Buildings of Tulum

Buildings of Tulum

Main Buildings in Tulum

The Castle
"El Castillo" or The Castle is the largest building among the ruins in tulum. It was actually built in different periods with the two platforms, two galleries, and a central access stairway being the oldest part was later used as a base for the upper temple. the building has three entrances, two vaulted rooms and a lintel supported by two serpent shaped columns. This ancient castle was used for religious rituals and may have been a lighthouse for Maya merchant ships navigating along the Yucatan seashore. It's structure resembles a dominating tower which symbolizes the greatness of the people who built it.


The Temple of the Frescoes

This Temple is one of the monuments in Tulum thought to have had great social and religious importance. its architectural features such as its mural paintings, decorations, sculptures and general appearance suggests that it was a place built in honor of the Gods. It was built in stages, the first stage being a rather basic structure containing a single chamber with an altar, murals on the far side and the entrance decorated with a figure of a human head facing downward. The second stage consisted of a gallery with entrances formed by several columns decorated with stucco figures. Later on, part of the gallery was filled in with stone to be used as a base for the upper temple.

The Palace
This was the largest residential building in tulum. It's 3 stories high and 85 meters long by 35 meters wide. It has numerous small chambers and was lived in by all the spiritual leaders. The original structure was like a l but later they added on a second wing because of the population growth


Temple of the descending god
The temple of the descending god is a small temple but possibly the most important one in Tulum. Its importance comes from the fact that it has a bizarre stucco decoration on the west doorway. This decoration represents the Diving or Descending God. it is of a god or goddess...

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