Tulum Facts

Tulum Ruins Tickets: FAST TRACK

One of the last cities inhabited by the Maya people, Tulum was once an important trading hub, generating enormous wealth exporting jade and obsidian.
Now, it's a fascinating city-museum, with well-preserved temples & stunning coastal views.

Are you planning to visit Tulum Mexico and want to know more about it? Here are some interesting and less known facts about Tulum!

  • The city of Tulum was previously known as Zama, meaning City of Dawn.
  • Its current name means fence or trench in Mayan.
  • Being both on a sea and land route, it had major historical importance as a centre of trading.
  • The city flourished between the 13th and the 15th centuries, fading only 70 years after the Spanish army started conquering today’s Mexico.
  • Although there is no specific data about its population at its height, estimates put it between 1,000 and 1,600.
  • Tulum ruins are perched on 12 metre high cliffs facing the Caribbean Sea.
  • It is the 3rd most visited site in Mexico and the most visited spot in the state of Quintana Roo.
  • The site was inhabited as early as the 6th century.
  • Tulum is a rare city built by the Mayans because it is one of the few walled cities.