Tulum: Mayan Splendor

CEBU, Philippines - In 2001, I joined a familiarization tour of travel agents onboard the biggest cruise ship in the world – at that time! – 14-storeys high, 142,000 tons (accommodating 3,100 passengers and 1,180 crew) Voyager of the Seas of the Royal Caribbean International. It was my first Caribbean cruise.

Last July, I was again invited to a Caribbean cruise onboard a smaller ship —Caribbean Inspiration of the Caribbean Cruise Lines. Being in a smaller vessel made it more cozy for our group. Still, like before, there were many Filipinos in the crew, making it a home away from home. Plus the fact that we were there to celebrate the golden wedding anniversary of Tito Pros and Tita Sylvia – Dr. & Mrs. Prospero Gogo Sr. of West Virginia, USA. And like the first time, I bought a ticket for a whole day excursion to Tulum Mayan Ruins. It used to cost only US$65.00 with packed lunch. Now it is US$90.00 with just a snack! Mexican authorities are strict about the bringing of food in & out of the vessel, so it is advisable to buy tours inclusive of meals.

We docked at Cozumel, an island just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in southeastern Mexico. The name is from the Mayan phrase cuzam huzil, meaning “land of the swallows.” Maya civilization was scattered throughout Central Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula up to Central America: Guatemala, Belize, northern El Salvador and the Honduras. Its history go back as early as 5000 years, with earliest dating at 1600 BC. In 1518, Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez, with Juan de Grijalva, claimed Cozumel for Spain. Cortez was aided by an interpreter, Geronimo de Aguilar, survivor of an earlier expedition in 1511, and by Gonzalo Guerrero, the first Spaniard who was integrated into Mayan culture.

The Mayan population was nearly annihilated not by war, but by small pox   epidemics brought along by the Spanish colonizers. For centuries, Cozumel was deserted until Mayans inhabited it again when they fled Spanish persecution in the mid-1800s. Mexico’s largest island, Cozumel, is surrounded by hidden coves, wondrous underwater gardens, marine life and stretches of white sand beaches. The grains of these sand beaches are geographically verified as hydro-pulverized fossils of discoaster, an organism extinct some 70 million years ago! The beach sands remain cool even at the hottest midday sun. Our younger relatives and offsprings of friends in our 57-man “Philippine delegation,” opted for a cave adventure where they rented 4-wheel drives to the underwater caverns (formed in the glacial period) for some diving, inclusive of a festive buffet lunch.

But my interest was the ancient ruins in Tulum, set atop the Yucatan cliff facing the Mexican Caribbean waters. It is from the Post Classical period of Mayan Culture (10th - 16th C), more than 60 buildings within huge walls (wall is “tulum” in the Mayan language) with 5 beautiful imposing entrances. This time, the excursion includes free time at the beach below, adjacent to the ruins and swimming is now an added tourist attraction.

The excursion begins soon after breakfast, when we disembarked from our vessel, to catch a ferry at the pier of Cozumel, for a 45-minute ride to Playa del Carmen in mainland Mexico. Then, we took an aircon coach for an hour’s trip to Tulum town.

When I was there a decade ago, the road to the ruins was not as wide and as good as now. Even the walk to the ruins itself has become much more comfortable. They even have a ride (US$2.00) up to the area near the main entrance, but I opted to walk – like I did 10 years ago. The ancient Tulum temples are always a breath-taking sight, despite the biting heat of the noonday sun. Unfortunately, they now don’t allow tourists to climb up the buildings, not even touch the stucco relief designs on the facades of edifices. I am thankful I took that tour in 2001! Then, I was able to peer down the sacred well where Mayans used to throw down sacrificial maidens to their deaths. I wrote down my experience when I entered the temple of the dead, and realized that it remained in shadows, even at noon. The temple of the gods, on the other hand, is bathed in constant sunlight at certain angles throughout the day. That time, I was able to observe up close how massive, solid and finely built are the temples – something tourist nowadays are deprived of. But then, like in Stonehenge in England, tourists are no longer allowed inside or be close enough to touch, for the preservation of such invaluable heritage sites.

The sculpted works, be they bas relief or high relief, made of stucco (quicklime, water and “sascab” – limestone gravel) on time-weathered walls, atop doorways and windows, bespeak a culture so developed and worthy of our deepest appreciation and respect. As I wrote a decade ago, one leaves Tulum in awe of humanity’s great history and achievements. (FREEMAN)