Basic information about Riviera Maya

The Riviera Maya is a resort area on the east coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. It stretches almost 150 kilometers from Cancun to Tulum. The creation of the resort is a joint project of Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. According to this project, the entire coast of the peninsula up to the border of Guatemala and Honduras turns into a large resort complex.

Territorially, the resort includes several cities. Puerto Morelos is 35 kilometers from Cancun, then 25 kilometers to the south is the resort's main town, Playa del Carmen. In 30 minutes by boat, directly opposite the city lies the island of Cozumel with its legendary coral reef Palancar. 20 kilometers south of Playa del Carmen is the resort complex Puerto Aventuras. Completing the chain of beach towns in the Riviera Maya is the city of Akumal and the archaeological zone of Tulum. The population of the main center of Riviera Maya today amounts to more than 150 thousand people.

The Yucatan Peninsula is the cradle of one of the oldest civilizations, the Mayans, and was inhabited long before Columbus discovered America. Now all that remains are majestic pyramids in the jungle and numerous archaeological sites that testify to the rich and eventful history of this people.

In pre-Hispanic times, the area of present-day Playa del Carmen was called Chaman Ha ("North Shore"). The city in its present form was already founded in the 20s of the last century. Up until the mid-80s, the main center of the Riviera Maya remained a small village of fishermen and artisans, whose population did not exceed 1500 people. The arrival of the tourist industry and the opening of ferry traffic from the island of Cozumel simply transformed the area.

Today, Riviera Maya is one of the Caribbean's youngest and fastest-growing resort areas.