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Yucatán [yOOkutan']
Pronunciation Key
Yucatán , peninsula, c.70,000 sq mi (181,300 sq km), mostly in SE Mexico, separating the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. It comprises the states of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo, Mexico; Belize; and part of Petén, Guatemala. Mérida and Campeche, Mexico and Belize City, Belize are the chief cities of Yucatán. The inhabitants are predominantly the modern descendants of the Maya.
The peninsula is largely a low, flat, limestone tableland rising to c.500 ft (150 m) in the south. To the north and west the plain continues as the Campeche Bank, stretching under shallow water c.150 mi (240 km) from the low, sandy shoreline. The eastern coast rises in low cliffs in the north and is indented by bays and paralleled by islands and cays in the south; Cozumel is the largest island. Short ranges of hills cross the peninsula at scattered intervals. The only rivers are those flowing E and NW from Petén.
Sections in this article:
Introduction
Climate
Economy
History
Bibliography
A single road, Highway 307, runs down the coast from Cancún to Chetumal. The section between Cancún and Playa del Carmen (51km/32 miles) is a four-lane divided highway with speed limits up to 110kmph (68 mph). There are a couple of traffic lights and several reduced-speed zones around the major turnoffs. From Playa to Tulum (131km/82 miles from Cancún), the road becomes a smooth two-lane highway with wide shoulders. Speed limits are the same, but more places require you to reduce your speed. It takes around 1 1/2 hours to drive from the Cancún airport to Tulum.
From Tulum, the highway turns inland to skirt the edges of Sian Ka'an. The roadway is narrower, without shoulders, and in some areas the forest crowds in on both sides. The speed limit is mostly 90kmph (56 mph), but you'll need to slow down in several places, and you must watch for speed bumps (topes) where the road passes through villages and towns. To drive from Tulum to Chetumal takes a little more than 3 hours.
Playa del Carmen -- Playa, as it is called, is the most happening place on the coast -- lots of beach (especially when the wind and currents are flowing in the right direction), hotels for every budget, a good choice of restaurants, and an active nightlife, most of which is on or around Avenida 5, Playa's very popular promenade. In the last few years the town has grown quickly, and local residents and the tourism board are working hard to keep it from becoming a smaller version of Cancún. They are encouraging builders to use the same kind of tropical, slightly quirky architectural style that the town has become known for.
Puerto Morelos -- This town 30 minutes south of Cancún remains a sleepy little village affectionately known by the locals as "Muerto Morelos." It has a few small hotels and rental houses, and in the vicinity are a few secluded spa resorts. The coast is sandy and well protected by an offshore reef, which means good snorkeling and diving nearby, but the lack of surf means lots of seagrass and shallow water. If you're looking for good swimming, you should head farther down the coast. If you're looking for a quiet seaside retreat, this might work for you.
Akumal -- The community at Akumal and Half Moon Bay is relatively old for this shore, which means that it's already built up and doesn't have the boomtown feel of Playa and Tulum. Akumal has a strong ecological orientation. The locals are a mix of Americans and Mexicans, who enjoy the unhurried lifestyle of the tropics, making this a good place to relax and work on your hammock technique. There are a few hotels; most of the lodging is rental houses. Consequently, the town is a favorite with families who enjoy the calmness of the place and can save money by buying groceries and cooking for themselves.
Tulum -- The town of Tulum (near the ruins of the same name) has a hotel district of about 30 palapa hotels, which stretch down the coast of the Punta Allen peninsula. A few years ago it was mainly a destination for backpacker types, but with some of the most beautiful beaches on this coast and many improvements in hotel amenities, it now attracts people with bigger budgets. Construction is booming, both in the town and along the coast. Here you can enjoy the beach in relative solitude and quiet (unless your hotel is busy building additional rooms). The flip side of this is that Tulum doesn't have the variety of restaurants that Playa and Cancún do.
Costa Maya -- South of Tulum lies the large Sian Ka'an Biosphere Preserve and, beyond that, what is known as the Costa Maya, a term that designates the rest of the coast all the way down to Belize. This coast does not have beaches as good as those of the Riviera Maya. Most of the coast is along the Majahual Peninsula, which is very attractive for scuba divers and fly fishermen. Farther south is Lake Bacalar, a large, clear freshwater lake fed by cenotes (wells or sinkholes). Inland from here are the many fascinating ruins of the Río Bec area.
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