Tulum's unparalleled location atop a spectacular cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea, suggests that it served as an ancient watchtower to protect Maya trade routes, from the Mexican state of Tabasco to Honduras, as a important center for commerce and for astronomical observation; the Maya called it "Zama" (dawn).

The ancient walled Maya city is ideally located overlooking the Caribbean Sea atop a 12-meter-tall cliff; it encompasses the vestiges of one of the most exquisite cities ever built by the ancestral Maya people.

Nowadays, the site offers many touristic services including parking and a commercial area with bathrooms, restaurants and handicrafts shops. A number of free indigenous dances and shows are presented in this area.

Other important prehispanic sites near Tulum:

• Cobá, located 42 km to the northwest of Tulúm.
• Chichén Itzá, that are 159 km in the same direction.
• And Muyil located 20 Km. of distance. There you can see Sanctuary of the goddess Ixchel and the temple of the Watch of the Lake also called “Xlahpak”.