Cancun Facts

1.  Before the city acquired its current name, Cancún was called Ekab, meaning "Black Earth". Cancún is the Mayan word for "nest of serpents" or "snake pit". 

2.  Interesting fact:  Mayan ruins can be found in Cancun's hotel zone.  The archaeological site of El Rey is the largest site in the hotel zone, and it is located near Hilton Cancun Beach & Golf Resort.

3.  Over 1/3 of Mexico's tourism revenue is generated by Cancun.  Each year, hundreds of thousands of travelers visit Cancun each year to enjoy the great weather and beautiful, white-sand beaches.

4.  Cancun's average annual temperature is 80 degrees and there are over 240 sunny days. 

5.  Cancun's beaches have white sand, which is made from crushed coral and is not hot to the touch.

6.  Destination weddings are very popular in Cancun & the Riviera Maya region.  There are approximately 46,000 weddings in the area, annually.    

7.  Cancun's airport is the 2nd busiest in Mexico (only Mexico City's airport is busier) and it has the most international traffic of any airport in Latin America. In 2009, over 11 million foreign travelers arrived in Cancun, by air. Cancun's airport has 2 runways that can be used simultaneously and it's control tower is the tallest in Latin America (the 18th tallest in the world).

8.  Fun fact:  Cancun first appeared on maps in the 18th century and there were only 3 residents when development of the resort area started in January 1970.  Today, there are over 700,000 residents and over 24,000 hotel rooms, in Cancun's hotel zone. 

9.  In early 2010, there was a major beach restoration project that included the rebuilding of the beaches in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Cozumel. The Mexican government invested $71 million US Dollars in the project, which restored 11 kilometers of the area's beaches.    

10. 1.3 billion gallons (6.1 cubic meters) of sand were used to rebuild the beaches, during the 2010 beach restoration project.

11. Weird fact:  Three of the world's longest underwater cave systems are located in the Riviera Maya. Ox Bel Ha is 146.7 kilometers, Nohock Na Choch is 61 kilometers, and Dos Ojos is 57.7 kilometers.

12. Scuba divers flock to Cancun, and the surrounding area, for the opportunity to dive the Great Maya Barrier Reef, which is the second largest coral reef in the world.  Only Australia's Great Barrier Reef is larger.