Eddie loved the old rustic bikes. I think he was jealous of the simple life.
Pyramid El Castillo (The Castle)
Built by the pre-Columbian Maya civilization sometime between the 9th and 12th centuries CE, El Castillo served as a temple to the god Kukulkan, the Yucatec Maya Feathered Serpent deity closely related to the god Quetzalcoatlknown to the Aztecs and other central Mexican cultures of the Postclassic period.
Great Palace
This is one of the buildings which served as a residence to the most important inhabitants of Tulum. It is formed by various large rooms which were covered with roofs supported by columns and beams. There are benches around the walls, which were used as seats and probably as beds. AT the side of the building there is a sanctuary where the family held their religious ceremonies.
Our "Guide" explaining..
The pyramid consists of a series of square terraces with stairways up each of the four sides to the temple on top. Sculptures of plumed serpents run down the sides of the northern balustrade. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, the late afternoon sun strikes off the northwest corner of the pyramid and casts a series of triangular shadows against the northwest balustrade, creating the illusion of a feathered serpent "crawling" down the pyramid. The event has been very popular, but it is questionable whether it is a result of a purposeful design.[2] Each of the pyramid's four sides has 91 steps which, when added together and including the temple platform on top as the final "step", produces a total of 365 steps (which is equal to the number of days of the Haab' year).
Templo de las Pinturas (Temple of the Frescos)
This building conserves most of the decorative elements of Tulum. It has two levels, of which the lower level is comprised of two temples, one within the other, where the decoration is concentrated. The façade of the inner temple is decorated with mural paintings, while that of the outer temple boasts stucco figures in bas-relief, including masks in the corners, sculptures in three niches in the façade – the central one is a representation of the descending god – and human figures intertwined in the frieze. The temple of the upper level is very simple as its decoration consists of red-colored hand prints.
Tulum was the site of a Mayan port which was supported by up to 1000 residents before the arrival of the Spanish. The ruin's tropical beach backdrop is the main attraction of this picturesque, much-visited small ruin on the shore of the Caribbean Sea.
A "real" mexican taco...a great way to end a great day!
