Cancun: The story of the world's best-known ""Nest of Serpents""

It is an undeniable fact that Cancun is one of the most requested destinations by tourists from all over the world when they travel to Central America. This beautiful Mexican island, surrounded by a system of lagoons, which is the focal point of entry to the Yucatan peninsula, offers beaches and landscapes of incomparable natural beauty together with impressive hotels fully equipped to please the most diverse and demanding tastes.

However, did you know that less than six decades ago, Cancun was nothing more than an island where nobody lived, very little known? It consisted of a small group of sand dunes in the shape of a “7” no more than 20 meters wide that were separated from the mainland by two narrow channels.

That’s right, and in fact, the very name given to the island by the Mayans confirms what it was like in the past (Kankun or Kan Kun/ Can Cun, according to some maps, which means “pot of snakes” or “nest of snakes” ): A swampy area with mangroves, beaches and virgin jungles.

It all started in 1969 when an existing Mexican government agency called Infratur officially approved the city construction project, which began a year later. The initial idea included creating a road from Puerto Juárez to the island, drawing up a development plan, and building a provisional airstrip (where Kabah Avenue is currently located).

The plan to be developed, in turn, was divided into several parts. These consisted of:

The creation of an area dedicated exclusively to tourist activity, in which there was no presence of permanent residential areas. This should function as a kind of tourist corridor containing hotels, shopping centers, and other recreational areas (such as marinas).

The creation of another area that did correspond to the one in a city, with its residential areas and permanent inhabitants. This would have educational centers, medical centers, markets, and facilities belonging to the public administration on duty apart from the commercial ones. This would be located in the northern part of the territorial reserve.

Finally, an international airport will be constructed in the southern part of the island, near the Cancun-Tulum highway.

In this way, both tourists and those interested in making Central America their home would find Cancun an island city well-designed and equipped for both purposes. The objective was clear: The entire world had a very pleasant first impression of Mexico through this small but more than complete piece of tropical paradise.

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