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has long been known for its famous resorts at Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta.
But in the 1970's, Mexico's ambitious tourism planners decided to outdo
Acapulco with a brand new, world-class resort in the Yucatán Peninsula.
The place they chose was a deserted sand spit offshore from the little
fishing village of Puerto Juárez, on Yucatán's eastern shore.
The island sand spit was shaped like a Lucky Seven and its name was Cancún. |
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| In the last two decades
Cancún has grown from a tiny jungle village into one of the world's
best-known holiday resorts - a land blessed with endless stretches of white
sand beaches kissed by turquoise waters. This is Mexico's premier vacation
destination, a Caribbean extravaganza with charms to entice any visitor. |
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A bus or car ride away from
Cancun are some of Mexico's best ruins. Visit the mysterious Mayan ruins
of Tulum or Chichen Itza, and experience the rhythms of another time. Tulum
is a beautiful Mayan ruin that sits on cliffs just above the sea and was
built in the latter part of Mayan history. A few hours inland lies Chichen
Itza which is much larger than Tulum. The main pyramid, called El Castillo,
is one of the best preserved pyramids in Mexico. |
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Other activities might include
a visit to one of the area's incredible eco-parks such as Xcaret and Xel-Ha.
On the west side of Isla Cancún are the shimmering waters of Laguna
Nichupté (Nichupté Lagoon) and Laguna Río Inglés
(English River Lagoon), which are home to 200 species of birds and host
a number of watersports. Of course, the main reason people come here is
for the beaches. |
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| Isla Cancún is one
big beach, a lazy, beautiful stretch of white sand. The beaches on the
western side face Laguna de Nichupté and are extremely calm and
tame, while those on the eastern shore face the Caribbean and are prone
to fierce undertows. Isla Cancún is 23km (14mi) long, not very wide
and is known as the "Zona Turística". Neighboring Cozumel is well
known as a mecca for scuba divers and its snorkeling opportunities. In
historic times, Cozumel was once a vacation spot for Maya royalty. |
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| A word of cauthion however:
Cancún is a very popular spot for college students on Spring Break.
Overnight, the city swells to three times its size. Unless you're a devout
party animal, it's best to avoid the horrendous crowd. |
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