Tulum – Quintana Roo – Mexico

Posted on 11/06/2023 by Michael

Tulum

Tulum – Quintana Roo

Location

Built on a clifftop on the shores on the Caribbean Sea and surrounded by mangroves and sand dunes, Tulum is situated 131 km south of Cancun on federal road 307 between Puerto Juarez and Chetumal. Tulum was the name given to the city in 19th century and it means ‘wall’ or ‘palisade’, a reference to the defensive wall that surrounds it on three sides. According to 16th-century sources, the original pre-Hispanic name appears to have been Zama (‘dawn’).

History of the explorations

The first reference to Tulum was probably made by Juan Diaz, the chronicler of Juan de Grijalva’s expedition, as they sailed along the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in 1518. In his account, he recalls having seen a city as large as Seville. In 1579, in his Relaciones de Yucatan, Juan de Reigosa refers to Zama as a walled city in ruins. At the beginning of the Caste War in 1847, Tulum lay in rebel territory and by 1871 had become one of the sanctuaries for the worship of the ‘talking crosses’, with Maria Uicab as the main priestess.

Pre-Hispanic history

Tulum is the most representative site of the East Coast architectural style. Although it was built between AD 1200 and 1550, it contains elements such as Stela 1 (AD 564) and Structure 59 with architectural characteristics from the Classic era, which suggest an earlier occupation. Tulum is regarded as one of the principal Maya cities of the 13th and 14th centuries, during which time it was a key site on the trade route and a strategic location for exploiting the rich marine resources of the eastern Yucatan coast. Because of its strategic location, some researchers believe that during its peak Tulum must have been an important nexus between the maritime and terrestrial trade of the Yucatan Peninsula. It is also thought to have enjoyed political independence from other provinces until the arrival of the Spaniards and its subsequent abandonment in the 16th century. Some of the architectural characteristics observed at Tulum denote influences from other regions in both the Maya area and Mesoamerica. For example, there are reminiscences of Toltec elements like the ones found at Mayapan and Chichén Itzá, most notably the use of serpent columns. Similarly, although the style of the murals on the buildings has Maya iconographic elements, it is nevertheless very similar to the Mixteca codices from the central plateau.

Site description

The ruins of the ancient city of Tulum are scattered on a band of some 6 km along the coast and include the core area as well as the simple wood and palm dwellings of the ordinary citizens. The core area is approximately 400 m long and 170 m wide, and is surrounded by a fortified wall on three sides; the fourth side is a cliff overlooking the sea, which provided natural protection. The walled enclosure displays a certain urban layout of its buildings and is crossed from north to south by a causeway. In addition to is defensive function, the fortified wall also turned Tulum into something of a sacred precinct with restricted access. This large wall may well have stood over 4 m high and its five vaulted gateways are still visible today: two on the north side, two on the south side and one in the middle. There are also two watchtowers at the north-west and south-west corners.

Interior precinct.

This is the name of the group of 12 buildings surrounded by a second, albeit smaller, defensive wall that restricted access. Inside this area is the Castillo, the most important building at Tulum, built with its back to the sea on the highest part of the cliff. The product of several construction stages, it is higher and larger than any of the other buildings at the site. A wide stairway with balustrades leads to the temple at the top, which contains two room accessed via three serpent columns. The façade displays two zoomorphic masks at the corners and three niches, the middle one of which contains the figure of a diving god. Flanking the stairway are two adoratoriums and at the foot of it a platform that was probably used for dance rituals. Another important building in this group is the Temple of the Initial Series, where the earliest date thus far recorded for Tulum was found. Also of great importance is the Temple of the Diving God, which is composed of a platform and a single-room building with interior benches. This temple is a good example of the ‘fallen wall’ characteristics of the architecture from this period. The main façade and the interior still display traces of paint, and the former a niche with a diving god. Flanking the causeway or main path in Tulum are a series of primarily residential constructions, such as the house of the columns, an L-shaped building with a large interior and a colonnaded entrance that once supported a flat roof. Another interesting example is the palace of the halachuinic, ‘great lord’, with a portico, three rooms and shrine within. The façade of this building also displays a niche with an image of the diving god and traces of the original paint. In the centre of the city, almost opposite the Castillo, stands the Temple of the Frescoes, one of the most interesting buildings in the Maya area in terms of its pictorial representations. It is the product of several construction phases; the original building was a room with an altar and richly painted walls, and a diving god in the central niche on the façade. It subsequently gained a portico or gallery on three of its sides, which is the construction we see today; it has four columns at the front and two pilasters to the south, flanking the entrance. The main façade contains three niches with representations of the diving god and figures with feathered headdresses. At every corner of the building is a giant mask of the god Itzamna, the lord creator of all things. The small temple on the roof of this building corresponds to the final stage of construction. The paintings inside make reference to different gods, mainly associated with farming and the underworld. In front of it stands Stela 2, nowadays greatly eroded but which once displayed the profile of a dignitary wearing a bird headdress. Situated opposite the former building is the House of the Chultun, a residential construction. The three entrances, defined by columns, lead to a large interior space which once had a flat roof made of wooden beams and lime concrete. Like most the buildings at Tulum, the façade displays a diving god. At the south-west corner of the building we can see a chultun, a type of cistern for collecting rainwater, from which the house takes its name. Situated in the northern section of the settlement are the House of the North-west and the House of the Cenote, as well as various adoratoriums near the coast the temple of the wind god. The former construction has three entrances flanked by columns, while the House of the Cenote stands on the natural vaulted roof of a cenote and also has three colonnaded entrances. Both constructions are thought to have served as family tombs. The Temple of the Wind God stands on a natural elevation at the edge of the cliff. Its semi-circular platform and the small altar inside suggest that it may have been dedicated to the wind god. Six small adoratoriums are situated to the north-east, so tiny that they must have fulfilled some religious function. Finally, situated at the south-east corner of the city is a group of elite residences.

Jose Manuel Ochoa Rodriguez

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp445-447

Further Information:

Tulum – Rand McNally

Tulum – Rough Guide

How to get there:

From Tulum town. The entrance to the site is about 3 kilometres from the centre of the modern tourist town of Tulum. You might want to consider hiring a bike for the visit. The actual entrance to the site is a long way from the entrance on the main road, having first to pass what sounds like an horrendous ‘theme park’ and then you have to run the gauntlet of a huge shopping and eating complex. A bike will allow you to pass quickly through all this tat.

GPS:

20d 12′ 52″ N

87d 25′ 44″ W

Entrance:

First there’s a charge of M$58 to enter the ‘biosphere’. This at a control on the approach road to the site. Then it’s M$90 to actually enter Tulum ruins.

It starts to get busy very soon after opening (at 08.00) and by 09.00 small guided groups start to arrive which soon make the small and quite compact site feel crowded.

More on the Maya

Xel’ ha – Quintana Roo – Mexico

Posted on 11/06/2023 by Michael

Xel’ ha

More on the Maya

Xel’ ha – Quintana Roo

Location

This site is located in the state of Quintana Roo, approximately 113 km south of the city of Cancun and 16 km north of Tulum. Its name in Yucatec Maya means ‘where the waters spring’ (from xel, ‘spring’, and ha, ‘water’), due to the fact that it overlooks a natural cove. This cove is believed to have served in pre-Hispanic times as a trading port and shelter for sailing vessels during bad weather. Nowadays, it has been turned into a recreational nature reserve (Xelha Park) and is regarded as one of the main tourist attractions on the Maya Riviera. The core area of the settlement with the most elaborate buildings occupies the highest point, rising in certain places to 8 m above sea level. There are several cenotes or exposed underground waters nearby. The largest is very close to the Jaguar Group at the site. The entrance can be found at km 245 on federal road 307 linking Puerto Juarez to the city of Chetumal.

Pre-Hispanic history

Due to its location, Xelha may well correspond to the ancient pre-Hispanic village known as Xala. Around 1527, the men in Francisco de Montejo’s expedition ‘travelled to Yucatan and cast anchor half a league from an Indian village, which they call Xala’ regarding it as favourable land for colonisation by the Spanish, they established the first Salamanca de Xala nearby. Xelha experienced two important stages of development: the first, between the late Preclassic and the end of the Early Classic, and the second throughout the Postclassic until the Spaniards arrived. During its early stage, the site reveals an increase in building activity, ranging from an incipient architecture based on perishable materials to a more attractive architecture with elaborate stonework and masonry. Combined with a gradual population increase, this enabled the settlement to gain the status of trading port, and it came to be recognised as the most important city in the region during the Early Classic. There was also evident artistic development during this stage, as manifested by its ties with sites further inland and on the central plateau; this is particularly evident from the pictorial style visible in the House of Birds.

Subsequently, during its second stage of development, the population increased further and port and trading activities were consolidated, spreading their influence along the whole of the east coast. The wall near the sea which defended the port from possible attacks corresponds to this period. Soon after the arrival of the Spaniards, Xelha entered a decline and by the middle of the 16th century had been abandoned.

Site description

The core area consists of four architectural groups, although only groups B and C are open to the public.

Group B or the Lothrop Group.

This group of constructions is situated some 400 m west of the cove. Its structures comprise platforms and masonry buildings distinctly influenced by the Peten style of architecture. The group was occupied almost continuously from the Late Preclassic until the beginning of the 16th century. It contains palatial-type buildings that were almost certainly used by people of high political or religious rank; most of them date from the Late and Terminal Classic. The main structure, known as the House of Birds and nowadays partly destroyed by the road built in the 1970s, displays numerous construction phases. The dividing wall between two rooms still has traces of murals from the Early Classic. One side of the wall depicts birds and the other an effigy of Tlaloc, with a marked Teotihuacan influence. A pre-Hispanic causeway (sacbe) measuring 6 m wide and 1,200 m long leads to groups C and D.

C Group or Jaguar Group.

Situated on the edge of a magnificent cenote, this group corresponds to the final period of occupation. Five small temples or adoratoriums in the East Coast style are distributed around the platform they share, forming a small plaza with a tiny altar at the centre. The most outstanding building is the one that lends its name to the group. This contains another small shrine with murals on the interior and exterior walls. One of these murals shows a jaguar. Another of the temples is accessed by balustraded stairways culminating in serpent heads, now obliterated by the passage of time.

Other Groups.

Although not open to the public, Group A or the Pier Group contains constructions dating from AD 990 to 1527, situated near the cove on a small isthmus, keeping watch over sailing vessels entering the cove. It is composed of low platforms and three East Coast-style structures which were used for port and trading activities. However, the most outstanding element of the group is a wall, 50 m long and 3 m high, which protected the settlement, Group D, situated at the end of the sacbe, comprises six structures that have not been excavated but whose architecture suggests that they date from the Late Classic.

Monuments and ceramics

The historical ceramic periods can be summarised as follows:

Kantenah period (AD 100-400). There are only a few ceramic fragments from this period and no evidence of building activity, suggesting that the site must have been at a very incipient stage.

Yalku period (AD 400-600). This stage reveals considerable building activity in an architectural style characteristic of the Peten-Belize region, with masonry constructions, inset stairways and rounded corners. During this period, Xelha consolidated its status as a trading port and its cultural ties outside the region.

Chemuyil I period (AD 600-700). This is distinguished by several stylistic influences from the central region of the peninsula, demonstrating the degree of cultural relations that this settlement maintained with various inland sites during the Late Classic.

Chemuyil II period (AD 700-1200). This period denotes a transformation in the constructions with most of the buildings now being covered and closed to allow for new structures on top of them. The Vault Group (D), connected via a sacbe to Group B, dates from this time.

Xala I period (AD 1200-1527). A considerable number of East Coast-style buildings emerged in this period, including the Pier (A) and Jaguar House (C) groups. Altars were also built next to water and inside caves. Xalal II Period (AD 1527). The site was abandoned.

Importance and relations

Some authors believe that the most outstanding aspects of this site are its location and its importance within the vast coastal trade network during the Postclassic period. Meanwhile, its status as a trading port must have allowed it to develop and maintain relations with other regions in the Maya area and on the central plateau. The traces of murals in the structure known as the House of Birds denote an external influence, which was manifested in the social, cultural and artistic circles at the settlement. This again reveals important ties with other sites in eastern Yucatan and Mesoamerica.

Jose Manuel Ochoa Rodriguez

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp443-444.

Getting there:

From Tulum. Not easy. Get a combi that travelling in the direction of Playa de Carmen and try to get dropped off on the main road as close to the entrance of the site as possible. The ‘not easy’ bit is getting across a busy road where the traffic scream by.

To get back to Tulum just flag down any combi that passes through the town. M$40.

GPS:

20d 19’09.00” N

87d 21’59.55” W

Entrance:

M$90

More on the Maya

Muyil – Quintana Roo – Mexico

Posted on 11/06/2023 by Michael

Muyil

More on the Maya

Muyil – Quintana Roo

Location

This is situated in one of the largest protected nature areas in Mexico: the Sian Ka’an (‘where the sky is born’) Biosphere Reserve, declared a World Heritage site in 1987. Some 20 or so pre-Hispanic settlements have been found in this vast area, mainly along the coast, including Capechen, San Miguel de Ruz, Chamax, Paso de la Viuda, Recodo San Juan, Xoken and Muyil, this site being the largest. Lakes Nopalitos, Muyil and Chunyaxche are all adjacent to the site. No one knows what it was called during the pre-Hispanic period; the name Muyil corresponds to the nearby lake of the same name and the first record of this toponym was found in early colonial documents. It is also known as Chunyaxche because this was the name used by the French ‘explorer’ Michel Peissel when he published his adventures on the Quintana Roo coast in the 1960s. The site lies 22 km south of the town of Tulum, on federal road 307 between Cancun and Chetumal.

Pre-Hispanic history

Like many of the coasts on the east coast, Muyil has a long occupational timeline. The earliest evidence dates from the Late Preclassic. From the Classic era, numerous architectural ruins from residential and civic-religious constructions have been found, consisting of masonry platforms on which wattle-and-daub walls and palm roofs were built. However, the largest quantity of residential (platforms, dry walls, etc.) and civic-ceremonial (temples, sanctuaries, altars, etc.) ruins correspond to the Postclassic. The earliest ruins found at Muyil date from the Late Preclassic, when it existed as a small, sparsely populated settlement. The only remains from this period are ceramic fragments. During the Classic period (AD 300-1000), it gradually grew and developed an economy based on the exploitation of the abundant natural resources nearby. Trade with other sites in the Maya area was frequent, given its situation on the shores of a freshwater lake with internal channels and lagoons connected to the sea. During this period the site was influenced by the Guatemalan region of Peten, which is reflected both in the ceramics and the architecture. This can be seen in the Castillo and in the majority of the constructions in the Entrance Plaza group. Muyil experienced its heyday in the Postclassic period, which was characterised by a considerable territorial expansion and population increase. Most of the constructions date from this period and are built in the typical East Coast style.

Site description

The settlement is divided into two sections: Muyil A and Muyil B or the Cenote. The former is the largest (38 has) and the only one open to the public. The groups of constructions are defined by monumental architecture, and Muyil A contains the Entrance Plaza Group, the Castillo Group and the Temple 8 Group. The temple known as Xlabpak or Lake Watchtower can also be considered part of Muyil A.

The first complex is the Entrance plaza group which dates from the Classic period and comprises 13 civic-ceremonial and residential constructions, none of which have been excavated. Belonging to this same group, albeit from a later period (Postclassic), is structure 6, which is abutted to the facade of one of the Classic constructions and consists of a temple sanctuary composed of a portico and columns and polychrome decoration.

The Castillo is the highest building at Muyil (17 m.), comprising five tiers and a balustraded stairway. An offering of 300 jadeite, shell and conch objects was found at the top of the stairway. Two sub-structures uncovered beneath the final construction phase, the Temple of the Herons and the Temple of the Falcon, were exposed on the east side of the building. A causeway or sacbe, divided into three sections, linked the Castillo to the Entrance Group and the lake. Situated north-west of the Castillo is a group of ceremonial buildings delimited by a low wall with two entrances. Inside the walls stands Temple 8 on a fourtier platform with several construction phases commencing in the Early Postclassic and terminating in the Late Postclassic. A small sanctuary is situated in front of the stairway. The Lake Watchtower or Xlabpak is a free-standing temple built on rocky outcrop on the shores of Lake Chunyaxche and the only way to reach it is by boat.

Importance and relations

Muyil must have been a relatively important city during the Classic period judging from its monumental constructions, most notably the Castillo and the Entrance Plaza Group. During this period, Muyil maintained close ties with the Peten region in Guatemala. Subsequently, it established stronger ties with Coba, which probably used the strategically located Muyil as a point for trading goods with the Peten region. By the Postclassic, the hegemony of the cities in the Peten region and Coba had declined, obliging Muyil to modify its political and economic patterns. When Chichén Itzá fell, most of the coastal sites in Quintana Roo, including Muyil, experienced an unexpected boom. This is clearly manifested in the quantity of architectural ruins from this period. Around AD 1450, when the Cocom dynasty lost its control and Mayapan, its capital, the prevailing political structure in the Yucatan Peninsula fell apart, leading to a reorganisation of society and the emergence of independent provinces or chieftainships with their own governors.

Elia del Carmen Trejo Alvarado

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp448-449.