Cancun - A History

By Author: Jesse Henson
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Just several decades ago, Cancun was an uninhabited island and only a chosen few even knew that it existed. Since its location is in such a desolate region of the South Caribbean it seemed almost as if it were a secret. During the 1970s, Mexico's President Luis Echeverria began a long and ambitious project to construct a tourism facility that was would outshine any other in the area and make Cancun a popular vacation destination. The new resort was to be a marvel that would be built as far east as you could go on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Since the government had recognized the potential in having a resort setting in the region, it also allowed another ingredient for a firmer economy and permitted Cancun to receive foreign investment. The very first hotels in the area were Palacio Maya and Club Med, which are still quite popular with visitors from all over the world and have held their great reputations over the years. In recent times, there has been continuing development and many new hotels, as well as American-style shopping malls, clubs and entertainment facilities.

How it happened
Cancun began as nothing ...
... more than a desolate jungle with a single road running through it that provided access to the eastern side of the Yucatan. Cancun had never been able to attract development funds and for three decades stood alone and quiet. Then the Mexican government decided to invest small amounts of money into the infrastructure of the area and slowly but surely Cancun began to take shape. Today, Cancun is just like any other high-end resort town, equipped with well-paved roads, a complete water system and enough power to light up the entire area. It's everything you would expect and more from a world-class resort town. Cancun is also home to the largest reef systems in the entire world as well as the uniquely divine cenotes - the most extensive system of underwater caves and caverns on Earth - for scuba divers and deep-sea divers.

In 2003, Cancun played host to the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks, which was an important turn in history. This meeting was controversial as it dealt with issues in a number of developing countries, but a WTO gathering in Cancun gave the area great prestige. In 2005, however, another event would challenge Cancun, and Mexico, as never before. Hurricane Wilma made her catastrophic entry to the area in October, causing millions of dollars in property damage and the deaths of at least three people with many others going missing. Due to the outpouring of aid, an exhaustive campaign of international assistance and tireless efforts on restoration projects, the city was able to make a full recovery. Although rebuilding efforts still continue, all of Cancun's major attractions are fully restored and functioning.

New developments
Recently, Cancun was divided into different areas that include Zona Hotelera, which is an island that is home to many of the hotels and shopping malls; Ciudad de Cancun, where you will find a large population of 300,000 residents who live among an ecological reserve with forests, beautiful lakes and a mangrove marshland; and two other "area resort projects" under way, which will include a tourist resort named Puerto Cancun and another called Malecon Cancun, which will spread out over 170 acres of land.

Cancun has become one of the nation's most dynamic cities. It has been a major contributor to Mexico's tourism-related cash flow and to the gross domestic product of Quintana Roo, the Mexican state at the eastern end of the Yucatan. There are over 500,000 residents in Cancun that love to call this little paradise home, and as it is the most prosperous city in the region it gives some well-deserved bragging rights to the city's inhabitants.

Cancun offers over 25,000 hotel rooms for visitors as well as 200 restaurants, hundreds of shops and a vast array of entertainment facilities. Cancun is home to many different faces and a fusion of natural beauty, art and culture that truly gives the area a Caribbean paradise appeal. It is the Mexican Caribbean's top premier destination, and even surpasses Puerto Rico and the Bahamas at the height of their best seasons. Cancun is the setting for a sophisticated, modern civilization that grew and prospered in a once-forgotten land.
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