What is Tulum known for? Well, anyone who’s ever heard of the place knows it as a buzzy resort, the trendier alternative to Cancun (80 miles to the north), and for the past few decades an increasingly popular (and crowded) destination for foodies, influencers and tourists in general.
But the ancient Maya people were at Tulum long before it was cool. In fact, skeletal remains found in nearby cenotes and underwater cave systems indicate that the area was populated by Indigenous people 10,000 or more years ago.
Read More: A Hard Life and Mysterious Death
More recently, about 1,500 years ago, it was here, on the Caribbean coast of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, that the Maya built a city unlike any other. They called it Zama, which means sunrise or dawn — appropriate for a city facing east across a sweep of glittering sea. Situated in a protected zone just a ...
