Tulum Ruins, Mexico (May 9, 2026)
If my wife Elena had the power of the gods, I believe she’d create something that looks a lot like Tulum, Mexico, where Will and I visited today. I imagine this is the perfect environment for Elena to live and thrive forever. It has all her favorite elements: warm weather, aqua colored ocean, white sandy beach for miles in both directions, and ancient Mayan ruins.
Tulum means “gate” as in the entrance Will is standing underneath
This gate was a feat of engineering in its time. Originally, this city was called Zamá (Mayan for "dawn" or "morning"). That’s because the whole city is set up to face the temple that honors the sun god (more on that in a minute).
This wall was built to protect the city and funnel traffic where the Mayans wanted people to enter and exit. The city was renamed Tulum as the walled city has become virtually synonymous with the ruins themselves, but upon a closer look, there is historical relevance.
As soon as you pass through this arch, everything changes. If you are paying attention, you get the full experience that the Mayans were going for. First, the heat noticeably drops several degrees. Outside the wall, there’s no breeze that cools everything contained inside the walls. It’s also brighter as the trees are more strategic and less dense. So while the temperature is cool, the whole area brightens. Even the sounds change from a more forrest-like experience to crashing waves and beach. You notice all these changes immediately.
Once inside the walls, this is the first house in the “neighborhood”
Anyone living inside these walls was considered “important” in the Mayan culture. But even within the walls, there is still economic disparity. If you were really well off, your house was built with stone. Yes, all roofs were essentially a combination of wood and straw, but those with less standing in the community had houses built of wood.
A lot where a wooden house was built. Foundation is still stone-based
The patriarch who lived here would also be buried here in the center of the home. Or, at least, his bones would be. The Mayans had rituals to ensure the body was cleaned up by nature. What remained was buried in the center as part of the central foundation of the house. The Mayans believed that the spirit of the original owner of the home would protect all the descendants who lived there.
Staring directly at the sun, Will and I attempt a picture together
It was hard to pay attention to our guide, Angle, as I kept thinking how much Elena would have loved being here with us. That’s the difficulty with traveling the world for a year. Only after you’ve visited do you have a better sense of what other people might enjoy. Yes, you can ask ChatGPT for guidance and do your online research ahead of time, but until you visit a place, you don’t really know what it’s like. Eventually, I recognized my desire for my wife to be here with me was distracting me from deeply listening, so I tuned back in.
So here’s the magic of Tulum. On exactly the day of the summer solstice, the Mayans would allow people from outside the wall to join them in a celebration of the sun god. While the early ceremony was happening, the sun was rising until it hit the temple in a awe-inspiring only-happens-once-a-year way:
The sun shines directly through the temple and lights up the city
The Mayans knew that the position of the sun changed throughout the year. When the sun rises on the left of the temple, it’s winter. Dead center begins summer. And when it’s to the right of the temple it’s winter. But can you imagine building a temple that precisely captures the essence of the sun exactly when it rises on June 22nd each year?
Whoa! If you’re just slightly off, this doesn’t work. Imagine. You map it out with math, draw up your plans, build it and then cross your fingers that the builders of the temple where as precise as your math (hopefully) was. Talk about a lot of pressure to “get it right the first time.”
So … many … iguanas in Tulum. They are EVERYWHERE!
I’m not sure the number of iguanas outnumber the tourists, but I’m only counting the ones I can see – as in above ground walking on the grass or road. If we include all the ones hiding in the trees, under rocks and even inside the temples, I’d be willing to bet it’s about even (or maybe when you count the iguana babies they are slightly ahead). The first time you see one, it’s a bit like your first Zebra in Africa in the wild. Oh! Look at this magnificent creature. Then, by your 100th Zebra it’s more like, “Cool, another Zebra.”
The key difference being that the iguanas here are bigger than squirrels, slightly slower, but just as nimble climbing up trees and other objects. Will and I kept our distance as we didn’t want to have to report having a bite from one of them (do iguanas carry disease?!?) but we both stood in awe over just how many of these guys dominate Tulum. It’s impressive.
Palm tree? Check. Ocean? Check. Ancient wall? Hot weather? Perfect!
It’s still early May here so there’s a lot of seaweed washing up onto the shore. I believe that will lighten up and eventually go away entirely. But, for now, that’s all the brown at the shoreline before you see aqua blue to the horizon and skyline. From there, you can see all the trees, grass and green that is only disrupted by the white and grey of the ancient ruins, temples and homes.
It’s a lot to take in. After a few hours, it all begins to blend together. That is, unless you’re a history buff like Elena and then you’re absorbing everything you can about this ancient culture.
Will and I make our way through the edge of this area about to exit.
Long day, but fun day together. Tulum is about two hours south of Cancun. This is one of the reasons that Will and I didn’t stay at one of the many all-inclusive resorts in the “Hotel Zone” of Cancun. They’re certainly nice hotels with pristine beach access. The nature of paying upfront for all your meals and activities at the hotel means you don’t tend to leave. Can you? Sure. But many people just use the hotel as what Elena calls a “Fly and Flop.” I get it.
This was meant to be more of an exploratory adventure. With this being Will’s last week before going home, I wanted him to have a few diverse experiences and enjoy the rich culture of Mexico; to live like a local and enjoy the beauty of the country.
“Magico” indeed. I’m so glad we went out of our way to be here.
