Tulum

A visit to Playa del Carmen is not complete without a visit to Tulum. Wikipedia says that Tulum "is the site of a Pre-Columbian Maya walled city serving as a major port for Cobá. The ruins are located on 12-meter (39 ft) cliffs, along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. One of the best-preserved coastal Maya sites, Tulum is today a popular site for tourists."

We visited Tulum when we were in Playa del Carmen two years ago, and we enjoyed it just as much this time. Tulum is gorgeous. The ruins are well-preserved, the views from the cliffs are great, and there is a wonderful breeze that comes off the water.

It was pretty hot, so CJ wilted a little bit, and he didn't care much for the tour guide, but he did enjoy running around.

The center of Tulum is a series of temples that were used for ceremonies and yes, human sacrifice. There are windows in the temples that told the Mayans when it was a solstice or equinox because the sun would shine perfectly through the window frames. By marking the solstices, the Mayans knew when to plant their crops.
We had lunch in the tourist area right outside the Zona Arqueologica. Many of the shops were shuttered, just more evidence that few tourists are visiting Mexico. If you go to Tulum, go to the Kebab shop; they have the best food in the area.

Oh yeah, it costs extra to take the little bus to the Zona Arqueologica but I think it was worth it because it was so darn hot.

Tulum is a decent place to get souvenirs. Good souvenirs from Playa del Carmen include wooden and obsidian statues, Mayan masks, ceramic statues and boxes, Mayan calendars, and ceramic bowls painted bright colors. If you go to Playa del Carmen, don't miss Tulum!

This is a view of one of the major temples.
The building on the left has one of the windows
that the Mayans used to determine the solstice.