Traveling to … the Tulum Ruins

The Mayan civilization made a very important mark in history, and each of their iconic cities were built for a specific purpose. Chichen Itza is the most well-known, for its vast size that is still being discovered by archeologists to this date. I had the amazing opportunity of visiting not only this wonder of the world, but another ancient Mayan ruin city, known as Tulum.

Tulum is an extraordinarily unique Mayan city, because it is the only one built along the coast, known for trading precious jade and turquoise, but also one of the few surrounded by a protective wall. Not unlike Chichen Itza, majority of Tulum is remarkably still in tact. Not to mentions it is situated alongside one of the most picturesque beaches. 

I can’t say that I was a big history person in high school, but I was always intrigued by world history and learning about ancient civilizations, and times when kings ruled. But years of traveling has made me much more curious how places and people came to exist. Between my father and I, we are usually the ones standing close to the guide listening intently to their stories, slowly drifting away from the group to photography every beautiful detail of these historical places. As in the case of the rolling green and limestone cliffs, the aged stones have preserved over thousands of years. Being on the sandy shores, looking out onto the Caribbean sea, glowing of varying blue and greens in the sun, I felt a sense of peace and connection to the Mayan civilization. Tulum left me in a wonder, such a beautiful place, rich in history and culture that I’d love to explore more deeply.