Playa del carmen

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Playa del Carmen (Xaman Ha' or Pláaya in Modern Maya) is a city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, in the northeast of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The city is the seat of the Solidaridad municipality. In the 2005 census, the city had a population of about 100,383 people and it is rapidly growing in population. It is the third largest city in Quintana Roo, after Cancún and Chetumal.

[edit] History

Playa del Carmen is named for Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who is the patron saint of Cancún. The first recorded visitors to the beaches of what is now Playa del Carmen came during the Early Classic Period (a.d. 300-600) of the Mayan civilization. Then called Xaman-Ha, or "waters of the north," Playa del Carmen was a rest stop of sorts for travelers making their way from the great cities of the Mayan world to the island of Cozumel.

The coast and lowlands of the peninsula were still heavily populated with the descendents of the fallen civilization when the Spaniards arrived. Tulum, less than an hour south of Playa, was the last Mayan outpost and there are plenty of small ruins in Playa del Carmen. The Spanish focused their attention around the area of Mérida, where conditions were better for growing henequén (sisal), a fibre used to make rope. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Caribbean coast was considered a savage place with not much to offer for potential settlers.

[edit] Tourism

Originally a small fishing town, tourism to Playa del Carmen began with the passenger ferry service to Cozumel, an island across the Cozumel Channel and world famous scuba diving destination. While passing through, many people realized that it was a nice place to relax away from the crowds of Cancún but with the same quality beaches and turquoise waters. Perhaps just as impressive as Cozumel, Playa del Carmen's coast offers good scuba diving opportunities, as well as cenote diving for the more adventurous.

Today Playa del Carmen, or just "Playa" as it is colloquially referred to, is the center of the Riviera Maya concept, which runs from south of Cancún to Tulum and the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve. Playa is a stop for several cruise ships which dock at the nearby Calica quarry docks, about six miles south of the city. A Mexican themed "eco-archaeological park", Xcaret (pronounced "esh-caret") is a popular tourist destination just south of the town. Tourist activity in Playa del Carmen centers on Quinta Avenida, or Fifth Avenue, stretching from calle 1 norte until calle 34, a pedestrian walkway located just one block inland from the beach which is lined with boutique hotels, shops, bars, and restaurants.

Elements within the Playa del Carmen local community and government have attempted to retain Playa del Carmen's reputation and charm as a small fishing village and artists' colony, without it becoming as large or tourist dependent as Cancún. To this end, the city passed an ordinance limiting buildings to three stories. A few four story buildings were built before the ordinance, however. Playa del Carmen is currently expanding north beyond the Colosio section and on the other side of highway 307, the Ejido. Playacar is a residential and tourist development in Playa del Carmen, just south of the main urban area, where most of the all-inclusive hotels, the aviary, and the golf course are located. Playacar is privately owned by the Castanon family.

There is a significant European influence in Playa, with a number of local business proprietors drawn from the European expatriate community.

In October 2005 Hurricane Wilma passed directly over Playa del Carmen, remaining in the vicinity for two days and causing significant damage and a temporary drop in tourist arrivals. Fortunately most of the damage was relatively superficial and repaired within a few weeks of the storm. Hurricane Wilma arrived from the Caribbean sea, passing over Cozumel before making landfall in Playa del Carmen. It then moved north along the Mexican coast, hitting Cancún especially hard.

The telenovela Peregrina takes place in Playa del Carmen.

Things to Do

Sports Overview If you're the sporty type, Playa will keep you busy, both above and beneath the surface of the Caribbean. No matter what level of thrill you are looking for there is something to do here, between hanging out on the beach and stomping around ruins...

Reef Diving Detailed overview of what to expect from conditions, operators and dive locations written by an instructor with more than a thousand local reef dives.

Cenote Overview Find out what a cenote is, how they were formed, and what makes them special. Learn what to expect if you decide to dive in the cenotes and what to look for in a qualified quide.

Fishing The quality of deep sea fishing in the Playa del Carmen area may come as a surprise to you. This area is perhaps more famous for its fantastic diving and its amazing Mayan ruins, but the truth is that fishing is here is ranked extremely high by serious anglers from all over the world...

Eating Out The major international influence is apparent in Playa's array of restaurants. You won't run the risk of being bored of the food when in Playa. You can go Mexican, Mayan, Tex-Mex, Italian, Thai, German, Japanese, Cuban, Chinese, Argentinean, Swedish, Spanish and probably something else that we can't think of right now. Oh, yeah, seafood! ...

Activities and Daytrips Get oriented quickly with this overview of the area. We cover the major points of interest on the coast that are comfortably reached for interesting daytrips from Playa del Carmen.

Colonial town of Valladolid The colonial town of Valladolid was founded in 1543 by Francisco de Montejo, who established Spanish rule in most of the Yucatán peninsula. As in so many other places in the New World, the Spanish built their own churches on the site of the old pagan temples. Valladolid used to be a Mayan town by the name of Zací...

Skydive! The only way to experience this incredible activity is to do it yourself, so we went for a jump and had a blast. Have a look at some cool images and find out why Playa is the best place on earth to jump out of an airplane!

Features

Mexican Food A brief overview to get you oriented. From street food to traditional dishes, you'll have an understanding of what real Mexican food is before arriving in Playa del Carmen. Leave the yellow cheese and sour cream at home.

Hammock Guide A fixture in any home in the Yucatan peninsula, the Mayan hammock is the perfect introduction to the land of the siesta. Learn what to look for, how to use it, maintain it and keep it clean for years of heavenly rest.

Tequila Learn about the history of this firey spirit and a little bit about the differences in types and quality. Playa del Carmen is full of places where you can do follow-up research once you arrive.

Learning Spanish in Paradise Playa del Carmen is a fantastic location to brush up on your Spanish. Playa.Info sent a staff member back to school for two weeks, and here's the article to prove it.

Bacalar Exploration Project 2001 The labyrinth of underground rivers in this region of Mexico fuels the fire of exploration. Read the details of a recent project aimed at discovering new places where man has never been before.

All inclusive concept Some observations on the all inclusive vacation concept