"All of our running, all of our cunning,
if we couldn't laugh we'd all go insane" - Jimmy Buffett"All of our running, all of our cunning,
if we couldn't laugh we'd all go insane" - Jimmy Buffett
Tulum is a couple of hours drive south of Cancún. Here's what
the sign at Tulum had to say about it's history:
"Tulum was one of the last cities to be built and
inhabited by the Mayans. The city thrived mainly from the 15th to
the 16th century. It was originally called Zama, which means
'Dawn' and is related to it's location, which lies on the extreme
eastern side of the Yucatan peninsula, directly facing the
sunrise. It is a walled city, reflecting the turbulent political
situation of the time. The enormous wall, which defends it's
three landward sides, has only five small and narrow entrances.
There are more than fifty buildings within the wall, most of
which were temples dedicated to religious ceremonies, while
others served as living quarters for the lords and priests. They
were all constructed following a pattern: the major buildings lie
in the center and from there, two roads branch out heading north
and south, along which most of the platforms are aligned. On top
of these were wood houses with thatched roofs, which have not
withstood the effects of time. Commoners did not live within
Tulum itself, but rather in the surrounding countryside. The only
times they entered the city was to assist at religious
ceremonies, or attend matters with the lords who held a
government office. Tulum was a richly decorated city in which all
of the temples were painted. Some of them boasted murals not only
on the inside but on the outside as well. The facades were
adorned with sculptures and stucco reliefs. You are about to
visit a Maya site which was abandoned around 450 years ago.
This is a panoramic view of the city. You can see the
Caribbean on the right, and both the city wall in the distance
and wrapping around to the left. Karen was being a real bitch, so
we didn't get to learn much about the individual structures. The
structure at the right appeared to be the main
temple.
Leitha joked that the area to the left "Must have been a
night club because of the BIG dance
floor".
Here's another shot
This appeared to be the main temple at Tulum. It was U shaped,
with other structures forming the arms of the U. Leitha joked
that this "must be the local equivalent of a
stairmaster", and that the door on the right was "the
men's room because there was no line to get in" (unlike the
other structures).
If you would like, you can check out photos of the rest of the
structure; Leitha thought they were a whore house because of all
of the "Erections".
Ruins
More ruins
Yet more ruins
About this time, Santanu disappears. Where did he go? Anywhere
that Karen wasn't. He hates Karen. I don't
blame him. Karen was being evil. She treats him with such disdain
that it's wearing thin. He's found another pair of girls to hang
out with for the rest of the day, leaving me with Leitha and
Karen. Karen does not seem to mind, apparently it's mutual.
OK, we came to Tulum to swim in the Caribbean
next to these ruins. Karen does not want to swim. Ever. Not here,
not anywhere but in a pool. Who would go to México and not want
to swim at the beach? Not only is this girl treating my friend
like regurgitated dog shit, but now she's starting in on me. Fuck
her. I join Santanu and his new friends at the beach, while
Leitha and Karen investigate this cave. Boy will it be an icy
ride home. Too bad, I thought that maybe Leitha and I could....
well you know.
La Ruta
Maya (Part I) |
