Cancun
Cancun is the ultimate vacation and resort destination in the state of Quintana Roo on the Yucatán Peninsula in East Mexico. Cancun is located on the Yucatan Channel that separates Mexico from Cuba in the Greater Antilles. Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula is sometimes known as the Mexican Caribbean. Cancun is Mexico's most popular tourist destination and has over 150 hotels with about 25,000 hotel rooms. There's golf, tennis, lots of shopping facilities and a huge biodiversity. There are over 475 bird species, 100 different mammals and 1,200 plant species living in Cancun. On the other side, the beautiful ocean coast of Cancun hosts over 2,500 marine species and 500 different tropical fishes. Cancun is naturally divided into 2 parts; the Hotel Zone and the Cancun City (Downtown-El Centro). Hotel Zone is a 23 kilometers long sandy strip of land located between a beautiful lagoon and the ocean. The Hotel zone is shaped like a “7” that is facing the mainland. The other part of Cancun is the downtown which is simply the mainland where many Mexicans live. The Hotel Zone is connected to the mainland at Punta Nizuc Bridge on the southern part of the island (bottom of the “7” shape) and at Playa Linda Bridge at the north end of the island. Along the 23 kilometer long island lands the Kukulcan Boulevard. The Caribbean Sea is located on the north, south and east side of the island and the beautiful lagoon of Nichupte is located on the western side of the island. Regarding the geographical character Cancun resembles Miami or the Myrtle Beach.
The Cancun City begins where the Kukulcan Boulevard meets the Bonampak Avenue on the north connection. Today, over 600,000 people live in Cancun city center. Downtown Cancun or in Spanish, El Centro, is located on the Tulum Boulevard. There are many restaurants and boutiques in this part of Cancun.
Cancun is the gateway to Riviera Maya, another tourist attraction in the Yucatan Peninsula, where people visit the various archaeological sites, as Coba and Tulum, the many cenotes, the ecological parks as Xcaret and stunning towns like Playa del Carmen.
History
The Yucatan Peninsula known as the Riviera Maya was an important commercial and religious center for the ancient Maya Civilization during the Postclassic Period (1000-1500 AD). Tulum, a famous Mayan fortress is the most impressive site from this period but there were other important towns such as Xaman-Ha (todays’ Playa del Carmen), Xcaret (known by the Mayans as the Port of Pole) and Xel-Ha, which was the first European settlement in the Yucatan Peninsula. Further inland is Coba, a city which had 50,000 inhabitants during the Classic Period (300-1000 AD).
Cancun has a far more different history than many popular touristic destinations in the world. Only about 35 years ago, in the 1970’s, the Mexican president Echeverilla started an ambitious city project to build up a tourism resort that is larger and brighter than Acapulco was at that time. This brand new resort was planned to be built on the Yucatan Peninsula in East Mexico. At that time, the only town in the Yucatan peninsula was Merida. The new resort was planned to be built even further towards the Caribbean sea. The place decided was a deserted sandy region with nothing more than a jungle and mosquitos and was located somewhere near a little fishing town called Puerto Juarez. The local name for this sandy region was Snake's Nest, but it was named Cancun which meant Snake’s Nest in Maya language. Today, about 35 years later, Cancun, once a forgotten jungle village, has grown into one of the world's greatest and most visited vacation resorts. Especially during the first two decades, the Mexican government pushed the project by investing itself vast amounts of money into the infrastructure of the area.
Cancun has a far more different history than many popular touristic destinations in the world. Only about 35 years ago, in the 1970’s, the Mexican president Echeverilla started an ambitious city project to build up a tourism resort that is larger and brighter than Acapulco was at that time. This brand new resort was planned to be built on the Yucatan Peninsula in East Mexico. At that time, the only town in the Yucatan peninsula was Merida. The new resort was planned to be built even further towards the Caribbean sea. The place decided was a deserted sandy region with nothing more than a jungle and mosquitos and was located somewhere near a little fishing town called Puerto Juarez. The local name for this sandy region was Snake's Nest, but it was named Cancun which meant Snake’s Nest in Maya language. Today, about 35 years later, Cancun, once a forgotten jungle village, has grown into one of the world's greatest and most visited vacation resorts. Especially during the first two decades, the Mexican government pushed the project by investing itself vast amounts of money into the infrastructure of the area.
Weather
Average annual temperature of the Cancun Region is 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit), with fluctuations between 19-33 degrees Celcius throughout the year. Through June to September visitors enjoy spectacular views of the sky which can change from cloudy to clear blue in minutes. From November to April, there are usually blue skies and a cool northern wind.
Attractions
Diving is a popular attraction in "Cancun vacations". The Great Maya Reef, just south of Cancun Mexico is the world's second largest reef system! The unique underground river system of the Yucatan peninsula near Cancun is another important diving alternative in Cancun. This river system has many caves and cenotes for the visitors to discover.
There are 3 pools that offer the opportunity to swim with the dolphins in Cancun. Delphinus, Dolphin Discovery and the Dolphinaris are all located in Cancun and can be reached by any taxi. Children as young as 2 can enjoy meeting the dolphins and interact with them.
Cancun Mexico Jazz Festival takes place every May. At the Cancun Mexico Jazz Festival you can enjoy events at venues around the Cancun Hotel Zone. Every May, Cancun welcomes famous jazz musicians from all over the world to Mexico.
National Institute of Anthropology and History Museum is another must see in Cancun. The Cancun Mexico Anthropology Museum is located on the ground floor of the Cancun Convention Centre at the Kukulcan Boulevard. Visitors can find up to 1600 year old original artefact of the Maya culture that survived in the region of Quintana Roo.
The famous Chichen Itza Maya ruins are only a few hours away from Cancun. You can find the El Castillo pyramid built by the Mayas here. Maya people lived in this region between 550-900 AD but only about a hundred years later the region was completely abandoned. Still today, the reason behind this has not been found out.
There are 3 pools that offer the opportunity to swim with the dolphins in Cancun. Delphinus, Dolphin Discovery and the Dolphinaris are all located in Cancun and can be reached by any taxi. Children as young as 2 can enjoy meeting the dolphins and interact with them.
Cancun Mexico Jazz Festival takes place every May. At the Cancun Mexico Jazz Festival you can enjoy events at venues around the Cancun Hotel Zone. Every May, Cancun welcomes famous jazz musicians from all over the world to Mexico.
National Institute of Anthropology and History Museum is another must see in Cancun. The Cancun Mexico Anthropology Museum is located on the ground floor of the Cancun Convention Centre at the Kukulcan Boulevard. Visitors can find up to 1600 year old original artefact of the Maya culture that survived in the region of Quintana Roo.
The famous Chichen Itza Maya ruins are only a few hours away from Cancun. You can find the El Castillo pyramid built by the Mayas here. Maya people lived in this region between 550-900 AD but only about a hundred years later the region was completely abandoned. Still today, the reason behind this has not been found out.