SUBURB OF PARADISE Photo

Photographer’s Note

WHERE THE CONQUISTADORS MADE LANDFALL

The photograph shows Tulum, a ‘Suburb of Paradise’ on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.

Central America abounds in pre-Colombian ruins featuring the vestiges of city-states, including Tikal (Guatemala); Copan (Honduras); Chichen Itza, Uzmal, and Palanque (all in Mexico). Listed here are just the ruins associated with the Maya, and do not even include the ruins of other civilizations such as the Olmec, Mixtec, Zapotec, Toltec and the Aztec, vanquished by Hernan Cortez in the early 16th century.

The Maya — a race of gifted artists, architects, mathematicians and astronomers — were astride their classical period (between the 3rd and 10th centuries) when much of Europe was immersed in its ‘Dark Ages.’ Mayan mathematicians had formulated the zero around the first century AD, something unheard of in Europe at the time. (In AD 500 the Hindu mathematician, Aryabhata, formalized the zero, but it was not introduced into Europe until AD 1202, when Fibonacci published his book, Liber Abaci).

Deeply devout people, the Maya worshipped the God of the Sun, the Moon, Rain, and Time itself, indeed a god existed for each of 13 different heavens. They developed an astronomy and mathematics based religion, one of the motivations in producing a calendar more accurate than any seen until the atomic clock was invented in the 20th. The Julian Calendar introduced in 47 BC, introduced the leap year and took the length of the year to be 365.25 days. A vast improvement to the Julian Calendar, with 365.242 5 days per year, was introduced by the Pope Gregory in 1583, and is still in use. The Maya calendar, developed in ancient Meso-America, was based on a calendar of 365.242 2 days. In distinction, the atomic clock corrects the length of the year to 365.242 199 day.

Tulum would not have compared in size and political significance with some of the others listed, especially with Tikal, Chichen Itza and Tenochtitlan. But its significance lies in three other aspects: 1) Perched on a bluff right on the sea, its setting is unrivaled. The sun rises over the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. 2) It is a walled city, rare among city-states in Mayan civilization. And 3) it is thought to be the site of the landing by Hernan Cortez and the Conquistadors, an event signaling a catastrophic meeting for the inhabitants of the New World. The beaches seen here depict the dramatic site of the natives suddenly seeing the Spanish galleons at the end of the powerful 2006 film, 'Apocalypto.'

Winifred (windosil) made a good point that without any humans it was difficult to get the scale. I looked at the original 10.2 MB image on a full screen, and only then could I make out a woman's white straw hat near the left, an iguana perched on the flat top of the building, and a large bird — perhaps a pelican — on a wall above the cliff. Thanks Winifred.

Nikon D200, 28-200 mm Nikkor lens, ISO set at 200; hand-held, and shot in JPG+RAW mode.

gunbud, daddo, Buin, snunney, belido, tober, bostankorkulugu, AiresSantos, asajernigan, worldcitizen, dareco, jhm, BWJ, lucasgalodoido, Roccos, windosil, paololg, MLINES, JCG, BeBeHooker, Vasa, Didi, Cricri, Wandering_Dan, PixelTerror, chinchini, yedirenk, sucaattin, ChrisJ, saxo042, Angshu, meltemi, Bluejeans, photoray, emjleclercq has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mesutilgim (37324) 2009-07-26 23:35

Günaydın sevgili Bülent,
Bakış açısı ile, ışığı ve renkleri ile; nihayet son derece doyurucu bilgi notları ile mükemmel bir TE katkısı daha !
Tebrikler
Selam ve sevgiler
MESUT ILGIM

daddo (11567) 2009-07-26 23:39

Merhaba Bulent Bey. Paradise that turned to hell for most pre-Colombian inhabitants, although many had their smaller version of hell under the oppression of rival nations. Great POV accentuating the unique positioning of Tulum. Beautiful colours and light. The note is fascinating as usual. Selamlar. Klaudio.

eversmile (6443) 2009-07-26 23:42

Hi Bulent!

Ok, Ok ok! I did not expect this from you... but it wins my heart straight! I love this view! I have never been in Tulum but this place has a magnetic power on me. One day I must go there! But what is fantastic and surprising in your picture is, beyond the excellent composition, with a POV slightly set back, which offers both a large view on the sea and a magnified vision on the temple, beyond the beautiful colors and the appeal of the landscape (a true swim crime scene!), in short ... what's even more fantastic and surprising; it's that's it seems completely EMPTY!!!! I cannot see a single silhouette around! How did you do that?!? Amazed, I looked at the date the picture was taken... would not have been so much surprised if it was in the past century. But 2006?! I think this is a performance, or you have a little secret!... Which is?....Anyway, Congratulations!
Regards
Marine

Buin (38310) 2009-07-26 23:53

Hallo Bulent!
At first the title caught my attention but the photo, the scenery really justify these word. This beach, this temple on the cliffs and this turquoise water - a real symphony, a real dream! In combination with your note a contribution really in terms of TE.
Greetings from summerly Germany!
Frank

snunney (35522) 2009-07-27 1:42

Hello Bulent,
A fine composition of this lovely tropical scene. The eyes naturally follow the diagonal line formed by the foreground vegetation, the rocks and the building beyond. Lovely natural looking tones and excellent sharpness throughout.

papagolf21 (56765) 2009-07-27 2:08

Bonjour, mon ami Bulent,
Merci de nous faire rêver en admirant ce lieu paradisiaque.
Une image parfaitement cadrée valorisant la nature et cette mer couleur pierre précieuse.
Amitiés.
Philippe

feather (50168) 2009-07-27 2:11

Very well composed image with a strong diagonal from the Mayan ruin down to the plants bottom right. Everything else including the turquoise sea and pristine beach are from Paradise.
Kath

belido (16899) 2009-07-27 4:55

Hi Bulent,

I like your combination of great landscape photography and informative reading. Well chosen angle and good intense colors. It's a real pleasant seen, well done!
Regards,
Carlos

tober (4062) 2009-07-27 5:15

Merhaba Sayın Hocam, bu enfes manzaraya çok uyumlu bir başlık bulmuşsunuz. Not kısmına yazdığınız satırlarda da, bu zümrüt renkli suların çevrelediği toprakların bilim ve uygarlık geçmişini çok sade, anlaşılır bir şekilde özetlemişsiniz. Saygılar, Tolga

trebuA (0) 2009-07-27 5:17

Hello Bulent,
Nice typical Caribbean picture with very own colors but I suspect a little lack of highlights resulting in some washed out colors (such as the sand). I hope you don't mind a workshop trying to regain the highlights, just for illustration. Good job and very explicit note as well.
Regards,
Guy

[workshop] [compare] +

leonorkuhn (14071) 2009-07-27 9:49

Hi my friend Bülent,

Very beautiful composition. These ruins in front of this turquoise sea remind us of that ephemeral are the empires. Excellent POV, great textures and sharpness.

Have a nice day
Leonor

Greg1949 (8519) 2009-07-27 10:06

Great shot Bulent, colors are wonderfully mute and the detail is awesome. Great note as well, too bad about the last 600 years or so....

Greg

bostankorkulugu (33984) 2009-07-27 10:29

gezip görecek ne çok yer var... meksika da en çok görmek istediğim yerlerden biri... cancun'da bir tatile hayır demezdim şimdi:)... görüşmek üzere profesör istanbula geldiğinizde...

AiresSantos (42964) 2009-07-27 11:45

Hi Bulent
Wonderful colours in this very beautiful composition.
I like a lot the water colours.
Very well framed and done
Have a nice evening
Aires

asajernigan (14304) 2009-07-27 12:58

Bulent,
I have taken almost the exact photo several years ago with an old film camera. My results were no where near as good as yours! Your composition is great placing the ruins off center to allow us to see the great colors of the sea. The lighting and colors are great with excellent sharpness and detail.
TFS,
Asa

worldcitizen (2305) 2009-07-27 14:40

Hello Bulent,
This really does look like paradise! This combination of history, the sea, and gorgeous beach details has everything one could want from a Mexican vacation. :-) I can almost sense the sea breeze gently blowing the leaves in the foreground and the distant palm tree.

phwall (5705) 2009-07-27 15:17

Hello Bulent,
Nicely composed image, the foreground palms help to give good depth.
I like your POV, opening up the amount of sea in frame gives one the opportunity to envision the ships and men coming ashore.
Amazing to think that the first of the Spanish Galleons were anchored off this very beach. What a sight it must have been for the Conquistadors when they laid eyes on this location. Truly a paradise.
Thank you for the note, a great read.
Regards
Peter

dareco (17104) 2009-07-27 15:41

Of course being an artist your composition is always flawless. The colors are beautiful!! Very nice sharp detail and amazing scenery. TFS

jhm (83378) 2009-07-28 3:24

Hello Dear Bulent,

I want you say thanks for the interesting note as usual.
Lovely combination with the little vegetation and the rocks to the left, also the soft colour of the sea is very nice for look at.
Composition and presentation are very well. TFS.

Have a nice day,
John.

Urs (3296) 2009-07-28 3:59

Dear Bulent

Your light management is amazing. This beach is made to dream, very good location. Somebody must have been walking to the rocks, what adds DOF to your shot. The colors are vibrant and the sharpness is perfect. Well done

Best regards
Urs

lucasgalodoido (16831) 2009-07-28 8:19

Hi Bulent,
a really tropical paradise here, with good colors capture, principally the sea, and interesting Maya ruins too. Great composition, my friend.
Regards,
Lucas

BWJ (1777) 2009-07-28 8:53

Hello Bulent,
A few weeks ago, I visited the Mayan Riviera and Tulum. Your title “Suburb of Paradise” is appropriate. The blue water and fine white powdery sand contrasting the tall rocky cliffs are gorgeous. The midday light allowed you to capture the beautiful variations of colors in the water. Your vantage point from a high cliff in the distance from Tulum was an excellent place for this shot. You have inspired me to post a few of my pictures from this area.
Kind regards,
Betty

Roccos (205) 2009-07-28 10:52

Hello Bulent!

Wonderful scenery with fantastic colors. The contrast and sharpness are also great! The atmosphere is really engaging!

Best regards and have a nice week!

windosil (820) 2009-07-28 13:38

Dear Bulent,
It's hard to get the scale of this until one notices the silhouettes of the trees - and is that a tiny human on the ruin? That gorgeous turquoise sea must be connected to the whiteness of the sand - paradisial indeed.
Thanks,
Winifred

paololg (14261) 2009-07-28 14:14

Ciao dear Bulent,
you are a living encyclopedia, and show us the world through your beautiful photos, teaching history, art, science and geography. Thank you dear friend for sharing with us these beautiful images. The sea has my favorite color :-)
Ciao, have a beautiful day!
Paolo

MLINES (10984) 2009-07-28 20:45

Hi Bulent, Beautiful blue tones of the sea along with the ruins and interesting detailed notes make this a winner. The horizon is level (easy to forget to straighten sometimes) and the image is well balanced. TFS. Murray.

JCG (25753) 2009-07-28 22:15

Hello Bülent,

Yucatan, Cancun… of the names which make dream and this photograph proves it !!! The place seems to me windy but indeed paradisiac, I like much the color of the water and this ruin of this disappeared and mysterious civilization. A landscape nicely framed with this palm tree in foreground which gives depth to the image. Appreciable holiday place, well done Bülent and thank you for your always interesting note.

With all my friendships and with soon,

Jean-Charles

BeBeHooker (6032) 2009-07-29 1:34

Hi Bulent!
Nice place, amazing stones, wonderful seascape. Beautiful colors.
Cheers!

Vasa (6373) 2009-07-29 9:30

Hi Bulent, dear friend,

your privilege to be in Mexico, you share with us sending a so nice picture from Yucatan. Again superb atmosphere - irresistible wish to be there. I am happy for you and proud of our friendship.

Branko

Didi (36516) 2009-07-29 10:11

Salam my friend
Very nice composition under tropical lights.
A good frame of the main subject on the cliff.
Warm regards

ciakgiak (11270) 2009-07-29 10:34

Hello Bulent,
I'm really enchanted about this seascape!
It's a fantastic place that you show us in the best possible way. Colours, overall that of the sea, are really superb.
Congratulations and TFS.
Giorgio

danyy (69499) 2009-07-29 13:26

Bonjour Bulent,
Bien sûr que ce sont les mers du Paradis, quand il n'y a pas de cyclones aux alentours.
Une photo bien cadrées aux couleurs ydilliques.
Regards.
Daniel.

emka (22389) 2009-07-29 15:15

Hi Bulent, fantastic view of Tulum. Classic shot, but the most attractive view of the ruins is with this turquoise water. Really splendid. This setting is beautiful and unique for Mayan ruins. I visited almost all main pyramids. For me the most interesting and beautiful was Palenque, with some parts still uncovered or again taken by the jungle. Have you noticed how nice the sand is on this coast? It is soft and cool even in hot day. There were the days on the Mexican coast...

warm regards

Malgorzata

jafadabret (40369) 2009-07-29 23:15

Bonjour Bulent.
C'est un très beau paysage. L'échelle est donnée par ce promeneur au bas du rocher et par les arbres au pied du monument. Le ciel et la mer ont des couleurs magnifiques.
Excellent !
Amicalement
Jacques

Cricri (43790) 2009-07-30 10:20

Hi Bulent
Très joli la presentation de ces ruines sur les rochers, des couleurs de paradis, un lieu magnifique et une note bien détaillée, compliment
Best regard
cricri

Wandering_Dan (3297) 2009-07-30 14:03

Merhaba, Bulent -

A nice photo in itself, with the strong colors and diagonals, but even more interesting for its historical associations. I disagree with Winifred, though; for me, the trees and the vegetation provides enough references to get the scale, but I can see her point.

Best,
Dan

ahmetgedikli (22141) 2009-07-31 13:58

Hocam bu sefer Meksika'dan güzel bir manzarayla bizimlesiniz.
Ellerinize sağlık, iyi bir hafta sonu diliyorum.
ahmetgedikli

PixelTerror (86861) 2009-07-31 14:03

Hola Bulent
A classic this ancient temple by the sea, and in your image I can find the cliches of the carribean dream, white beach, emerald water, luminous...
Have a nice day JY

Royaldevon (5944) 2009-07-31 23:56

Hello Bulent,

Your detailed notes give a fine overview of the accomplishments of the remarkable Mayans.

Your photograph paints a beautiful environment for them.
The pov is well appointed, giving a fine diagonal composition, including details of the flora, the ancient ruins and the seaside location.
The palm tree, in the distance, does help with scale.

Have a good w/e,
Bev :-)

chinchini (27823) 2009-08-01 2:30

Bonjour Bulent,
Très bel endroit, paradisiaque pour reprendre ton titre ;o)
Ils ont dû s'émerveiller les conquistadors quand ils ont mis pied sur cette terre. J'aimerais revoir cet endroit un jour de beau temps.
Mes amitiés
Pierre

anesugur (17018) 2009-08-01 11:42

Merhaba Hocam,
Özellikle denizin rengi muhteşem. O bölgeyle ilgili çok şey okudum ve gezmeyi çok isterdim. Ama şimdi değil, malum domuz gribi var...
Selamlar. Uğur

yedirenk (7545) 2009-08-01 17:50

merhaba Bülent hocam,
renkleri ve detaylarıyla cennet gibi bir yer gerçekten.deniz ve gökyüzünün uyumu olağanüstü.bu enfes karede huzur veren bir sonsuzluk hissi var..ellerinize sağlık.selamlar

Cevdet

sucaattin (356) 2009-08-02 0:30

Merhaba Bulent bey,
Yine çok güzel bir fotoğrafınızı bizimle paylaşmışsınız. Çok teşekkür ederim. Tarih ve doğa iç içe geçmiş. Çok uyumlu, güzel bir kompozisyon.
Sucaattin

ChrisJ (70443) 2009-08-02 2:06

Merhaba Bulent

I wonder how many hurricanes this pre-Columbian ruin has withstood? I like the incredible turquoise color of the sea & the high vantage point. Good sharpness & composition. Tfs!

delpeoples (6804) 2009-08-02 4:47

Hello Bulent, what a paradise you've brought to us today. Nature is incredible is it not, to produce such stunning colours. The shot is beautifully composed with the greenery in the FG adding interest and balance to the frame. I also like the capture of the wind through the palm trees. Thanks for the informative Note, the history of this country has always intrigued me. -And have a wonderful week, Lisa.

Mediterranean (0) 2009-08-02 12:07

sevgili profesor

paylaştıgınız sıradışı seyahat fotograflarınız bizlere de pekçok yeri görme ve öğrenme fırsatı veriyor,elinize sağlık.

zarif davetiniz için teşekkürler. yıllık izne çıkıyor olmama ragmen, yine de fırsat yaratıp, sizi dinlemekten mutluluk duyacagım.
geçen aylarda ekibimle birlikte leonardo ve freud ile ilgili bir hayli çalışma yapmış oldugumuzdan, bu çalışmaların devamı niteliğinde gördüğüm bu konuşmanızı dinlemek için sabırsızlanıyorum.

görüşmek üzere
selam ve saygılarımla

saxo042 (16316) 2009-08-02 23:31

Hi Bulent,
I like the "conflict" between the rough rocks and the soft clouds here. Vibrant colours and a very attractive composition.
Kind regards
Gunnar

Angshu (34141) 2009-08-03 1:19

Hello Professor 'A'
You've composed this image well in a good diagonal. Lovely turquoise colour of the sea & its quite amazing to even think that the first Spanish ships came to this very beach! And even now it looks so deserted!! As always a fascinating note which was a great read.
With Warmest regards
Angshuman

Uhu (7448) 2009-08-03 1:56

Oh yeah, so they landed here? Landed and set whole continent on fire and blood. I am more or less familiar with the history of this epic events - how Spain and Portugal conquered the New World.
Very interesting story - and perfect note - and great photo, as usual!

meltemi (9746) 2009-08-03 4:32

Hello Bulent,
what a beautiful sweeping view across this fine ocean landscape and ancient Mayan ruins. Beautiful to see all these detailed patterns and colors and a wonderful depth as the eye wanders towards the back, gently led by the curved shore. I can imagine how this must be a great place to go.
All the best.
Stella

lestans (15504) 2009-08-03 7:13

Nature and ruins! Great place, and a beautiful photo. I love these colors.
A place where I'll go, since I love sea and history.
TFS
And I like here also the feeling of wind looking at palms and waves.

Ciao!!
Livia

gunbud (28165) 2009-08-05 17:26

Hi Bulent,
Splendid capture of these lovely ruins seen against a beautiful torpical sea.
The truquoise ocean contrast brilliantly with the lush vegetation.
Beautiful blue sky and lovely clouds.
Excellent historic note.
Regards, Tom

Bluejeans (33113) 2009-08-09 9:19

Oi amigo ,
Interessante este templo a beira mar , a agua tem uma cor magnifica apetece mesmo tomar um banho , bonitos tons de azul, parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Tue (25608) 2009-08-13 13:02

Hi Bulent,
Superb composition for this beautiful view with such attractive colours. Love the inclusion of the ruins on top of the rocks. Great photo work, thanks for sharing!
Regards,
Lars

Amphitrite (1592) 2009-08-19 11:07

Merhabalar Bulent bey,

Temmuzda ben de bu guzelligin keyifini cikardim ve benzeri bir kare benim de arsivimde var.

Diyebilirim ki Tulum'un sahilini cok guzel yansitmissiniz. Bakis acisi ve renklerin ahengi cok guzel.

Elinize saglik,
PINAR

emjleclercq (14524) 2009-08-26 13:38

Here for sentimental reasons I feel more interested by this special sea color linked to the shallow water, which remind me of my recent passge in Bermuda. But the Mayan building on top of the cliff is very nice too.

All the best,

Emmanuel

mavikuzey (360) 2009-08-27 2:23

Merhaba Bülentbey,
Ah şimdioralarda tatildeolmak vardı. Elinizesağlık.

jemaflor (39759) 2009-09-11 4:33

Hi Bulent,
Nice beach with white sand and lovely blue sea, well composed with fg, well managed.