I am sort of in Cozumel, Mexico today…by sort of means I will be docking in the city, but will be on an adventure somewhere else. That somewhere else is the main reason I wanted to go on this trip. I am going to the Mayan Ruins of Tulum today. I am so excited to be here! Check out this picture and imagine me there 
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For those who don’t really know me; I am a nut when it comes to ancient historical cultures, places, artifacts, etc.. My dream vacation has always been to go to Egypt and next to Egypt would be Central America for the fabulous ruins. So this is an amazing day for me. I can’t wait to blog about this and share pictures when I get home!
Here is a little history on the ruins:
The city of Tulum was at its height during the 13th-15th century, and is thus one of the later Mayan outposts. It flourished during the 14th century and was still inhabited when the Spanish arrived in the early 16th century. Tulum was an important trading post for the Post classic Mayans. There is a beach where merchants could come ashore with their canoes. The highest building, El Castillo, was also a lighthouse to make navigation easier. When two torches aligned, it showed the way through the reef. During the Post classic period, the Maya started to use large seagoing canoes. The canoes were 40-50 feet long and hewn from mahogany or other tropical hardwoods. These canoes revolutionized trading in the Mundo Maya. Prior to the advent of this practice, they could only move what could be carried on a person’s shoulders. The Maya didn’t use wagons or beasts of burden, simply because their were no suitable big mammals in the area. Their trading voyages ranged from trips to the Gulf of Mexico, the coast of the Yucatán peninsula, and extending all the way to what is today Honduras. There is even evidence that they went as far as Costa Rica and Panama.
In 1518, an expedition lead by Juan de Grijalva sailed past Tulum. The captain and crew were amazed by the sight of this walled city, with its buildings painted red, blue and white and with a fire on top of the main temple. Some 75 years after the conquest, Tulum was abandoned, but was still visited over the years by Mayan pilgrims. During the War of the Castes, Indian refugees took shelter here from time to time. Because of its location, Western scientists of the late 19th century became aware of Tulum, and excavations started in the early 20th century.
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