Tulum is a Mayan archaeological site located on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. It is famous for its location on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Tulum was an important Mayan port between the 13th and 16th centuries, and its main constructions are from the late post-classical period. The name "Tulum" means "wall" in Mayan, and it is believed that the city was called "Zamá", which means "dawn", due to its orientation towards the east.

Tulum is now a popular tourist destination that offers a variety of attractions, including beaches, cenotes, Mayan ruins and a vibrant culinary scene. Tulum is also the gateway to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. Sian Ka'an is a lush ecosystem that includes beaches, coral reefs, an abundant rainforest, dunes and cenotes.

Tulum has a typical architecture of the Mayan sites on the east coast of the Yucatan peninsula. This architecture is characterized by a step that runs through the base of the building, which sits on a low platform. Doors of this type are usually narrow, with columns that serve as support if the building is large enough. The walls are usually widened upwards, with two sets of moldings near the top. The room usually contains one or two small windows with an altar on the back wall, covered by a roof of beams and debris or vaulted. This type of architecture resembles the one found in nearby Chichen Itzá, only on a much smaller scale.

There are three main structures of interest at the archaeological site of Tulum: The Castle, the Temple of the Frescoes and the Temple of the Descending God. The Castle is a 7.5-meter-high pyramid that was built on an earlier building. The Temple of the Frescoes was an observatory that was used to track the movements of the sun. The Temple of the Descendant God is a single-room structure with a narrow staircase that was built on another temple that served as a base.