During my vacation to Mexico, I went to visit the Mayan Ruins in Tulum. In the thirteenth century, the Mayan city of Tulum served as a seaport for trade, as well as housed temples and residences for priests and other nobility. After I got off the bus and walked through a jungle path full of iguanas and other wildlife, I caught my first look of the gently rolling hills and crumbling stone structures of the Tulum Ruins.
I tried to picture myself going back in time to when the city was flourishing while I was walking the paths between the structures. I was looking at the various temples to see how the priests would perform ceremonies, and I would notice the etchings of certain Mayan gods on the walls. Other smaller structures at the site served as dwellings for the noble families that existed at the time. It was interesting to put myself in a culture that I have never experienced before, just to see what they did in their day-to-day life. There were also a large amount of iguanas sunbathing on the stone structures, which disturbed some people, but I enjoyed seeing these little reptiles walking about.
The Tulum Ruins also had a beach just below the natural cliff wall behind the big temple. When I read a brochure about the ruins, it said that the beach had "sparkling blue water to swim in." When I arrived at the beach, the water was nothing but sparkling blue. The water was a dirty, tangy brown, with a large helping of seaweed. I had my bathing suit already on, hoping to take a dip in the water, but I was sold a bill of goods. The view of the beach, however, was incredible, so at least there was a positive to come out of this.
When I came out of the Tulum Ruins, there was a shopping complex with bars and souvenir stores. There were also various entertainers and people with animals who wanted nothing more than to get some money from the tourists that visited. I remember a particular moment where I was watching a large pole with four men swinging from ropes off it, and there was a small man running around trying to catch tourists who were taking pictures / videos of this performance and demanding that they give money to him. He ran up to me asking for money and I just walked away from him. In the souvenir stores, they were selling Coronas for $1 USD, which I could not resist, as I only drank Dos Equis while I was in Mexico.
Overall, it was an interesting experience. I am a sucker for learning different cultures, so this was an opportunity I could not miss while I was in Mexico. If you do not want to go all the way to Chichen Itza, then spending half a day at the Tulum Ruins is a great alternative.
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