Dolphin Swimming

Riviera Maya, a glance to mayan history

// January 26th, 2009 // View Comments // Locations, Riviera Maya

The Mayan Riviera is a tourism district, a tourist corridor following the costal highway parallel to the Caribbean coastline of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It starts at Puerto Morelos, a small fishermen village, situated to the north and between Playa del Carmen and Cancun. Playa del Carmen is the heart of the Riviera Maya. The corridor ends in Tulum, where the magic archaeological site is placed facing the Mexican Caribbean Sea.

photo credit: joiseyshowaa

The Riviera Maya is famous for its large scale all-inclusive resorts and a historical tourism base of smaller boutique hotels. It offers visitors an elaborated and varied selection of sports and recreational activities tailored to the tastes and desires of each visitor.

Development plans include establishing a number of medium sized cities within the Riviera Maya. Target areas for urbanization include the towns and villages of: Puerto Morelos, Puerto Aventuras, Akumal, Chemuyil, and Tulum.

Dolphins in the Riviera Maya

Cozumel, the diver’s turquoise paradise

// January 26th, 2009 // View Comments // Cozumel, Locations

Cozumel is an island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea in southeastern Mexico. It is a popular tourist destination due to its coral reefs and water sports such as diving, deep-sea fishing, snorkeling, and more.

photo credit: jchessma

Around the classic period 300-900 B.C. Cozumel became one of the most important sanctuaries in the Yucatan region. The Mayans considered the island a sacred shrine. The name of the Island from the Mayan Kùutsmil, land of swallows. The temples here were a place of pilgrimage, especially by women who were either pregnant or wanted to get pregnant.

Also, it was on this island where all kinds of merchandise arrived from many places for storage before being sent in canoes to other locations. The first Spanish visitor was Juan de Grijalva in 1518, who proclaimed the land as property of the Spanish Crown. A year later, Hernan Cortez visited the island, it was the first site touched by his army. The Mayans accepted their domination peacefully and the conqueror proceeded to destroy many of the Mayan temples. An outbreak of smallpox devastated the population, and by 1570 only 30 Mayan were left alive on the island. Mayan trade was nullified so the inhabitants were forced to depend only on agriculture for their survival.

Several pirates used Cozumel and Isla Mujeres as an operations base. The island was not resettled until 1848. During Mexico’s Independence many Mayans escaped to Cozumel, Holbox and Isla Mujeres. From mid-19th century to the beginning of the 20th, Cozumel economy flourished becoming an important port in Mexico. During World War II, the U.S. built an air base for planes hunting U-boats in the mid-Atlantic and an airport was built.

Around the year 1960, Jacques Cousteau discovered the richness of the coral reef surrounding the island and made underwater enthusiasts aware of Cozumel’ existence. This, together with the construction of a much larger airport in 1970, boomed Cozumel tourism.

Dolphin Discovery Cozumel