Happy Birthday, Cancun!

Time has flown and this April, Cancun is throwing a birthday bash for 41 years of existence. It seems incredible to think that only four decades ago, this tourist paradise that we now know, was just an island that no one looked twice at. Its creation at the beginning of the 70s brought people from all over to start building and constructing this mega tourist project that had in mind to generate jobs and attract investors.

Cancun was a small island where there were many coconut trees and was only inhabited by a few fishermen and was sometimes visited by people who came from Isla Mujeres, Cozumel and Chetumal. In order to polish this diamond in the rough, a multimillion dollar investment was needed, as well as the manual labor of thousands of people who had to use machetes to blaze a trail through the mangroves. At night, they would sleep in the sand, covering their faces with a cloth so that they can withstand the attack of mosquitoes at night. There was no place to house so many people and the work conditions were very extreme.

Little by little, things started taking shape and that was how the first hotels opened their doors to guests. Those who worked in the hotel lived there because they were just starting to build the downtown area. Curious anecdotes still linger about those first couple of years about these Cancun pioneers. Stories like the fact that it was still common then to see spider monkeys about town. These pioneers also celebrate the city's birth with diverse cultural events with parades about the city, wearing typical regional wear from the cities of their birth and maintaining traditions, honoring the phrase "orgullosamente Cancunense y dignamente Quintanarroense" (proud to be from Cancun and with dignity, from Quintana Roo).

This beautiful land is a cultural melting pot where traditions, languages, beliefs and races from all continents come together. Those of us who come to Cancun contribute our efforts so that this Caribbean Eden can continue being one of the best tourist destinations in the world.

Today, this lovely island has been connected to land by three bridges, surrounded by the Nichupte Lagoon and by the Caribbean, which was once navigated by pirates and the Maya. The sea offers captivating tones of turquoise, perfectly blending into the brilliant white color of the sand. This is an absolute paradise for those who love water sports and nature. There are mangroves, underground rivers, sinkholes and reefs, a true paradise where you can admire an endless number of tropical fish and age-old coral formations.

Cancun has an impressive infrastructure with nearly 30,000 hotel rooms. The variety is as numerous as are the over three million visitors that come every year. Cancun offers everything from luxury hotels, enchanting boutique hotels, attractive all inclusive hotels, as well as romantic cabanas surrounded by jungle and sea. 

Apart from the impressive hotel choices, Cancun is also a culinary paradise with a rainbow of flavors and aromas where you can enjoy delicious regional fare, fine cuts of meat, fish and seafood with Mexican, Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Mediterranean flare. There are plenty of international options to choose from.

The entertainment options are unlimited. There is a lot to see and do, like archeological sites, water and theme parks, championship golf courses, shopping centers with an endless number of boutiques and designer shops, as well as a fabulous nightlife!

Discover the beauty and magic of this proudly Mexican land where you'll be enchanted by the warmth and the hospitality of the locals. Come and live Cancun!