The earliest "Mexicans" were perhaps Stone Age hunter-gatherers coming from the north, descendants of a race that had crossed the Bering Strait and reached North America around 12000 B.C. This is the prevailing theory, but there is a growing body of evidence that points to an earlier crossing of peoples from Asia to the New World. What we know for certain is that Mexico was populated by 10000 B.C. Sometime between 5200 and 1500 B.C. they began practicing agriculture and domesticating animals.

In the Southern part of the Mexican Republic, in the Eastern part of the Peninsula of Yucatán, on the Caribbean shoreline, lies the Rivera Maya (Mayan Riviera). It is called the Mayan Riviera due to the influence its well-known pre-Hispanic civilization exerted throughout the region, extending from Punta Brava to Punta Allen. The Northern coast boasts an impressive development of its tourist infrastructure, while the Southern shore is dotted with small picturesque villages surrounded by unspoiled beaches. Gran Arrecife Maya, the world's second largest colossal barrier reef is found off these shores and along with its tropical forests of exotic vegetation and mangroves, constitute a veritable window into the bio-diversity of Mexican wildlife species. The South is also well known for its underground rivers, sacred reservoirs, deep-sea caves and caverns.

With the arrival of the Spaniards in 1519, the principal Mayan cities, such as Chichen Itza and Uxmal had already been abandoned. The wars and conquests of other peoples, harsh climate and the dangers of the tropical forest, coupled with the frequent threat of hurricanes, made it difficult for the civilization to prosper. Xel-Ha went down in history as the first European settlement. Even so, during the Colonial period, population growth was hampered, given the proximity of the open sea and frequent pirate attacks. These assaults hindered access to firm ground, even when reached, the lush, mysterious forest posed no solution, and thus the peninsula remained unexplored for a long time.

In 1967 the Mexican Government recognized the importance of the tourist industry as an active ingredient in the country's economy. Given its natural beauty, which would tempt any traveler, this paradise was poised as a strong candidate for foreign investment towards the development of a hotels and entertainment infrastructure.

It is presently divided into three districts: The Ciudad de Cancún, with a population of 300,000 and a simple, practical infrastructure; the Reserva Ecológico, with its incredible lakes, rain forests and mangroves; and the Zona Hotelera, an island of hotels and shopping centers. Two new projects are currently underway which will include a tourist sea resort called Puerto Cancún, and the Malecón Cancún, covering some 170 acres of land.