Punta Sur, Archaeological site in Cozumel, Mexico

Punta Sur is the southern tip of Cozumel, where the Celarain lighthouse stands on the Punta Celarain promontory beside a nautical museum. Just northeast of the lighthouse is the Caracol, a Maya temple built in the post-classic period, with a dome once covered in sea shells. The site lies within the Punta Sur national park, which covers beaches, lagoons, low forest, mangroves and coral reef.

The Caracol, or Tumba del Caracol, is a Maya building raised in the post-classic period, northeast of the Celarain lighthouse on the Punta Celarain promontory. It was a temple, dedicated in Spanish sources to Ixchel; tour guides' claims that it whistled as a hurricane alarm or served as a beacon are legends the sources reject. Its dome once carried marine shells.

The Caracol, or Tumba del Caracol, is a Postclassic Maya building dedicated to Ixchel, goddess of the moon and childbirth. Its dome was once covered with marine shells that hummed in strong winds. Tour guides still tell of a hurricane alarm, but the sources call this a legend; the building was a temple.

Access to the park is controlled and the interior tracks are dirt roads, so many visitors arrive by guided tour or off-road vehicle. At the end of the dirt road stand two beach clubs, Papito's Beach Club Restaurant and Bar and the Punta Sur Beach Club. Observation towers at the Colombia lagoon serve for watching wildlife, and a guided boat ride on that lagoon is included in the park entrance fee.

The protected area serves as a crucial nesting site for sea turtles that come ashore at night to lay eggs. This role as a conservation zone makes the place more than just a museum of the past, functioning as a living habitat for endangered species.