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DISCOVER CANCUN  

Cancun is a privileged place that has everything.

It has one of the best turistic infrastructures of the country and with this it welcomes the 2.5 million people that arrive each year to enjoy this paradisiacal place.

To receive its guests, Cancun offers:

The best hotels, which are visited by the most important people of the political world, cultural, sports etc… And also there are more modest hotels, accessible for the majority to enjoy their beauty.

Ruins that emerge from the thick and exuberant jungle transport their visitors to the ancient Mayan World which is full of fascinating mysteries and culture that have captivated to everyone that visits.

Their "cenotes" and lagoons are unique, and offer their visitors unforgettable experiences thanks to the colorful and extravagant sea fauna that can be appreciated at first sight.

Sports activities are all over the place, the extraordinary climate allows the practice of all terrestrial sports like gulf, cycling, running, etc… We can add that the island has a track for running all along the Kukulcan Boulevard.

Its quiet water is perfect for diving, since we have the second coral reef of the world, fishing is awesome, and you can ski, swim, etc…

Even though this beautiful island, surrounded by the turquoise water of the Caribbean sea was founded recently, it has aroused like one of worldwide strategic points for important events, that is why Cancun welcomes the MAADMAN Cancun, presented by Banamex.

 

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HISTORY  

If Hernan Cortés would have been the founder of Cancun he would have begun with the "Plaza de Armas"; the abbot Rojas, who participated in the foundation of Zacatecas with Juan de Tolosa would have started with the cathedral, but the Mexican’s Bank with great banking logic begun with the hotels and airport.

-Fernando Martí Brito, city’s chronic.

Mayan culture is present in the oriental coast of Yucatan’s peninsula since the arrival of the "putunes" or "Mayan chontales", that brought from the actual state of Tabasco the art of navigation, that allowed them to have the domain of the coast.

Once they have been settled, they established harbors to support the commerce, the most important were Cozumel, Xcaret, Xel-ha (big turistic centers today) and then they broke through the center of the peninsula in the year 918 after Christ.

After the discovery of Yucatan’s peninsula and after many expeditions destined to explore this region the king of Spain gave in 1526 the authorization to Francisco de Montejo to conquer this land.

So in October of 1527 they arrived to what is known today as the Quintana Roo coast, the first Spanish ships in Montejo’s command. This embarkation arrived only two kilometers from Xel-ha, in Tulum’s direction, in a place known by the Indians as Zamá.

By the XIX century the pirates still controlled the oriental coasts of Yucatan’s peninsula, taking advantage of natives rebellions and the abandonment of the region. Between the most famous we can name Jean Laffite, Molas and Mundaca, who constructed an hacienda in Isla Mujeres were he died.

Mexicans presence in the Caribbean start in the south, in San Pedro’s Cay, Belize’s territory today and because of its distance it was a perfect refugee in 1848, for those running away from the "Guerra de Castas". In the same period Cozumel and Isla Mujeres were habited again, they were deserted because of the lack of security against the pirates and time later the same happens with Holbox.

It was a long time before people went to live there again because of different reasons, like isolation, the conflict between Mayans and hurricanes. This zone was limited to those pioneers who had to confront alone any situation diverted from the lack of security, for the army started its permanent presence until the beginning of the XX century.

The creation of two great companies in the north coast of the Peninsula: "El Cuyo y Anexas" and "Compañía Colonizadora de la Costa Oriental de Yucatán", and later also the company "Colonizadora de las Islas", generated a great amount of work in 1895 to farmhand people.

The people worked in the sugar plantations of San Eusebio, known now as "municipio Lázaro Cárdenas", in the recollection of gum, wood, farms, and other different activities.

 

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QUINTANA ROO’S BIRTH  

At the end of last century Mexico’s army started the control of the territorial sovereignty. The oriental coast returns to the effective control of the federation and the Federal territory of Quintana Roo is created in 1902.

In the first years of the territory, there was a modest coast population of 2,000, proximately, and the total population of the territory was of 10,000.

Six decades later, in the sixties, big changes happened in the peninsula and Quintana Roo that modified the development of the region and the history of the Caribbean coast.

First the infrastructure of the roads, the increment of the plane industry in the zone, started to seriously affect the ship activity.

Quintana Roo starts to integrate and stops being a forgotten place. A change in the economic and territorial structure takes place. In the sixties a profound internal crisis in Mexican government forces to reformulate the development that required dollar finance.

On the other hand all that the awakening of Belize as a country and the presence of Cuba in the other side of the Caribbean added an extra value to the territory. To the political changes were added the economical, and the development of tourism starts to have great importance in the insular and continental Caribbean.

In the north area, the tourist development starts, and the new government project would have as a goal to integrate the turistic industry in a 100 kilometer strip, that is born in Cancun and ends in Tulum.

In only 15 years the Mexican Caribbean had a profound change that made the difference between being a desolated region to becoming the most developed region in the continental Caribbean.

In 1970, two years after the president Díaz Ordaz ordered to the bank of Mexico the elaboration of a turistic politics and at the same time ordered expeditions to find adequate places for the new turistic complexes and at the same time the American Bank of Development (BID) releases a 50 million dollar credit to start the proyect.

For centuries nobody noticed the Mexican Caribbean, until Cancun appeared, a city that was born in the jungle and is today Mexico’s international tourism capital.

Cancun is also an important convention center. There have been several national and international congresses. We can name the North-South dialogue that gathered 22 state chiefs from all over the world in 1981.

 

 

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TODAY'S CANCUN  

Cancun is today Mexico’s youngest city, it is located in the 21º10’ parallel north latitude and the 86º50’meridian of west longitude. It has an extension of 1,664 square kilometers; which represent the 3.27% of the state territory. It belongs to the Yucatan’s peninsula. The highest elevation above the sea level is of 10 meters only, and the surface presents a soft inclination form west to east.

There are lots of "cenotes" and small lakes, among others we can name the Nichupté lagoon, Xel-Ha and Xcaret.

A medium jungle covers most part of the zone. Small mammals, reptiles, and a great variety of birds; we also have several exotic marine species.

The principal natural resources of the region are the beaches, reefs, mahogany, and cedar; even though forestall and fishing are considered minor activities.

The marines are found in the seaside and in the lagoon side named Nichupté. The beach has very thin and white sand; the color of the sea has all the blue, green and violet tonalities. The principal beaches are: Playa Linda, Playa Langosta, Playa Tortugas, Playa Caracol, Playa Gaviota, Playa Chaac Mool, Playa Marlin, Playa Ballenas and Playa Delfines.

A great sight is the singular swell that is formed in Punta Cancun, the place were the Caribbean sea and the Gulf of Mexico are mixed. Cancun also has traces of its Mayan past. In the Kukulkan’s avenue you can find "El Rey" an archeological zone with two plazas, two carriageways, which at its sides have buildings and a platform and a small central square, form it.

With a great urbanization vision, the city has been edified in the most possible harmony with nature, for the benefit of future residents and tourists that come every day to this glorious site.

Cancun recieves the world with open arms.

 

 

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