The Mayan Ruins of Tulum

by Pheasant Run Gallery

Title

The Mayan Ruins of Tulum

Artist

Pheasant Run Gallery

Medium

Mixed Media - Photograph

Description

The Mayan Ruins, for almost a millennium, the ancient ruins of great architecture lay buried beneath the jungle vegetation on the Yucatan Peninsula. Abandoned by their creators these ancient Mayan ruins are a stunning reminder of a powerful civilization that once ruled the people of Central America. The Maya civilization was never unified however but instead consisted of a network of city-states dominated by sacred Lords, who were linked by complex ties of kinship, ritual, trade and military alliances. Some of these cities would grow into ‘superpowers’, with huge temples and pyramids. Although the accomplishments of the ancient Mayans are astonishing, no city would escape the inevitable collapse. One by one they were swallowed by the rainforest leaving the amazing Mayan ruins hidden, waiting to be discovered.

Centuries later the Mayan ruins were rediscovered by early explorers and archeologists who found them hidden away in the jungles of southern Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize. Although badly eroded, the ruined buildings and great stone pyramids, some towering over the dense jungle canopy, were still magnificent and beautiful. From the inscriptions on the eroded monuments and exquisitely carved stones, the image of a complex civilization emerged. These monuments display remarkable achievements in astronomy, mathematics and calendrics.

The Tulum ruins are a walled Maya city perched on a rocky cliff overlooking the Caribbean in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. The site is of modest scale and was built during the post Classic period when the Mayan culture was in decline and therefore lacks the elegance of some other famous Mayan ruins. The tropical beach backdrop however makes this a unique site which should not be missed.

Tulum means wall or trench in Yucatan Maya and refers to the walls surrounding the city. The ancient name may have been Zama, meaning City of Dawn because it faces the sunrise.

Uploaded

June 30th, 2020

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