It's hard to believe that 35 years ago, the only people visiting the Yucatán were archeologists headed to the ruins and scuba divers going to Cozumel. All those miles of Caribbean coast just sat there alone, unappreciated and unvisited except for the occasional fisherman. The changes wrought by the creation and growth of Cancún on the Yucatán Peninsula and even distant Chiapas, all within the span of a single generation, have propelled the region from a forgotten backwater, to a major international holiday destination.
Tourism is now the big enchilada where before it was a mere afterthought. This change is most visible on the coast, where coconut plantations gave way to a long series of modern developments, one after the next, all the way south to Tulum and beyond. For the young Maya of the villages of the interior, this growth has meant new opportunities for work, the end of their isolation, and their first close contact with the modern world -- and not just any aspect of the modern world, but specifically the modern world in vacation mode. What a culture shock it must have been to go from village society to vacation paradise!
Tourism has also moved inland, first to the major ruins -- Chichén Itzá, Uxmal, and Palenque -- and then, over time, to the ancient cities of the deep interior. These ruins are an intriguing wonder to behold, and it seems like every year more archeological discoveries are made. Some Maya ruins are just as newly discovered as some of the resorts on the coast are newly built.
Curiously, all this excavation and renovation has left small town life little changed. For those travelers that want to explore a place still largely left alone, you have only to drive inland from the coast or crossover into Chiapas, to find an older world, where the distinctive intonations of the Mayan language can be heard, and the old ways of living continue unimpeded by outside influences.
The turquoise waters and tropical climate of the peninsula may beckon you, but what will ultimately hold your attention is the unique character of this land and its people. There is simply no other place like it.
