Tulum - Temple of the Frescos

(Local Name: Templo de los Frescos) The most important building at Tulum from an archaeological point of view is the Temple of the Frescos (Templo de los Frescos; Edificio 16). It stands more or less in the middle of the walled area and on the east-west axis. The essential parts of the building were probably constructed about the year 1450. As with so many of the Maya religious buildings, in the course of time the temple was built over on several occasions.

The only room on the ground floor has an entrance on the west side which is divided up by four columns. Above this there is a double ledge which is sectioned off by three niches. In the central niche there is a stucco sculpture of the God Descending. The side niches are decorated with other reliefs modelled in stucco which depict seated figures with elaborate head-dresses. The corners of the ledges consist of large bas-relief masks; they were once painted over and are thought to have depicted Itzamná, the old Sky God revered by the Yucatán Mayas. Over the door of the upper floor there is a niche with the remains of a stucco relief which originally is likely to have represented the God Descending. The wall of the interior room is decorated by interesting codex-like paintings which in terms of their content are Maya, while in terms of their style they are Mixtec. They mainly depict figures from the world of the Maya gods. In the upper section two representations of the Sky God, Itzamná, face one another, flanked on the right by the rain god Chac. The central part of the frescos depicts the moon and fertility goddess Ixchel alongside two unknown figures. In the upper part on the right-hand side a picture of the goddess Ixchel is again recognisable, its base comprising a sea scene with stylised fishes.

In front of the temple on an altar stands the 1.30m/4ft high stela no. 2, which bears a post-Classic Maya calendar date which has been deciphered as ad 1261.