Costa Maya

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Costa Maya" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Costa Maya is a small

in the north, a distance of approximately 100 kilometers (62 mi).

Xcalak is approximately 60 kilometers (37 mi) south of the Costa Maya cruise port, and the fishing village of Mahahual is only about 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) away. Cruise ships can easily be seen from the village. Mahahual has soft sand beaches, grass thatched palapas, and a coral reef a short distance off-shore called Banco Chinchorro, as well as several bars, restaurants, and shops. A new development called New Mahahual is being created directly inland from the port. When ships are in port, the village is busy with cruise passengers.

Costa Maya's port has a new and modern tourist shopping mall. The center has a central plaza with saltwater pools and 'swim-up' style bars. There are several jewellery stores and many small shops selling ubiquitous souvenir items. It is generally open only to cruise ship passengers.

Costa Maya is the closest port of access to many of the lesser-known Mayan ruins in the Yucatan including

.

The port sustained heavy damage due to

History

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Pre-Colonial

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Around 6500 BC the

).

The Maya were predominant in three areas: the northern area which is the

).

The Río Bec and Chennes sites are some of the most recent found in Mexico. Most of the sites were found by

rubber

farmers scouting the forest in search of rubber trees. The discovered sites are as follows:

Río Bec	Chennes
Río Bec	Chacchoben
Calakmul	Chicanná
Río Azul (Guatemala)	Becán
Naachtúm (Guatemala)	Xpuhil
Uaxactún (Guatemala)	Dzibanche
Tikal (Guatemala)	Kohunlich
Nakum (Guatemala)
Mutul (Guatemala)
Tayasal (Guatemala)
Naranjo (Belize)

During the Mayan high times there was a flourishing maritime trade along the Yucatan coast. The Mayans used large dugout

Yucatec Maya

. A small unnamed site was found just east of the current village of Xcalak.

Colonial

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Yucatan

The first contact between the

in 1517 intent on conquest, the Maya resisted. Thousands of Spaniards were killed within a short period of time, giving subsequent conquistadores adequate excuse for subjugating the native population.

Hernán Cortés landed in 1519 on Cozumel and within three years he had conquered most of the area. Twenty years later the Mayans suffered their final defeat by Francisco de Montejo.

Following Mexican

]

In the 19th century Mennonites came to Mexico from the Netherlands.^{[citation needed]} The Mennonites can also be found around the Costa Maya and can easily be recognized by their denim overalls and checkered red^{[citation needed]} shirts.

Costa Maya

The history of Xcalak dates back to pre-Hispanic times, with 16 archaeological sites having been discovered between Punta Herrero (south of Bahia Espiritu Santo) and Boca Bacalar Chico. Seven of these sites are located between Punta Gavilan (just north of Guacamaya) and Boca Bacalar Chico, the border with Belize.

In the 16th century,

and the abandonment in which the region was found.

At the end of the 19th century, the

, a treaty was signed which established the territorial limits between British Honduras (now Belize) and Mexico. This caused serious problems for Mexico because the territorial limit was at the center of Boca Bacalar Chico canal. This natural canal separates the Xcalak peninsula from Ambergris Key, and as a result, Mexican military vessels lost access to Chetumal Bay and remain at the mercy of Belize for permits.

Due to the lack of access to Chetumal Bay,

. This led to the establishment of a base on the southern limits of Xcalak peninsula.

In October 1899, a site was constructed on the Zaragoza Canal to provide access to Chetumal Bay. (This canal south of town has recently been reopened and re-dredged in another effort to allow military vessels access to the bay.) At the same time, on the Caribbean coast the widening of the entrance through the reef was initiated. In addition, a 'Decauville' railroad was built between Xcalak and La Aguada (on Chetumal Bay) in order to relieve the boat traffic through the narrow international canal.

The development resulted in a port system which overcame the lack of a direct entrance into Chetumal Bay. Equipment was unloaded in Xcalak, taken by train to La Aguada, and then reloaded and taken to Payo Obispo, which was founded two years earlier. Thus, the village of Xcalak was founded on May 19, 1900 as the base for the 'Southern Fleet' and the first shipyard in the Mexican Caribbean. At the same time, the first telegraph in the state was built.

When the Federal Territory of Quintana Roo was created in 1902, there were three important villages on the coast: Xcalak in the south, Vigia Chico in the middle, and Puerto Morelos in the north. The Xcalak village was the only village in the territory that did not depend on mahogany and chicle (used for chewing gum). Xcalak relied upon fishing and the exportation of coconut. The organization of copra, or coconut ranches, began in Xcalak and expanded to the bay area. Copra exportation eventually replaced fishing.

Current

In the 1950s, Xcalak's economy was very healthy, boasting developments such as stone and wood construction, an ice factory, and electric plant, storehouses for large quantities of copra, grocery stores, a billiard hall, a movie theater, and an ice cream factory. Xcalak was the most important supply center in the region. After Hurricane Janet (1955), Xcalak was in ruins. Many of its inhabitants died, including the lighthouse keeper and many sailors. The survivors were traumatized and a large group migrated to interior towns. The survivors who remained in Xcalak returned to fishing. The area was repopulated with people from San Pedro and Sarteneja, Belize, as well as from Honduras and El Salvador.

The fishing trade resulted in social organizations. On October 25, 1959, the Cooperative Fishing Production Society of Andrea Quintana Roo was founded. It consisted of 49 members. Fishing techniques were greatly altered with the arrival of the first outboard motors made by Calipso and Lister.

In 1980, a 120 kilometers (75 mi) gravel road was built, forming the Chetumal − Carrillo Puerto highway. This established a land route between the village of Xcalak and the rest of the state. People often recall that the first vehicle to arrive in the village was a Land Rover.

At the end of the 1980s Costa de Cocos and the first dive shop, 'Aventuras Chinchorro' (now XTC Dive Center), opened. Soon after that a second dive shop 'Xcalak Dive Center' appeared. These developments increased tourism and marked the beginning of a new period.

On August 24, 1995, the government of Quintana Roo published the decree for the 'Ecological regulation for the area referred to as the Maya Coast' (Punta Herero - Xcalak). The decree outlined tourism development plans for the Costa Maya corridor. Xcalak was designated as one of the sites for the greatest development. The restoration of the municipal pier in Xcalak was completed at the end of 1995 to facilitate tourism development. In June 1996, a ferry pier was built at La Aguada in order to provide service between Chetumal and Xcalak. At the same time, the existing airstrip in Xcalak was enlarged.

There are approximately 300 native inhabitants of Xcalak. Most rely on fishing for their livelihood; however, many are now working in tourism and recently the Tourism Cooperative was formed.

are addressed.

The resort was hit directly by

in early August 2012. Although much of the resort was not hit heavily, the surrounding town of Mahahual has experienced a large amount of damage.

Future

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

The Mexican government is trying to improve the

ecologically

-based tourism.

Mahahual is to be a larger tourist center with an airport and a large dock for cruise ships.

Xcalak is to be preserved as a middle-sized village with tourism based on ecological principles. To achieve this development, ecological laws have been implemented on the Costa Maya.

in front of Xcalak is declared a natural reserve park.

References

External links

• Media related to Costa Maya at Wikimedia Commons
• Satellite view of the Pier at Google Maps
• Satellite view of Mahahual
• Costa Maya Port Official Website
• Certified Costa Maya Shore Excursions

18°42′50″N 87°42′32″W / 18.714°N 87.709°W / 18.714; -87.709