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Cancun is for tourists, but doesn't feel like it By
Nancy Austin
Cancun was built in 1971 by the Mexican government for the express purpose of attracting tourists. Its amazing location, beautiful vegetation, and nearby Mayan ruins keep it from feeling like a tourist trap. The combination of local flavors attracts more than 2 million tourists (including topless European sunbathers) annually. Cancun is on a sandbar on the eastern shore of the Yucatan Peninsula. It's divided into two main sections. Ciudad Cancun is the mainland. This is where the locals live and where accommodations are the cheapest. Isla Cancun is the other section. It's about 13 miles long. This is also known as the Zona Hotelera or Zona Turistica. It's connected to the mainland by two bridges. The Internet provides plenty of help for people interested in a vacation to this city of 250,000. From bus rides from the airport to pictures and explanations of ruins, a little bit of Web preparation will be worth your while. Entertainment and Dining Cancun offers scuba diving, paragliding, and more. One popular evening activity is the ballet. A branch of Ballet Folklorico Nacional de Mexico performs nightly at the Museo De Antropologia Convention Centre on Boulevard Kulkulkan. The evening also includes a buffet of Mexican food. Dady Rock caters to the spring break set, with live music, karaoke contests, and steak and seafood. It's also on Boulevard Kulkulkan. The Blue Bayou was Mexico's first Cajun restaurant. The restaurant's five levels accommodate indoor waterfalls. La Pavilla is the place to go for gourmet traditional Mexican food. For more information on restaurants and entertainment as well as hotel and transportation information, visit worldexecutive.com or guide2mexico.com. Nearby Ruins There's a small Mayan archaelogical site called Ruinas Del Ray within walking distance of the hotels on Boulevard Kukulkan. It's fun to poke around in, but for the full experience people travel by bus to Chitzen Itza. Chitzen Itza is home to some of the most impressive ruins in the world. Though some people misidentify all the structures as Mayan, both Mayan and Toltec ruins occupy the 1 1/2 square mile site. The site was a political and religious center, but probably not a city in the modern sense of the word. Few house sites have been found there. Mayan structures These are often found on large terraces. They have sloping sides. The Nunnery has adorned walls and was built over several centuries. The Carocal is the observatory. Its round shape is unique for Maya buildings. Toltec architecture Many of these buildings include serpent columns, wooden beams, and large interior spaces. El Castillo "The Castle." This is the dominant structure. Its construction is typical of Mayan buildings, but the decorative details are Toltec. Visitors can climb the stairs, but it is steep and may be difficult to climb down. It was built over an earlier pyramid, and people can still enter the passageway inside. The Temple of the Three Lintels has carvings of Chaac, the Long-Nosed God, on each corner. The Ball Court, at 545 by 225 feet, is the largest in Mesoamerica. There's a minor temple on each end and the acoustics are great. Temple of the Jaguar is carved with reliefs and surrounded with hundreds of columns which continue in to the unexcavated jungle. More information can be found at gomexico.about.com
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