th centuries and managed to survive about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. By the end of the 16th century, the site was abandoned. One of the best-preserved coastal Maya sites, Tulum is today a popular site for tourists.

The site

Tulum has architecture typical of Maya sites on the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. This architecture is recognized by a step running around the base of the building which sits on a low substructure. 

Doorways of this type are usually narrow with columns used as support if the building is big enough. 

As the walls flare out there are usually two sets of molding near the top. The room usually contains one or two small windows with an altar at the back wall, roofed by either a beam-and-rubble ceiling or being vaulted.

This type of architecture resembles what can be found in the nearby Chichen Itza, just on a much smaller scale.

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Notable buildings

• Tulum Wall.
• Temple of the Frescoes.
• Temple of the Descending God.
• El Castillo.

A visit

We went to Tulum on our own. An ADO bus from Valladolid to Tulum and then on foot. 

On our way to the main entrance we found another ticket booth. It turned out to be for admission tickets but also for a boat tour to see Tulum from the sea and swim with turtles. As Oriol is a fan, we did just that.

It wasn’t really a scam, but definitely tourist prices. It was some 1600 peso or 80 euros for two. 

The archeological site is very popular, as Tulum is also a resort. It has a high ‘Disney’ factor but yet crowd control is okay. I didn’t expect much of Tulum, but it was different to the others. 

The boat ride was fun, but Oriol didn’t see turtles. 

On our way back to town, we were again eaten alive by mosquitos. Buses to Valladolid were quickly fully booked, so we were lucky to find some seats not too late in the evening. 

Mexico 2022

1. REVIEW | KLM Amsterdam Schiphol to Mexico City on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in economy.
2. MEXICO CITY | Zócalo.
3. MEXICO CITY | Templo Mayor.
4. REVIEW | Hotel Carlota in Mexico City.
5. MEXICO | Teotihuacan.
6. MEXICO CITY | National Museum of Anthropology or Museo Nacional de Antropología.
7. FORMULA 1 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX | Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
8. MEXICO CITY | Museo Nacional de Historia at Castillo de Chapultepec.
9. MEXICO CITY | Frida Kahlo Museum.
10. MEXICO CITY | Coyoacán.
11. Mexico City 2022.
12. REVIEW | Mexico City – Villahermosa with Volaris.
13. MEXICO | Palenque.
14. REVIEW | Hotel Zyan Rooms in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico.
15. MEXICO | Villahermosa in Tabasco.
16. REVIEW | Aeroméxico Villahermosa – Mexico City – Mérida on Boeing 737-8 MAX.
17. YUCATÁN | Uxmal.
18. REVIEW | Casa Chaká Boutique Ka’an Room in Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.
19. YUCATÁN | Mérida.
20. YUCATÁN | Chichen Itza.
21. YUCATÁN | Ek’ Balam.
22. REVIEW | Colonté Hotel Origen in Valladolid, Yucatán, Mexico.
23. Pride in Valladolid, Yucatán and queer encounters in Mexico.
24. MEXICO | Cenotes of Yucatán.
25. YUCATÁN | Valladolid.