Cancun, Mexico: Land of the Mayas
The famous
fourteen-mile sandbar of Cancun, situated right off Mexico's lush
eastern coast, is the seemingly fragile setting for a string of
world-class hotels, a glittering international clientele, and a
piquant reputation. The origins of this sophisticated paradise
are famous--in 1967, a computer selected the site as an ideal
vacation destination. In less than three decades, Cancun has been
transformed from a remote, virtually uninhabited shore to one of
the world's great resort destinations.
Unlike other cities, where the old and the new overlap and
compete, Cancun keeps its modern golden age carefully separated
from its ancient past. On the island's southern tip, amidst a
faint aura of mystery, stands the crumbling ruins of a Mayan
temple so modest as to offer only a hint of the rich civilization
that first 
flourished on Cancun. The
rest of the island is dominated by a constellation of resorts
that face the glittering Caribbean, with the calm Laguna Nichupte
at their back. Visitors are treated to twelve miles of powdery
white beaches, sinfully lovely weather, and fascinating diving.
The coastal waters offer visibility of up to 100 feet, and the
seafloor is famous for its plenitude of colorful coral, varied
sealife, and its wrecks.
