Must-Visit Ancient Ruins in Mexico

Tulum

Tucked at the southern end of the Riviera Maya, breezy seaside Tulum doubles as a beach resort and archaeological site. Among the most picturesque ruins anywhere in the world, the ancient city of Tulum sits high on a series of rocky bluffs above a golden beach and restless Caribbean Sea that runs a dozen shades of blue.

Photo Credit: ©CPTM: Foto / Ricardo Espinosa-Reo

Unlike Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan, Tulum was still a thriving city when the Spanish arrived in the early 16th century. The bustling Mayan seaport facilitated the trade of jade and gold, feathers and foodstuffs between the Caribbean coast and the Yucatan interior. It’s a marvel to view it from the beach below. The waves crashing against the formidable rock speak of another time.

There’s no way the ancient Mayan people could have imagined that hardworking Tulum would one day be the epitome of a laid-back beach resort and that visitors arriving from foreign shores would take such interest in their ancient ways and means. Most of the area’s resorts are arrayed along the shoreline south of the ruins, including a hip boutique hotel called the Mezzanine that’s actually located inside the national park. In addition to its own stretch of Caribbean sand, the adults-only Mezzanine features a Thai restaurant with an actual Thai chef who has her own TV cooking show and a beachfront bar that serves premium tequilas and primo margaritas. After waking to a sunny breakfast and a yoga class on the hotel lawn, head down to the ruins, just 25 minutes north along the shore. The front desk can arrange other activities like cenote (underwater cave) diving, salsa lessons, kiteboarding sessions and jungle ziplines. The awesome dining scene and chill nightlife of the village of Tulum is a short taxi ride away (room rates start at $130 a night; mezzaninetulum.com).

Photo courtesy of Mezzanine Property