Akumal is a beautiful, small beach-front tourist resort community 100 km (62 miles) south of Cancún, between the towns of Playa del Carmen and Tulum in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. Akumal means "place of the turtles" in the Mayan language. The lovely town was officially founded in 1958 as a community for scuba divers by Pablo Bush Romero--a Mexican businessman, diver, writer, historian, and archaeologist. The fine white sandy beaches at Akumal Bay and Half Moon Bay make for a perfect day of swimming and snorkeling. Turtles can be found in Akumal laying eggs on the beaches at night throughout the long nesting season (April to July) or swimming in the main Bay during a sunny day. Hatching season runs from September to November, coinciding with the hurricane season. This translates to big losses in the baby turtle population. Many of the environmental asociations are settled in the Akumal area, including the Akumal Ecological Center (officially "Centro Ecologico Akumal" or CEA). Akumal is also the site of several Spanish galleon shipwrecks. One of the most notable stories of the area is of Gonzalo Guerrero, a seaman from Palos who was shipwrecked at Akumal and taken hostage and went on to marry a Mayan Princess to begin the first "mestizoss" (Euro-Americans).
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