History of Cancun

Just half a century ago, Cancun was a place that went unnoticed, as it was a deserted island of which few knew of its existence.

This shore was surrounded by virgin jungle and unexplored beaches, even its exact name produced doubts due to the fact that in some maps it appeared as "Kankun" instead of "Cancun".

The Origin of its name

Regarding the name of this destination, "Kankun" in Mayan language meant "nest of snakes".

Thus we see that in the first records of Infratur the designation of this city appears separated by its two words, as Kan Kun, and sometimes Can Cún, the latter being a Castilianized adaptation of the name.

The beginning of its tourism development

It was in the 1960's when the Mexican government decided to start developing some of the country's potential tourism destinations.

There were several candidates, among them Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Cozumel, Mazatlan, Cancun and others. The idea was to build tourist cities with avant-garde ideas in several potential destinations mentioned above.

In 1969, the Bank of Mexico recommended 5 potential locations for the creation of tourist centers in Mexico, Cancun being among them.

Just 7 years later, in 1976, Cancun was already considered a tourist destination par excellence, with more than 100,000 inhabitants visiting during the winter seasons of 1976 and 1977.

Its growth until today

Since 1989 until today, Cancun has become one of the most dynamic destinations in the country.

In addition, Cancun represents one of the largest sources of income for Mexico in tourism, with a stable migratory flow and being the most prosperous city in the peninsula.

It can be observed in the evolution of Cancun's history, how this beautiful city has been increasing its popularity and growth, being nowadays the most important tourist destination in Mexico.

And not only nationally, but competing with international destinations, as Cancun is currently the first tourist alternative in the Caribbean, even surpassing Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.

At present the permanent population of Cancun reaches almost 900.000 inhabitants, having quite encouraging expectations for the future with great projects to be carried out, such as the construction of a luxury marina with hotels, as well as some golf courses, hospitals and more hotels to accommodate the large wave of tourist visits.

As you have seen, the importance that the Mexican government decided to give to the tourist development of the different cities of the country in the 60's, besides being an innovative idea that has brought with it an important economic income, had a determining impact especially within the interesting history of Cancun.

Now you know, if you are looking for an incredible vacation either alone or in the company of your family, Cancun is the ideal destination for you.