[1] The large stone stela portrays in low relief a standing Maya lord in full regalia, with a long inscription in Mayan hieroglyphs framing the image.
The long inscription includes a date that corresponds to 564 AD, based on the Mayan system of recording time.
[2] Stela 1 was found by John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood during their exploration of the Yucatán peninsular in the early nineteenth century.
This temple was named after Stela 1 as its Mayan inscription has the earliest recorded date in Tulum.
As this stela predates this phase, it has been conjectured that it was moved from a neighbouring Maya city, perhaps Coba.