Houses
House of the Halach Uinic
This building, which stands on a platform, has an entrance with four columns and a pillar. In the rear room there is a shrine against the rear wall. There is also a direct entrance to this shrine room in back.The passage on the left leads to a set of stairs, also around the back.
An additional column and pillar were added for roof support.
The thatch awning is to help prevent further sun and water damage to the stucco figure beneath it.
House of the Columns (The Great Palace)
This building was one of the largest residential buildings in Tulum. The original plan was in the shape of an "L", while the west wing was added later. The narrow room in back has its own shrine, and small outside-facing windows which still have the ring that once held curtains.
(The Mayas had no doors as we know them.)
A Residential Platform
These platforms were used as foundations for perishable (non-stone) houses, belonging to people important enough to live within the walls. They sometimes appear tilted, but bear in mind that Tulum itself was formed into a bowl-shaped depression, so many platforms rest on sloping ground.
Many people of lesser status lived outside the walls -- remains stretch out for some 3 or 4 miles outside the walls. In fact, only about 10% of the ruins we know lie within the walls, but due to their significance, they are also some of the most impressive.
