Cancun is Mexico’s top tourist destination and one of the most popular in the world. We visited impressive Mayan ruins, explored Isla Mujeres, and relaxed on the incredible Caribbean Coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Best Thing I Ate This Week
Torta de Cochinita Pibil at Cochinita El Camarada
Cancun, on the Yucatan Peninsula, was created as a government project to boost tourism, and in 1970 when development started, there were only a handful of people living in the area. Today, Cancun is a rapidly growing city and the Hotel Zone is world famous for its incredible resorts. Most of the popular restaurants in the Hotel Zone are upscale and cater towards the tourists that visit. However, in Cancun city there are numerous authentic places to eat at that cater to the thousands of locals that now live and work there.
One such place that we visited was Cochinita El Camarada. It is a food truck that parks outside of a Circle K in downtown Cancun. They only serve cochinita pibil in a torta, taco, or by the kilo for breakfast through lunch (or when they run out of food). When we arrived. there was a line of people waiting to buy food, and, throughout our meal, people kept coming to order. We ordered a few tacos and a torta to split. The tender pork meat was so flavorful and juicy. In particular, the torta tasted incredible and the perfectly baked fresh bread was a fantastic complement to the rich meat. There was also homemade hot sauce to add to the food which gave a little extra kick to the meal. After eating our food, it was clear why so many locals kept coming to order.
Although there was no one living in Cancun until the government’s development, there were, and still are, native Mayan communities living in the Yucatan Peninsula. We learned that cochinita pibil comes from the cooking traditions of these communities. They slow roast a whole pig in a banana leaf that has been marinated with delicious citric juices and local seeds. The most traditional preparation of the meat is to cook it buried in a fire pit. We did not have a chance to ask the workers how they prepared their cochinita pibil at Cochinita El Camarada, but it was delicious and worth the visit to try a more traditional local meal while in Cancun.
An Interesting Fact I Learned
The Mayans built magnificent cities On the Yucatan Peninsula
Cancun is located in the Yucatan Peninsula, which comprises of southeastern Mexico, Belize, and northern Guatemala. Prior to Spanish arrival, the Maya civilization was a group of loosely associated city states located throughout the Yucatan Peninsula as well as parts of modern day Honduras and El Salvador. Today, descendants of these Mayan communities still live in the region, and many of the most prominent cities have been excavated by archeologists and are top destinations for people to visit to learn more about this impressive culture.
While staying in Cancun it is possible to take day trips to Mayan ruins and many tour agencies offer them with a local guide. Chichen-Itza is the most popular former city to visit and was even named as one of the 7 New Wonders of the World. We visited Chichen-Itza with a guide of Mayan descent who shared more about the significance of the pre-Hispanic city. The most prominent building at the city ruins is a striking pyramid known as Temple of Kukulcan. This temple exhibits the incredible understanding of astronomy that the Maya culture had with various aspects of the design. It was built with 91 steps on 4 sides (364 steps) and a top platform (365) that was used to track the solar movements of the year. In fact, rulers used this knowledge of the seasons to display their power by predicting when certain shadows or light would reflect across the pyramid features or solar eclipses would occur. Additionally, while at Chichen-Itza, we visited the largest Mayan ball court, which was used for important ceremonies. Based on drawings in the stones, it is believed that the winner of the ceremony would receive the great honor of being sacrificed to the gods. Prominent people would attend the ball court, and, through the mastery of acoustics, it was believed those sitting on one end of the stadium could talk to those sitting on the other end.
There are numerous other Mayan ruins that can be visited near Cancun, but the other tour that was highly recommended to us was a combined day trip to visit Tulum and Coba. Tulum was much smaller in size than Chichen-Itza and one of the first cities that the Spanish saw when arriving at the Yucatan given its placement on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean. Here, there are also signs of the mastery of astronomy, but given that it had a much smaller population, it did not have as much grandeur as Chichen-Itza. However, the views of the ruins on the Caribbean were spectacular. After visiting Tulum we continued on our tour further into the jungle to Coba. This city was actually larger than Chichen-Itza but existed prior to it. Much of the city is still covered by jungle but archeologists continue to work to restore the site. The Pyramid of Nohoch Mul is the main place to visit at the ruins and is the second largest Mayan pyramid at 137 feet tall. There are also much smaller ball courts found throughout the ruins.
All three sites that we visited were impressive and worth it. Our guides helped to teach us introductory information about the Mayan culture and aspects that are still practiced today. We hope to be able to return in the future to visit other ruins and continue our education about the culture.
My Travel Tip of the Week
Stay in Cancun city if you want to take day trips to different parts of the Yucatan Peninsula
The Hotel Zone of Cancun is the most popular place for tourists to stay if they are interested in a resort vacation. As tourism in Cancun continues to grow, development has extended south of the Hotel Zone in an area branded as Riviera Maya which includes Playa del Carmen and Tulum. These are all great places to stay, but if you are planning to take multiple day trips, then staying in the city of Cancun near Avenida Tulum and Puerto Juarez on the tour days might be the best option.
Many of the tour companies offer pickup at the Smart Cancun Urban Oasis which is easily walkable from many other hotels in the area. Additionally, the pickup starts in the Hotel Zone meaning that you may be able to sleep in an extra hour, which is especially nice when taking an early morning trip to the Mayan archaeological sites such as Chichen-Itza, Tulum, or Coba. Additionally, Gran Puerto Cancun (the Cancun tourist port) is located in Puerto Juarez for those interested in visiting Isla Mujeres or other fantastic islands in the Caribbean Sea. Traffic navigating the Cancun area at times causes unexpectedly long travel time and having only a short trip to the dock is nice after a long day on the ocean.
The main downside of staying in the city of Cancun is that the hotels do not have the amenities of the beautiful resorts in the Hotel Zone and are not located directly on the ocean. If you want to be able to take advantage of those amenities after long days of touring, then staying in the city of Cancun might not be the best fit. Another option could be to split time and after completing touring in order to spend a few nights at the end of your trip relaxing in the Hotel Zone at the pools or on the beach.
My Additional Anecdote This Week
Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula has something to offer for all types of travelers
When researching activities to do in Cancun, it was overwhelming with the variety of options and activities. It makes sense that the number of tourists continues to grow and that the area is now the most visited destination in Mexico. Many people come to Cancun because of the beautiful beaches and wonderful resorts. For those seeking a vacation without planning, there are countless all inclusive options to choose from. Also, there are plenty of nice resorts that are not all inclusive, and they often have numerous food outlets on their property. For people that want to leave the resorts and hotels for entertainment, there are upscale restaurants, night clubs, and shopping centers throughout the Hotel Zone. There are even theme parks and cultural shows that are family friendly.
Beyond all of these activities in the Hotel Zone, there are wonderful Mayan ruins and cultural sites that can be explored through day trips such as Chichen-Itza, Tulum, and Coba. Also, Isla Mujeres and Cozumel are two of the most popular islands for those that want to go out on the Caribbean Sea and spend time away from mainland Mexico. Other options on the Caribbean include swimming with whale sharks, snorkeling, fishing charters, and much more. A new train called Tren Maya was also recently created to allow for tourists to visit even further into Mexico to towns such as Valladolid or Merida.
Overall Cancun and the surrounding area offer activities and adventures for all types of travelers. There is so much to do that it is no wonder that people return to visit and continue exploring all the region has to offer.
