What did Cancun look like 50 years ago?

Fifty years ago, Cancún was virtually unknown to the world. With a population of roughly 100 people, the town was located in one of the poorest regions of Mexico. It had odd-shaped sand dunes and a coast occupied by marshes, mangroves, and a snake-infested jungle.



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ONLY 3 PEOPLE USED TO LIVE HERE Well, let us explain. In January 1970 the only three people living in Cancun were the caretakers of a coconut plantation. Back then it wasn't a bustling international resort, but like many places in Mexico underdeveloped and free of tourists.

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White, soft and cold is the sand that forms part of the beautiful beaches of Cancun, however did you know that 70% of this sand is composed of pieces of coral defecated by the Parrotfish? It's not a joke! This animal is mostly in time, biting the corals to maintain its peak in optimum conditions.

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TRAVEL ADVICE: IS CANCUN SAFE? If you're thinking about a vacation and wondering, “Is Cancun Safe?” … the short answer is: the Yucatán Peninsula, including Cancun, Tulum, and the Riviera, is the safest area of Mexico in 2023, according to the US State Department.

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On top of that, it was recently revealed that around 8.2 million of those tourists were from international destinations, which some travel officials in Quintana Roo have named “strategic markets.” And as these international tourist numbers continue to go up in Quintana Roo, it's the United States that's consistently at ...

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Cancun is considered to be the heart of the Mexican Caribbean and year on year thousands of visitors who come to the Yucatan Peninsula end up right here! The gorgeous beaches, great weather, and amazingly clear and clean waters are huge pulls for many tourists, but Cancun has much more to offer than just this.

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Cancun is considered to be the heart of the Mexican Caribbean and year on year thousands of visitors who come to the Yucatan Peninsula end up right here! The gorgeous beaches, great weather, and amazingly clear and clean waters are huge pulls for many tourists, but Cancun has much more to offer than just this.

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Cancún is a planned city, created to foster tourism. When development of the area as a resort was started on January 23, 1970, Isla Cancún had only three residents, all caretakers of the coconut plantation of Don José de Jesús Lima Gutiérrez, who lived on Isla Mujeres.

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Coastal erosion And Ruth Cerezo-Mota, an oceanographer at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), warns that by 2050, sea levels will rise up to 40cm, meaning somewhere between four and twenty meters of the beach will be lost.

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After the big storms hit, the bad ideas were laid bare: Much of Cancun's glittering hotel strip is now without a beach. Hotels built too tall, too heavy and too close to the shore, as well as beaches stripped of native vegetation to make them more tourist-friendly, have contributed to the massive erosion.

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Walking around at night is not recommended. The Hotel Zone is okay but you should opt for a taxi to get from A to B anywhere else. Non-touristy areas: While you should experience local life in Cancun, you don't want to walk into the wrong neighborhood. The crime rate is much higher outside of the popular tourist zones.

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If I had to boil it down, my answer would be this: If you are looking for a beautiful, tropical destination with swim up bars and lots of activities, Cancún is worth visiting for you. If you're looking to experience authentic Mexican culture, cuisine and the magic of Mexico, Cancún is not worth visiting for you.

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Mexico Travel Advisories As of time of publication, the following Mexican states were under a “Do Not Travel” advisory from the U.S. State Department: Colima state (crime & kidnapping) Guerrero state (crime) Michoacan state (crime & kidnapping)

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