Origin:

Cancún is located on the Mexican State of Quintana Roo. This was the place where a small town of the Mayan Civilization named “Itzaes” was settled. They lived in the big jungles of the present State of Quintana Roo. Its name has several meanings: “Abundance of law-laying areas”, pot of snakes”, or “golden snake.”

Today, the greatness of the Mayan culture can be appreciated in areas like Tulum, Coba, Xcaret, Cohunlich, amongst others. The Mayans developed knowledge in the following areas: Astronomy and mathematics, as well as in hieroglyphics. They could also predict eclipses and had a very precise calendar.

The first geographic reference of the island of Cacun or Cancuen that is known is a map elaborated in 1776. During the 19th century, the captain Richard Owen Smith, in a journey through El Caribe and Central America, indicated in his logbook the existence of Prehispanic buildings at the far North and South of the island. It is believed that the places mentioned correspond to El Rey, Yamil Lu'um, and El Meco.

In 1526, Spanish people arrived to the Peninsula of Yucatán in order to explore these lands; even though a big part of this civilization had already disappeared. The last conquered city was Tayasal, in 1697. In the 19th century, famous pirates like Jean Lafitte, Molas, and Mundaca controlled the seas that surrounded the Mexican Caribbean. The reason why other regions of the area known as El Cayo, Cozumel, and Isla Mujeres were depopulated was due to the constant chase of these groups. This situation began to improve in 1848.

Today, precise calculations indicate that there are 6 millions of Mayans who speak different dialects and keep their old customs. In each part of the jungle of this area there has been found footprints of this magnificent culture that is located 229 kilometers from Felipe Carillo Puerto, at the end of the tourist corridor.

Quintana Roo, entity that belongs to Cancun, acquired its name from the Mexican poet and writer Andrés Quintana Roo, who was born in Mérida, Yucatán. This province was part of the current 31st State of the Mexican Republic.

At the beginning of 1900’s, the rebels against Porfirio Diaz’s government considered this peninsular area as a “green hell.” Today, the State of Quintana Roo, especially Cancun, has become a “green hope” because of its close relation with natural environment which is one of the main attractions for national and international tourism.

Destiny:

Cancun, located in the State of Quintana Roo at the southeast of the Mexican Republic, is the most important tourist center not only in Mexico but also in the Caribbean Sea, because of its natural attractions, its singular combination that offers a great touristic development, and the great history of the Mayan culture.

Its fine sugar-white sand beaches of warm crystalline waters, along with its great hotel infrastructure having world-wide class, make of Cancun a unique place not only for the millions of Mexican and foreign tourists that visit it annually but also for the presentation of events of national and international importance.

In the past four decades, Cancun has had a remarkable transformation: From an unknown and desert island of fishermen surrounded by jungles and virgin beaches to one of the most recognized tourist center around the world.

Cancun is technically an island joined to a continental mass by three bridges. Its territorial area in “7” shape encircle the system of lagoons of Nichupté and on the East it comprises a 22-kilometer strip of beautiful beaches in the direction of the Caribbean.

While Cancun is located at the most southern tip of the Mexican Republic, at the most north-western tip of the peninsula it is found Los Cabos another important tourist center in Mexico. In distance, Cancun is located 700 kilometers from Mexico City.

Cancun is a cosmopolitan and dynamic city. Its recent institution and its rapid development have led to a wide range of population from different regions of Mexico and other countries. Today, the permanent population amounts to 500 thousand inhabitants.

In the jungles and beaches of Cancun and the Peninsula of Yucatán flourished the Mayan culture which majesty can be appreciated in important archaeological zones nearby this tourist destiny like Chichén Itza, Tulum, and Coba; or in the archaeological zones of El Meco, Yamil Lu’um, and El Rey that are located in Cancun hotel zone.

In addition to the culture, aquatic activities, gastronomy, and a vivid nightlife; this paradise of the Caribbean has beautiful and natural attractions like the cenotes which are sinkholes of sweet water surrounded by underground caverns formed by the erosion of the water on the rocks. Another natural attraction is El Gran Arrecife Maya, the second largest coral reef around the world, located nearby Cancun Coast and with a length of one thousand kilometres.

In its brief history, Cancun has hosted important international events. In 1981, the International Reunion about Cooperation and Development and “Cumbre Norte-Sur” were presented with the participation of 22 countries. In 1983, Cancún hosted a reunion of Grupo Contadora, integrated by Mexican, Venezuelan, Panamanian, and Colombian governors and diplomatists. In 1989, it hosted Miss Universe Contest and in 2003 it held the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization.