Tulum

Tulum is a well-preserved pre-Columbian Maya walled city on cliffs above the Caribbean coast of Quintana Roo. Serving as a major port for Cobá and among the last Maya cities to be built and inhabited, it flourished between the 13th and 15th centuries. Strong natural and built defenses, including sea cliffs, a substantial landward wall, watchtowers, and narrow gateways, protected a city that also controlled important coastal and inland trade routes. Its temples, murals, and repeated images of the Descending god show its religious importance, while artifacts from across the Yucatán, Central Mexico, and Central America reveal broad commercial connections.

Quintana Roo · Mexico