[Aztlan] Tulum Temple navigation beacon (?)

[Mary K. Andrews]

The Tulúm Castillo (Str. 1) beacon idea has been around since at least the 1950s, and possibly much earlier.  I first heard of it from local fishermen in the 1950s.  In the early 1970s, in a nightime speedboat trip from Akumal to Tulúm, we passed through the reef opening by lining up with the Castillo.  The Castillo was not lit up, but was clearly visible in the light of the full moon, the boatmen was very familiar with the coast, and we passed through the narrow opening without even slowing down.  The opening in the reef  is roughly ESE of the Castillo.  However, I know of only one actual published description of it, by Michael Creamer, of the INA at Texas A&M, who was participating in a INA-INAH-NGS nautical survey of the QR coast in 1984-85, under the direction of Pilar Luna of INAH.  

They placed lights in the structure, and strobe buoys at the sides of the reef entrance, and measured the alignments, which appeared to support the notion that beams from the Castillo "windows" -- some might prefer the term vents -- might have served as a beacon to guide navigators through the reef entrance at night.  See

Creamer, Michael
1989   Maritime Secrets of the Maya. Institute of Nautical Archaeology Newsletter, 13 (2): 4-6.  The article includes a schematic drawing of the Castillo, the beam, and the opening  in the reef.

There might be other publications that refer to it.  I recall that a NGS photographer later lit up the temple and took an nighttime offshore picture of the beam, but I don´t know if it was published.  I vaguely recall seeing the picture, but don't remember where. 

Tony Andrews
andrews at ncf.edu

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When I was at Tulum, I noticed that the two deeply cut windows facing the seaward side could act as a navagation beacon , in order to alert nighttime costal boat traffic on when to make the landward turn to come in through the reef to the landing beach at the foot of the temple cliff. If there were a light placed at the center of the back wall , then seeing an equal amount of light in both windows would indicate the proper time to turn the boat for shore (or so I conjectured).  I've been told this appeared in an Authur C. Clarke T.V. special.(" Mysteries of the Universe" : Mysteries of the Maya).  Does anyone know of  other sources of data , speculation , papers, documentaries, etc. concened with this idea?
I'd like to know what "listeros" think about this ...theory?
                                                                                  Kevin Farley