Its Maya builders probably called it Zamá, City of Dawn, for the sunrise it faces, and its walled citadel on a 12-metre limestone cliff peaked between the 13th and 15th centuries, one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya. Juan de Grijalva's Spanish expedition sighted it in 1518. The municipality split from Solidaridad, whose seat is Playa del Carmen 62 km north, only in 2008. Where Playa is a dense resort strip, Tulum divides into an inland grid-town, a separate beachfront hotel zone and the edge of the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. The 2020 census counted 33,374 people in the town and 46,721 across the municipality.
Nights sit around 25°C and afternoons around 29°C.
Tulum barely changes season: afternoons sit around 29°C and nights around 25°C most of the year.
Rain is spread through the year — about 1134 mm in total, from 189 mm in October down to 32 mm in March — so no single month is a washout.
Wind is rarely an issue; most months sit between calm and a light breeze. Air quality is worth watching: July averages an AQI of 57, while November clears to 28.
Days stretch to about 13.2 hours of light in June and shrink to 10.8 in December — something to weigh if you work to a fixed timezone.
For what you're after, the best months in Tulum are November – May. Expect fast internet (131 Mbps) and a moderate cost of living (about €1300 a month).
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