Cancun, in the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico

Cancun, in the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico

If you were to analyze just what makes a perfect holiday, a perfect getaway, you may find Cancun near the top of your ‘ideal vacation’ list. A great year round warm climate and some fabulous views of the Caribbean are just some of the many highlights for this little paradise on earth. Before we find out just how far Cancun has evolved today, we need to venture back into it’s storied past, it’s most modest beginnings.

You will find some historical remnants, indictive of the cultures that existed within the pre-Columbian Maya civilation. The structures that exist within the great Cancun area date back to around 1300 B.C. El Rey is a Mayan site that is located near the famous ‘hotel zone’ that makes Cancun such a tourist hot spot today. In Punta Sam exists a very important site that is very popular with tourists. There are also temples, pyramids and ancient attractions in Tulum, Xel-Ha, Ek Balam and Xcaret, to name a few of the places that should be on your must see list. The Mayan culture was divided into three periods: The Pre-Classic Period (between 1500 BC and 250 AD), The Classic Period (250 to 900 AD) and the Post-Classic Period (between 900 and 1200 AD).

Cancun was originally developed in 1970, not far from Puerto Juarez which was primarily a fishing village. Just imagine what the fishermen of that time would think of the Cancun of today that now features a population exceeding 700,000. This was area originally consisted of sand dunes, mangroves, jungles and virgin beaches, yet to be discovered. In 1969 the Mexican government was looking at ways to develop and promote the area and to get in on the tourist trade, in it’s infancy (at least in this area). The area was originally developed into three main components: A tourism zone, a residence zone, and an airport. Thus laid the ground work for this most majestic vacation spot and play ground for fun seekers from around the world.

In the 1970's came more attentions to the peace and the zen that this transformed New Age paradise was capable of creating. Spas would eventually open, offering tourists the ultimate cerebral escape from their otherwise hectic lifestyles. The rich, blue colored waters and warm ocean fed breezes create such a delirious, desirable effect. What better place for wellness on the body and soul.

Investors were originally skeptical, as can be expected in such a young, unproven paradise. The Mexican government would have to finance the first nine hotels. The hotel zone is a thin strip of land which separates Cancun from the Caribbean with the Nichupte lagoon. The rest of Cancun is accessable to the North and South of this strip of land. To the north you can travel to places like Puerto Juarez and Punta Sam and to the south you can travel to Tulum and Cozumel as well as the Cancun airport.

The weather in Cancun is spectacular. It boasts temperatures of 73 F (23 C) in January to a high of 82 F (28 C) in July and August. Cancun has over 200 mm of rain in the month of September but only around 40 mm in March and April. It’s average rate of humidity is between 76 and 81 percent per month. The average temperatures for the sea are between 26 and 29 (C) or between 79 and 84 (F).

The main attractions in Cancun are about what you would expect from an oceanside playground. There is swimming, scuba diving, snorkelling, parasailing, ski-dooing, as well as visiting the many Mayan ruins. There are also tour guides, (including horseback riding and Jeep adventures), swimming with the dolphins, water parks, sea aquariums, golf courses, zipper lines, parks, and many other sight seeing and photography venues.

Cancun is very much a place that has a lot to offer the active vacationer or the beach side lounger. Whether your day is comprised of grueling hikes and pyramid climbing or merely languishly lounging on some sun drenched beach, it will leave you most satisfied and yearning for more. Cancun is all about a richness in heritage, thousands of years old, watching colorful pagentries and depictions of it’s glorious past while ushering in a new era with fabulous night clubs and adventures for both the young and the old. If any holiday will leave you breathless and fullfilled, it’ll be a holiday to Cancun.

A list of popular links to Cancun attractions:

http://www.advantagemexico.com/cancun/map.html Hotel Zone and downtown areas.

http://www.aquaworld.com.mx/cancun-attractions.html Diving, fishing, Cancun tours, romance and more!

http://www.cancun.com/ Cancun’s official website.

http://www.cancun.com/Tours/Bullfights/ Bullfights.

http://cancun.diningguide.com/ Cancun dining by location.

http://www.cancunfirstclass.com/cancun-map-eng.asp Shows Cancun Hotel Zone and more.

http://www.cancunmenus.com/ Many cuisines to choose from.

http://www.cancunvista.com/tours.htm Tours and wet tours.

http://cancun.travel/en/ The official travel information website.

http://www.delphinusworld.com/ Swim with the dolphins.

http://www.docancun.com/cancun-nightlife.htm Cancun nightlife.

http://www.hiddenworlds.com/#axzz1GQSc6igB Hidden Worlds family Cenote adventure Park.

http://www.museoartepopularmexicano.org/ Cancun Museum.

http://www.myfamilytravels.com/what/cheap/11296-Free-Travel-Fun-Cancun.html Free travel fun in Cancun.

http://seaadventure.originalresorts.com/ Resort and waterpark.

http://www.selvatica.com.mx/ Zip lines and canopy tours.

http://www.sunseekersvacations.com/tours_cancun.cfm Resorts guide to Cancun and more.

http://www.travelyucatan.com/cancun-attractions.php Cancun attractions. Lots listed here!

http://en.xcaretexperiencias.com/ Experience Xcaret

The Parthenon in Athens, Greece

In sharp contrast, and with the very epitome of true poetic romance, the white Greecian houses are all clustered together on the turquoisey blue Mediterranean sea as if huddling from some ancient warrior, about to return to reek havok on the land. The sun bakes the lands over and over again, while the houses stand out like bleached whale bones, washed up on shore centuries ago. These are the lands that are rich in historical value, paid for in blood by the many soldiers who have fought here, been wounded here, even died in this now placid and beautiful region.

The Parthenon was constructed between 447 B.C. and 438 B.C. Dedicated to the Goddess Athena, it was a monumental work of sheer volumes marble that would even be impressive built today. Ictinus and Callicrates worked jointly to erect this massive monument. A pulley system was devised to move the large marble blocks to bring them closer to where they would be raised, in a vertical position.

There is a very good video relating to this at:
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/galleries/ancient_greece_and_rome/room_18_gree
ce_parthenon_scu.aspx

It is very difficult to place an actual monetary value of just what the Parthenon would be worth today. This link may give you some idea, or it may just confuse you.
http://www.ancient-greece.org/architecture/parthenon.html

A Venetian mortar exploded inside the Parthenon in 1687 and did severe damage to this iconic structure. The building was partly destroyed and the remnants of the roof collapsed. It was also a tragedy in the Art world where many of the elegant and priceless sculptures were destroyed.

This preceding link is courtesy of Marc Brownlow. He has done some amazing interpretations of just what that explosion may have looked like.
http://brownlowdesign.com/ILLUS/PAR-Boom.htm

The Elgin Marbles refer to, specifically, a collection of sculptures, mostly frieze, purchased from Lord Elgin via the British Parliament in 1816. These frieze depict scenes of various persons, horses and mythological beasts that spanned roughly half of the surviving Parthenon. They were eventually housed in the British Museum in 1832.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin_Marbles (circa: 1801-1812)

Weather:
Temperatures range from the 50's (F) in January to around 100 (F) in August.

If you were ever to conceive and imagine just what the Parthenon would be like today, if it existed in it's fifth century splendor, it literally would be incomparable to any of the world's finest museums and attractions. One could not grasp the depthless magnitude of it's riches, it's regal beauty. The peoples of Greece live within the shadows of one of, if not the, greatest buildings in
history. Which leaves us a most quixotic question to ask: 'Will it ever be superceded in this century, or in any other?' Perhaps the ever telling sands of time will reveal that question for us, some day.

Links:
http://www.athenstours.net/
http://ca.contiki.com/contikipedia/articles/the-acropolis-and-the-parthenon-athens
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenon
http://www.athensinfoguide.com/wtsacropparthenon.htm
http://gogreece.about.com/od/athenssightseeing1/tp/athensattract.htm
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/athens-parthenon
http://upge.wn.com/?t=ancientgreece/index22.txt some nice facts.