[Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico] — Here on the east coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, an hour from Playa del Carmen on the Riviera Maya, sits the only Mayan archaeological site overlooking the Caribbean’s turquoise waters.
The city of Tulum was constructed by the Maya around 1200 AD and thrived until shortly after the Spanish conquest a couple of centuries later.
Today, Tulum is one of Mexico’s most-visited archeological sites. There are more than 60 stone structures there, which is surrounded on three sides by walls, and on the fourth by the ocean.
Last week, I was fortunate to have been able to tour Tulum at sunrise, something the average visitor is not able to do, as the site opens to the public at 8:00 am. Our hosts — Riviera Maya’s tourism agency — had arranged a sunrise photo op for the photographers in our travel writers‘ group — which was well-worth the 3:30 am wake-up call!
Despite the clouds, which prevented a picture-postcard sunrise, I was able to capture this shot of a flock of birds gliding past Tulum’s Temple of the Wind and the sun peeking through clouds over the Caribbean. It’s one of my favorites from that morning.
Stay tuned for more photos and stories from Mexico’s Riviera Maya in upcoming posts.
For more information:
Mexico’s Riviera Maya: http://rivieramaya.com/
Mexico Tourism: http://www.visitmexico.com/
Tulum Mundo Maya 2012 official site: http://www.mundomaya.travel/en/arqueologia/top-10/item/tulum
I like sunrises and sunsets very much. It is a perfect photo that provides beautiful view of the nature. Composition is chosen correctly. Birds flying make this photo more interesting. It is done by a professional photographer. Great work!
Beautiful! Love the birds against the sky ~
My, that’s a beautiful shot all the way around. I like the little spots of colorful flowers peeking out.
Thanks, Cathy. The Mayan ruins are very impressive.