Tulum Mayan Ruins

Our last and final trip on the cruise was to Cozumel, Mexico.  Again, not that impressed with Mexico.  There was only about a mile or two of nice area until you were in run down dirty areas again.  We honestly don't understand what the big deal is about going to Mexico?  {We would definitely rather go to Belize or Hawaii than waste money going to Mexico again.}

The large Mayan Ruins of Tulum are located about 1.5 hours from the Cozumel port so we took an excursion there.  This is one of the temples and some close ups.  The inside is covered in really neat frescos and the corners of the ruin have side profiles of men.  

The ruins were huge and dated to about 900 AD.  I've never walked around in a city that old before so it was a very neat experience.  We also learned about the Mayan 2012 hoopla.  It turns out that they DON'T believe that the "world is going to end," rather, December 21, 2012 is the day that all of the astronomical clocks reset and have made one full revolution.

There are no words for this picture

{Sidenote} In no way is this actually proven, but many LDS scholars believe that  Book of Mormon ancestry has associations with the Mayan culture.  {We actually met a group on our cruise from BYU studying the Mayan culture in relation to the Book of Mormon.}  After wandering around Tulum and learning about the architecture, language/writing, and practices, you could definitely see some connections...but again, it's just neat speculation.  Another place I have on my 'To-Visit List' is Guatemala to visit our friend Andre, and he know of some other pretty cool Mayan places there that are said to be the 'Waters of Mormon' which would be awesome to visit too!

Another aspect of the Tulum I was not expecting was the awesome beach underneath the city cliffs!  It was spectacular {but crowded}.  There is a huge cliff behind the Temple that drops down to a rocky beach with huge waves and turquoise water.  We spent a few minutes relaxing in the sand and splashing around in the water before we had to head back to the boat!

Our cruise was perfect and was a great way to enjoy each other's company, celebrate our marriage, and relax after a very rigorous semester!!!