Cancun • Playa Mujeres, Cancun, Mexico

A deserted island
Four decades ago, Cancún was a deserted island and few even knew of its existence.

Located in a nearly forgotten region of the Caribbean, it consisted of a series of sand dunes in the shape of a number “7″ -some parts of which were only 20 meters (66 ft) wide- separated from the mainland by two narrow canals that opened out on to a huge lagoon system.

The coast was comprised of marshes, mangroves, virgin jungle and unexplored beaches. Even its name was not clear: some maps called it “Kankun” (a single word written with the two “k’s”), which means “pot of snakes” or “nest of snakes” in Maya.

However, in the first Infratur documents (a government agency existing prior to the creation of Fonatur), it is written as two words, “Kan Kun,” and occasionally, “Can Cún” (in its Spanish form). The current name of “Cancún” is a natural phonetic development that facilitates pronunciation… or maybe it developed by mere chance.

The Master Plan
The Cancún Project was officially approved in 1969, but didn’t begin until January, 1970, when the first Infratur technicians arrived. The initial objectives of the project were to open up a road from Puerto Juarez to the island, design a Master Development Plan and build a provisional air strip (located in the area designated for city development, at the site of present-day Kabah Avenue, in front of the Ecological Park).

The basic Master Plan called for three items:

1) build a tourism zone without permanent residential areas, like a tourism corridor (given the characteristics of the land itself), with hotel installations, shopping centers, golf courses and marinas;

2) build a residential zone for permanent residents. In other words, an integral city, in the northern part of the territorial reserve, with residential and commercial areas, roads, public buildings, schools, hospitals and markets; and

3) build an international airport to one side of the Cancún-Tulum highway (under construction at the time), on the mainland south of the island.

Hotel Zone development was, in turn, divided into three phases. The first comprised the area from BahÌa de Mujeres to Punta Cancún and the coast up to the inner limit of Bojorquez Lagoon; the second phase ran from Bojorquez Lagoon to Punta Nizuc, and the third from Punta Nizuc south, to the limits of the territorial reserve.

Design and segmentation of the Hotel Zone followed the concept of “supermanzanas” (subdivisions), architecturally known as the “broken plate diagram”: huge city blocks, separated by large avenues. The first segment of Cancún’s urban area concentrated on what would become the city’s main street, Tulum Avenue. City Hall was built on the largest lot in this area.

The first infrastructure projects for drinking water (sink 16 wells, at a distance of 30 kilometers / 18.6 miles), sewerage (dig more than 100 kilometers / 62 miles of ditches for sewers connected to a treatment plant) and electricity (bring in power lines from Tizimin, Yucatán, 150 kilometers / 93 miles away) cannot even compare to the scope and difficulty of the engineering projects required to create the Hotel Zone.

The equivalent of 240 hectares / 593 acres of topsoil was brought in by trucks: 100 (247 acres) for the golf course, 60 (148 acres) for lot 18 A and 60 for the area surrounding the El Rey ruins and fill for over 80 hectares /198 acres (65 ha / 161 acres to widen the island and 15 ha / 37 acres for the airport road). Some 372,000 m3 (13,137.055 ft3) of mangrove systems were dredged to form Siegfried and Nichupté Channels to improve water exchange between the sea and the lagoons.

The first hotels opened in 1974 (Playa Blanca, Bojorquez and Cancún Caribe); the international airport was inaugurated with 2,600 meters of runway and operating capacity for wide-cabin airplanes; and Infratur and Foqatur government agencies were merged to form the National Foundation for the Promotion of Tourism (Fonatur).

The same year, Quintana Roo was granted statehood and the Cancún project (under the Isla Mujeres district government) became part of Benito Juarez district.

From 1989 to date, Cancún has been the nation’s most dynamic city. It contributes a large percentage of Mexico’s tourism-related revenue and accounts for much of Quintana Roo’s gross domestic product. There are currently more than 500,000 inhabitants in the urban area. Cancún has become the country’s largest tourism resort and is the most prosperous city in the Yucatán Peninsula. It is also the Caribbean’s premier destination, surpassing even the Bahamas and Puerto Rico.

The future is promising. Puerto Cancún, a huge, deluxe marina with low-impact hotels, is projected for development north of the Hotel Zone. To the southwest, toward the airport, more hotels, golf courses and a modern hospital are scheduled for construction. In addition, major resort development is contemplated for the 131-kilometer / 81 miles Cancún-Tulum tourism corridor.

General Information
This page is to help you with useful Cancun general information whether it is to help plan your trip or to use during your Cancun vacation.

Cancun Weather
Cancun weather is tropical and humid with year round sunshine. The temperature ranges from 20° to 30° C (68° to 86° F) from October through to March and from 22° to 33° C (75° a 91° F) from April to September.

Cancun Airport
Cancun Airport handles the second largest volume of traffic in Mexico therefore the security levels are very high. Since they have built the new terminal, Cancun airport can boast great modern facilities and equipment. There are some fabulous duty free shops and gift shops selling silver jewellery and souvenirs so you can always buy that last minute present for your loved ones.

Getting Around Cancun
The cheapest way to get around Cancun is by bus. You can catch a bus to most places in Cancun and there is a bus every hour from Cancun Airport to Downtown Cancun.

Cancun Time Zone
Cancun time zone is six hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Daylight Saving Time begins on the first Sunday in April and ends on the last Sunday in October.

Cancun Currency
The official currency in Cancun is the Mexican peso but American dollars are also widely accepted. Banks are open Monday-Friday from 9am to 4pm.

Language spoken in Cancun
The official language spoken in Cancun is Spanish. Most of the Mexicans working in the tourism industry speak English and you will find that French, Italian and German are also spoken by some. Many of the local indigenous people still speak Mayan among themselves.

Tips
The average tip for service is 10-15% and one or two dollars per suitcase carried. Check your bill first as tips may already be included.

Cancun Electricity
The standard Cancun electricity is 110 volts. Hotels usually offer voltage converters for 220 volt devices. Some sockets do not accept polarized or three-prong plugs. It is recommended that you bring your own adapter but you can usually buy these in the hotel shop.

Cancun Communications
Cancun communications are great. All the main tourist areas have facilities such as fax and internet services and you will find wireless internet access in most hotels and many restaurants and cafes.

To make international calls from Mexico you dial access code 001 for the US and Canada; and 00 + country code for the rest of the world. The cheapest way to make telephone calls is with prepaid cards. Making calls from your hotel room can be very costly.

Contact your service provider before your vacation for more information if you wish to use your cell phone in Mexico. Otherwise you can rent cell phones per day for local use.