Cancún
92ms
Cancún, a vibrant jewel on Mexico's Caribbean coast, stands as the most populous city in Quintana Roo, gracing the northeastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula. This renowned tourist haven, the seat of the municipality of Benito Juárez, is a gateway to Mexico's easternmost shores, nestled beside the azure Caribbean Sea and just north of the famed Riviera Maya. At its heart lies the Hotel Zone, the pulsating epicenter of tourism, where dreams of sun-drenched getaways come to life.
The very name, Cancún, whispers tales of its ancient Maya heritage. Originally known as Nizuc, meaning "promontory" or "point of grass," its island was a place of natural beauty. The name Cancún, or variations like Cancum, first appeared on maps in the 18th century, its pronunciation sometimes an enigma for early English speakers, leading to spellings like Cancoon. Derived from the Maya "kàan kun," meaning "snake" and "to swell," it carries translations ranging from the evocative "nest of snakes" to the more debated "place of the golden snake," a nod to the snake iconography prevalent in the pre-Columbian site of Nizuc. The municipality's shield, a creation of artist Joe Vera, beautifully captures this essence: blue for the Caribbean, yellow for the sand, and red for the radiant sun.
The history of Cancún is a story of deliberate creation. Following the Spanish conquest, much of the Maya population dwindled, leaving only scattered settlements. Cancún, however, was conceived as a planned city, a bold vision to foster tourism. On January 23, 1970, when development began, Isla Cancún was home to just three caretakers of a coconut plantation. A mere 117 souls resided in nearby Puerto Juárez, a humble fishing village and military base. The Mexican government, recognizing the potential, allocated funds to explore new recreational zones, entrusting this ambitious project to INFRATUR, an agency of the Bank of Mexico.
Investors were hesitant, but the federal government stepped in, financing the first nine hotels. Thus, Cancún was born as an Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR, the National Fund for Tourism Development. From a humble fisherman's island, it transformed into one of Mexico's most iconic resorts, rivaling even Acapulco. Its growth was meteoric, outpacing the rest of Quintana Roo. From 1970 to 1980, its population surged by an average of 62.3% annually, exceeding even the planners' boldest projections. This success story extended beyond Cancún, fueling the touristification of northern Quintana Roo and inspiring further expansion into indigenous and protected areas.
Today, "Cancunenses" hail from across Mexico, the Americas, and Europe, a testament to its global allure. Yet, this rapid growth presents challenges, with municipal authorities striving to provide public services and manage urban development. In 2023, a record 21 million tourists graced its shores, a remarkable achievement surpassing initial estimates.
While Cancún has largely been a haven, the 21st century has seen emerging public safety concerns. Though it initially sidestepped the violence associated with illegal drug trade, drugs are unfortunately available to tourists. Money laundering has also become a reported issue. The area's connection to cartels dates back to the 1990s and early 2000s, with groups like the Juárez and Gulf cartels exerting influence. By 2010, Los Zetas, a splinter group, had gained control of smuggling routes. This has led to a rise in violent incidents linked to drug trafficking. Between 2013 and 2016, homicides saw a significant increase, with 2017 recording at least 193, largely attributed to drug-related activities. The "Zona Hotelera" has also witnessed violent episodes. Since 2018, Cancún has experienced a surge in violence, with homicides exceeding the national average. In January 2018 alone, homicides tripled compared to the previous year.
Adding to the natural beauty, Cancún's tourism has also faced challenges from the environment. Since 2015, the summer months have seen the unwelcome arrival of large amounts of sargassum seaweed, impacting its pristine white-sand beaches and creating an annual concern for many Caribbean destinations.
Geographically, Cancún is a city of contrasts. The island tourist zone, part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, is complemented by the mainland's residential areas. "El Centro," the downtown district, follows a master plan of "supermanzanas," or superblocks, with u-shaped residential streets. However, development has spread, with undeveloped areas along the coast now undergoing transformation.
Cancún boasts a tropical climate, characterized by consistent warmth and distinct rainy and dry seasons. Sea breezes temper the heat, keeping temperatures pleasant year-round. Annual rainfall averages around 1,340 millimeters, with the rainy season stretching from late August to November. The hurricane season, from June to November, poses a potential threat. The Hotel Zone, jutting into the Caribbean, benefits from cooling ocean breezes, while the sea temperature remains invitingly warm throughout the year.
The city lies within a significant Caribbean hurricane impact zone. Though major hurricanes are infrequent, they have left their mark. Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 caused significant damage, necessitating the rebuilding of tourist hotels. Hurricane Wilma in 2005, a powerful Category 4 storm, made landfall nearby, impacting the region. In 2007, Hurricane Dean, a Category 5 storm, stripped sand from miles of beaches. Authorities have demonstrated preparedness in handling the effects of these storms on both tourists and residents.
Cancún's attractions are deeply intertwined with its hospitality industry. The Hotel Zone, the primary economic engine, draws visitors from across the globe. Even its nascent history is commemorated. The Old Airport Control Tower Memorial, a replica of the original wooden structure, stands as a monument to the city's foundation. Originally built in 2002 and damaged by Hurricane Wilma, it was rebuilt in 2010 and later restored, a symbol of resilience.
In the heart of downtown, the El Ceviche Fountain, officially "Caribbean Fantasy," serves as a vibrant hub. This monument, with its stepped pyramidal appearance and abstract metal elements, has witnessed significant events. Originally designed with motifs of Quetzalcoatl, it was partially demolished after Hurricane Gilberto, leaving its concrete base and metal skeleton. Locals affectionately nicknamed it "Insectronic" due to its bare appearance. The monument was later reimagined by its original artist, Lorraine Pinto, retaining the fountain's dynamics and becoming known as the Ceviche Fountain.
Beyond modern marvels, Cancún offers glimpses into its ancient past with Mayan archaeological sites. El Rey and El Meco, located within and just outside the city limits respectively, offer a connection to the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. The wider Riviera Maya and Grand Costa Maya regions are rich with significant sites like Cobá, Muyil, and the world-renowned Chichén Itzá in neighboring Yucatán.
Cancún is also a growing sports destination. Football club Atlante F.C. made Cancún its home before returning to Mexico City. Currently, Cancún F.C. competes in the Liga de Expansión MX, while Pioneros de Cancún plays in the Liga Premier de México. The city was also home to the American football team Tiburones de Cancún. Baseball fans can cheer for the Tigres de Quintana Roo in the Mexican League. In 2023, Cancún hosted the WTA Finals, though the temporary facility drew criticism. Since 2025, it has also been the venue for the WTA 125 tennis tournament, the "Cancún Tennis Open."
Transportation in Cancún is anchored by the Cancún International Airport, a major hub with extensive connections. An additional runway enhances its capacity. The island of Isla Mujeres is easily accessible by ferry. International visitors are required to pay a VisiTAX fee, with exemptions for Mexican passport holders. Bus services, including ADO, connect the airport to downtown. Five public transportation companies operate numerous routes throughout the city and its surroundings. The R-1 and R-2 bus routes are central to the Hotel Zone, with plans for new, air-conditioned buses and revised routes. The Tren Maya, a significant infrastructure project, now connects Cancún to Palenque, with a free electric shuttle linking the airport to the train station.
Cancún fosters international connections through its sister city relationships with Wichita, Kansas, USA; Hangzhou, China; Timișoara, Romania; and Naperville, Illinois, USA.
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Cancún is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico and the seat of the municipality of Benito Juárez. The city is situated on the Caribbean Sea and is one of Mexico's easternmost points. Cancún is located just north of Mexico's Caribbean coast resort area known as the Riviera Maya. It encompasses the Hotel Zone which is the main area for tourism.
== Etymology and coat of arms ==
According to early Spanish sources, the island of Cancún was originally known to its Maya inhabitants as Nizuc (Yucatec Maya: niʔ suʔuk), meaning either 'promontory' or 'point of grass'.
The name Cancún, Cancum or Cankun first appears on 18th-century maps. In older English-language documents, the city's name is sometimes spelled Cancoon, an attempt to convey the sound of the name.
Cancún is derived from the Mayan name kàan kun, composed of kàan 'snake' and the verb kum ~ kun 'to swell, overfill'. Two translations have been suggested: the first is 'nest of snakes' and the second, less accepted one is 'place of the golden snake'. Snake iconography was prevalent at the pre-Columbian site of Nizuc.
The shield of the municipality of Benito Juárez, which represents the city of Cancún, was designed by the Mexican-American artist Joe Vera.
It is divided into three parts: the color blue symbolizes the Caribbean Sea, the yellow the sand and the red the sun with its rays.
== History ==
In the years after the Spanish conquest of Yucatán, much of the Maya population died or left as a result of disease, warfare, and famines, leaving only small settlements on Isla Mujeres and Cozumel Island.
Cancún is a planned city, created to foster tourism. When development of the area as a resort was started on January 23, 1970, Isla Cancún had only three residents, all caretakers of the coconut plantation of Don José de Jesús Lima Gutiérrez, who lived on Isla Mujeres. Some 117 people lived in nearby Puerto Juárez, a fishing village and military base. Cancún was created as a government project to boost tourism. In 1967 the Mexican government allocated a 2 million dollar fund to be administered by the Bank of Mexico to determine the feasibility of creating new recreational zones, “preferably where no other viable development alternatives exist." This was entrusted to INFRATUR, a Bank of Mexico agency.
Due to the reluctance of investors to gamble on an unknown area, the Mexican federal government financed the first nine hotels.
The city began as a tourism project in 1974 as an Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR (Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo, National Fund for Tourism Development), formerly known as INFRATUR. Since then, it has undergone a comprehensive transformation from a fisherman's island to being one of the two most well-known Mexican resorts, along with Acapulco. The growth of Cancún outpaced the rest of Quintana Roo during the late 20th century. From 1970 to 1980, the population grew by 62.3% annually on average. In hindsight, the development of Cancún as a tourist city performed better on a number of metrics than what Mexican state planners had envisioned. Once outside the main tourist areas of the world, the growth of Cancún was part of a wider touristification of northern Quintana Roo while in the south and east of the state the timber industry developed more than tourism. From places like Cancún the tourism industry then expanded from the 1990s onward into indigenous territories and protected areas in inland sites.
Most 'Cancunenses' are from Yucatán and other Mexican states. A growing number are from the rest of the Americas and Europe. The municipal authorities have struggled to provide public services for the constant influx of people, as well as limiting squatters and irregular developments, which in 2006 occupied an estimated ten to fifteen percent of the mainland area on the fringes of the city.
In 2023, a record 21 million tourists visited Cancún, topping the original estimate of 20.5 million.
=== Public safety concerns ===
In the 21st century, Cancún had largely avoided the violence associated with the trade of illegal drugs; however, drugs are sold to tourists in bars and night clubs. Cancún has gradually been reported for being a center of money laundering.
The links with Cancún date from the 1990s and early 2000s, when the area was controlled by the Juárez and Gulf drug cartels. By 2010, Los Zetas, a group that broke away from the
Gulf Cartel, had taken control of many smuggling routes through the Yucatán, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
There have been a number of violent acts in the city related to drug trafficking. Between 2013 and 2016, there were 76 murders: 31 in 2016, and at least 193 in 2017, the vast majority related to drug trafficking. Most have occurred in the urban nucleus, and there have been various violent episodes with firearms in the so-called "Zona Hotelera". Beginning in 2018 with a high wave of violence, Cancún is above the national average in homicides. In January 2018 alone, there were 33 homicides, triple the number from January 2017.
=== Sargassum ===
Starting in 2015, Cancún tourism was significantly impacted by the appearance of large amounts of smelly, unsightly brown Sargassum seaweed on its white sand beaches every summer. By 2021, Sargassum season had become an annual occurrence at many Caribbean beach destinations, including Cancún.
== Geography ==
=== City layout ===
Apart from the island tourist zone (part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System), the Mexican residential section of the city, the downtown part of which is known as "El Centro", follows a master plan that consists of "supermanzanas" (superblocks), giant trapezoids with a central, open, non-residential area cut in by u-shaped residential streets.
Cancún's mainland or downtown area has diverged from the original plan; development is scattered around the city. The remaining undeveloped beach and lagoon front areas outside the Hotel Zone are now under varying stages of development, in Punta Sam and Puerto Juarez to the north, continuing along Bonampak and south toward the airport along Boulevard Donaldo Colosio. One development abutting the Hotel Zone is Puerto Cancún; Malecon Cancún is another large development.
=== Climate ===
Cancún has a tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen Aw), with little temperature difference between months, but pronounced rainy and dry seasons. The city is hot year-round, and moderated by onshore trade winds, with an annual mean temperature of 27.1 °C (80.8 °F). Unlike inland areas of the Yucatán Peninsula, sea breezes restrict high temperatures from reaching 36 °C (97 °F) on most afternoons. Annual rainfall is around 1,340 millimeters (52.8 in), falling on 115 days per year.
The rainy season runs from late August through November, and the dry season runs from November through April. The hurricane season runs from June through November. The Hotel Zone juts into the Caribbean Sea and is therefore surrounded by ocean keeping daytime temperatures around 1 to 2 °C (1.8 to 3.6 °F) cooler. Windspeeds are higher than at the airport located some distance inland, which is the official meteorological station for Cancún; averages are shown below.
Thanks to the Yucatán current continually bringing warm water from further south, the sea temperature is always very warm, with lows of 79 °F (26 °C) in winter and highs of 84 °F (29 °C) in summer.
==== Tropical storms and hurricanes ====
The tropical storm season lasts from May to December, the rainy season extending into January with peak precipitation in October. February to early May tend to be drier with only occasional scattered showers. Cancún is located in one of the main Caribbean hurricane impact areas. Although large hurricanes are rare, they have struck near Cancún in recent years, Hurricane Wilma in 2005 being the largest. Hurricane Gilbert made a devastating direct hit on Cancún in September 1988 and the tourist hotels needed to be rebuilt. In both cases, federal, state and municipal authorities were well prepared to deal with most of the effects on tourists and local residents. Hurricane Dean in 2007 also made its mark on the city of Cancún.
Making landfall in 1988, Hurricane Gilbert was the second most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic basin. It landed on the Yucatán peninsula after crossing over the island of Cozumel. In the Cancún region, a loss of $87 million (1989 USD) due to a decline in tourism was estimated for the months of October, November and December in 1988.
On October 21, 2005, Hurricane Wilma made landfall on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, with strong winds in excess of 150 mph (240 km/h). The hurricane's eye first passed over the island of Cozumel, and then made an official landfall near Playa del Carmen in the state of Quintana Roo at around 11 p.m. local time on October 21 with winds near 140 mph (230 km/h). Portions of the island of Cozumel experienced the calm eye of Wilma for several hours with some blue skies and sunshine visible at times. The eye slowly drifted northward, with the center passing just to the west of Cancún, Quintana Roo.
Two years later after Hurricane Wilma, in 2007, Hurricane Dean made landfall as a Category 5 storm in Majahual, 190 miles (310 km) to the south of Cancún. Fierce winds at the edge of Dean's impact cone stripped sand off 7.5 miles (12.1 km) of beaches from Punta Cancún (Camino Real Hotel) to Punta Nizuc (Club Med).
The authorities asked tourism operators to suspend sending tourists to Cancún while Hurricane Dean was approaching, but did ask airlines to send empty planes, which were then used to evacuate tourists already there.
== Attractions ==
=== Hospitality ===
The Hotel Zone is the main means of economic income for Cancún and is one of the most visited international tourist destinations in the world.
=== Old Airport Control Tower Memorial ===
Despite being a young city, Cancún has a memorial monument of its foundation on a replica of the old Airport Control Tower that resembles to its own date of foundation. The original control tower was a provisional wooden structure, the work of Mexican architects Agustín and Enrique Landa Verdugo.
The old airport was located on the same part of the city that today corresponds to the Kabah Avenue. The tower is 15 meters tall, has a 45 step staircase and has a base dimension of 5 × 5 meters. The memorial was first built in 2002 with a donation by Aerocaribe, a local airline, but the structure was damaged after Hurricane Wilma in 2005. After pleas by the local people to rebuild the tower memorial, a new version was erected in 2010, which was later abandoned without proper maintenance until Woox Pinturas, a local wood maintenance company, made a donation to restore the structure to its original appearance.
=== El Ceviche Fountain ===
The real name of this monument is "Caribbean Fantasy", located in the heart of downtown Cancún, between the Coba and Tulum avenues intersection. It is the nerve center of the daily urban traffic of the city. It has witnessed multiple social and political events, undergoing constant repairs and remodeling for years.
Six years after Quintana Roo was recognized as the youngest state in the Mexican Republic and barely a decade after the city of Cancún was born, on October 22 and 23, 1981, the North-South Summit was held at the now defunct Sheraton Hotel. Two abstract pillars made of metal crossbeams gave the structure a stepped pyramidal appearance, with small masts displaying the flags of the countries attending the 1981 North-South Summit. The author, Lorraine Pinto, added details representing Quetzalcoatl on the sides, resembling the pyramid of Chichen-Itza, located in Yucatan.
In 1994, the municipal authorities of Cancún decided to demolish the commemorative structure because the city had been the scene of one of the most devastating climatic-environmental phenomena in the history of the Yucatan Peninsula, Hurricane Gilberto. The sculpture was irreversibly affected, leaving only the solid concrete base and the metal skeleton.
Due to its crosswise and bare appearance, the locals began to call it "Insectronic", a device manufactured by the Steren company to kill flies and mosquitoes. The municipal authorities decided to keep its base and the dynamics of the water fountain.
Once again, Lorraine Pinto was on call to create what locals began to call the Ceviche Fountain or the Ceviche Roundabout.
=== Mayan archeological sites ===
There are some small Mayan vestiges of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Cancún. El Rey (Las Ruinas del Rey) is located in the Hotel Zone. El Meco, a more substantial site, is found on the mainland just outside the city limits on the road north to Punta Sam.
Close by in the Riviera Maya and the Grand Costa Maya, there are sites such as Cobá and Muyil (Riviera) the small Polé (now Xcaret), and Kohunlich, Kinichná, Dzibanché, Ichkabal Oxtankah, Tulum, Noh Kah, Chacchoben, among others, in the south of the state. Chichén Itzá is in the neighboring state of Yucatán.
== Sports ==
Football club Atlante F.C. was founded in 1916 in Mexico City and moved to Cancún in 2007 due to poor attendance in Mexico City. In June 2020, speculation began about a possible move of Atlante F.C. back Mexico City. On June 26, the relocation became official. The same day, the relocation of Cafetaleros de Chiapas to Cancún was announced, with the team renamed Cancún F.C. They play in the Liga de Expansión MX, the Mexican second division, at the Estadio Andrés Quintana Roo. The city is also home to the Pioneros de Cancún of the Liga Premier de México, the third tier of Mexican football.
The Tiburones de Cancún (Cancún Sharks) were a professional American football team who played in the Fútbol Americano de México (FAM) league until the league's dissolution in 2022.
The city is also home to the baseball team Tigres de Quintana Roo, who play in the Mexican League (LMB).
In October 2023, the WTA Finals (Women's Tennis Association) were held in Cancún, in a temporary, outdoor, hard court stadium in Plaza Quintana Roo with a capacity of 4,300. Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina criticized the facility, saying that it was unacceptable for high level tennis, not ready in time for practice, and there was no time to fix it.
Since February 2025, the Cancún Country Club Residencial & Golf in Cancún hosts the WTA 125 tennis tournament "Cancún Tennis Open", that takes place on outdoor hardcourts.
== Transportation ==
Cancún is served by the Cancún International Airport with an added main runway that commenced operation as of October 2009. It has many flights to North America, Central America, South America, and Europe. It is located on the northeast of the Yucatán Peninsula serving an average of about fifteen million passengers per year. The airport is located around 20 km (12 mi) from the Hotel Zone, approximately a 20 minute trip by car. The island of Isla Mujeres is located off the coast and is accessible by ferry from Puerto Juárez and Playa Tortugas in the Hotel Zone. In 2020, the Quintana Roo government implemented a law that all international visitors arriving to the State of Quintana Roo are required to pay a fee called the VisiTAX. Visitors with a Mexican passport are exempted from the tax.
Bus service from Cancun Airport to Downtown Cancun is provided by bus company ADO.
Cancún is also served by five public transportation companies, who are granted concessions by the Quintana Roo Institute of Mobility (Imoveqroo) or the Municipality of Benito Juárez, depending on the type of vehicles operated.
These companies include:
Autocar S.A. de C.V. (Autocar)
Transportación Turística y Urbana de Cancún (Turicún)
Sociedad Cooperativa de Autotransporte del Ejido de Alfredo Vladimir Bonfil (Bonfil)
Sociedad Cooperativa de Transporte Maya Caribe (Maya Caribe)
Transporte Terrestre Estatal (TTE)
Together, these companies operate 36 bus routes in Cancun and its surrounding areas. Autocar operates 18 routes, both Maya Caribe and Turican operate 28, and Bonfil operates 20. TTE only operates Microbuses and Minibuses known as "combis."
Most bus routes terminate near either Plaza Las Americas, the ADO Bus Terminal, Tulum Avenue, or the Hotel Zone.
In the Hotel Zone, the main routes are R-1 and R-2, which run up Kukulkan Avenue. Operated by SEA (a joint venture between Turicun, Autocar, and Maya Caribe), services run around every 5 minutes and go between Tulum Avenue and the Westin Resort.
In April 2024, SEA announced it had received 100 new air-conditioned buses, and were running them along the R-1 and R-2 routes. It was also announced that the two routes would be phased out in favor of a new corridor that ran between the Hotel Zone and Kabah Avenue, with other inner-city routes being considered.
In August 2024, it was reported that a subsidiary of ADO, which already operates buses in Merida, was interested in operating 184 units in Cancun.
ADO AEROPUERTO (Airport) already operates long distance bus services from its Cancun Bus Terminal, with destinations including Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Merida and the Airport.
The Tren Maya, under construction since June 2020, will connect Cancún to Palenque, Chiapas with intermediate stops on the Yucatán peninsula and operations started on December 15, 2023. Passengers can take a free electric shuttle from Cancun Airport to the Tren Maya Station.
== Sister cities ==
Wichita, Kansas, USA – November 25, 1975
Hangzhou, China – October 17, 2008
Timișoara, Romania – March 5, 2019
Naperville, Illinois, USA – February 5, 2021
== See also ==
Cancún Underwater Museum
Cenote
== Notes ==
== References ==
== External links ==
(In Spanish) Official city government website
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