Located in the center of Tulum is what can definitively used to be the most important building in the site: “El Gran Palacio”. Its importance is even mentioned in its name since El Gran Palacio in English translates to “The Great Palace”. Its importance may not be in its size, but rather in the way in which it was used. This is where the most important people in this city lived. At its back is an area which was more than likely used in important ceremonies. To think that perhaps royal events like weddings and such took place in this building’s back area, just staggers the imagination. Time sure has taken its toll on this structure. This building too (like many in the area) contains a carving of a descending god. Many archeologists also refer to this building as “The House of the Halach Uinic”.
Many priests served with the Halach Uinic. They had knowledge of Mathematics and Astronomy. In fact the Mayans had developed the concept of the zero independently of old world mathematics. The zero was developed in India in the Old World, then passed on to the Middle East and then to Europe. It might seem an easy mathematical idea to develop, but in fact it’s a very abstract and difficult concept to grasp. For there you have something, which is really nothing, but yet something that can be used for calculations. Modern man (i.e. we) hardly understands zero, for instance zero divided by zero equals anything, but how or why? It seems counter intuitive, but that’s what it is. Yet Mayan priests had mastered the use of zero. They also explained the mysteries of existence to the Mayan commoners. At one point they believed that earth was the back of a crocodile that floated in a large pond. They pointed to the mountains to explain that those were really the crocodile’s scales. It’s a quite sophisticated concept, for instance, how does a simple hair look like if we were 10 times smaller, well they would appear as tree trunks to us, not as diminutive almost invisible hair strands. Our forests, the gigantic redwood pine trees and bottomless ponds, would appear as simple yard grass to a being much bigger than us. Thus this is the concept of relativism, which is that the appearance of things is relative to your particular viewpoint. The Mayans were employing it, as well, which shows, that thought and imagination is not bound by time, place or technology.
