Las Calaveras

The Day of the Dead is coming and all the people in Cancun are getting ready to celebrate it.    One of these symbols, and a very emblematic one is the calavera or skull.  They are made from sugar, or chocolate and also in wood or stone. They are alway colourfully decorated and beautiful!

Mexican Independence Day in Cancun

VIVA LA INDEPENDENCIA!!
Mexican Independence Day celebrations begin on the 15th September and it is the most important national holiday observed in Mexico.  On the night of the 15th September the President of Mexico rings the bell of the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City and cries the ‘Grito de Dolores’ and the names of the heroes of the Mexican War of Independence.  He then shouts ‘Viva Mexico!’ joined by the people in the Zocalo waving the Mexican flag and then singing the Mexican National Anthem.  This patriotic event draws up to half a million spectators from all over Mexico and tourists worldwide.

Mayan Culture in Cancun

Apart from being one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations, Cancun also has many Mayan archaeological sites to visit all within a short distance from your hotel.  Cancun is proud to be home to this Mayan heritage that dates back to the year 1500BC.

Visit Tulum

Tulum sits on the edge of a cliff facing looking out over the vast turquoise ocean. No wonder Tulum is one of the most-visited Mayan ruins in Mexico -it truly is one of the most magical places on Earth.

Tulum is located 82 miles south of Cancun on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula on the edge of the Caribbean Sea and was formerly know by the name Zama, meaning City of Dawn.

Cancun Maya Museum

After six years of construction, the museum’s modern structure has become the largest ever built by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) since the Templo Mayor Museum was built in 1987.   With an investment of approximately $15 million, 70% of which was contributed by the federal government through the INAH. Cancun’s Maya Museum includes 350 archeological artifacts that took 30 years of research to procure, includes relics that have never been shown as well as others that were discovered in recent excavations.

The Mayan Legend of the Alux

Alux is the Mayan word given to mythological Mayan spirits found in the Yucatan Peninsula.  Aluxes or Aluxob are believed to be small dwarf-like creatures, no higher than your knee, dressed in traditional Mayan clothes. They live in the Mayan jungles and forest and near milpas where Mayan farmers grow their crops The description of these little creatures and the types of tricks they play is very similar to the Irish leprechaun, and similarly to them they are playful and mischievous and love to play practical jokes. 

Spring Equinox at Chichen Itza

The pyramid of Kukulcan, otherwise known as ‘El Castillo’, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.  It is one of the greatest surviving monuments of the Mayan civilization.  The spring equinox at Chichen Itza is the setting for one of the most spectacular sights you will ever see, the descent of the Feathered Serpent.  The Spring equinox usually falls on the 20th or 21st of March although the dates may vary slightly from year to year.

History of Cancun and Quintana Roo

Recent History of Cancun and Quintana Roo

Following Mexico’s independence from Spain, national boundaries in the Yucatán region were disputed by Guatemala, Belize which was then a colony of Great Britain, and Mexico. This border issue was finally resolved by the Marshall Saint John Treaty.  He established what is now the border between Belize and Mexico on the Hondo River at the southern end of Quintana Roo.

Throughout the 19th century, the native population of the Yucatán Peninsula frequently rebelled against the Mexican government. They were finally subdued at the beginning of the 20th century, and Quintana Roo became a separate territory on November 24, 1902, by decree of President Porfirio Díaz.