Interesting facts about Cancun

Cancun or Kancum

Throughout the years the island had two names: Cancún and Kancum. Being both correct used by foreign cartographers, who didn´t speak the Mayan language.

Its current name had political motives. David Gustavo Gutiérrez Ruiz, the state governor at that time, thought  Cancún should be a Mexican name… what could be more Mexican than Benito Juárez!

Snake´s nest

The origin of Cancun´s name remains a mystery. Many people think it means snake´s nest having the root of two Mayan names: Ka´an, snake; kin, a cooking pot which is a creepy name, but very popular.

Mayan Riviera

In the mid 90´s it was a modest tourist destination, there were only 300 hotel rooms. They were isolated all-inclusive bed and breakfast places. After 1997 this changed, foreign hotel chains invested in the area. Nowadays the Mayan Riviera is a 130 km road with one hotel after another. In between you can find, Tulum, Puerto Morelos, Valladolid, Chichen Itza, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres.