The site might have been called Zama, meaning "City of Dawn," because it faces the sunrise. Tulum stands on a bluff facing east toward the Caribbean Sea. "Tulúm" is also the Yucatán Mayan word for "fence", "wall" or "trench." The walls surrounding the site allowed the Tulum fort to be defended against invasions. Tulum had access to both land and sea trade routes, making it an important trade hub, especially for obsidian. From numerous depictions in murals and other works around the site, Tulum appears to have been an important site for the worship of the Diving or Descending god.