"La Catrina" The Day of the Dead in México

 “La Catrina” was created by Mexican artists to make a metaphorical representation of the upper class of Mexico, which prevailed before the Mexican Revolution.

It later became the official symbol of death, Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead 1 and 2 November all the country.

The Mexican death teases and plays, she is not the evil connotation that we think of in the US and Canada.

 According to Mexican folklore, "La Catrina," is her alter ego.  We know her as death, Mexico does not fear her, she relishes in her, and displays here in many ways.  

   

 Sometimes she is portrayed as cheerful, elaborately dressed, wanting to have fun and even flirtatious and seductive with mortals. We find "in purititos bones," ready to take us when we least expect. However, the relationship Mexicans have with "La Catrina" is defined by a set of circumstances intimately linked with the history and culture of Mexico, the traditions and customs of each region must consider a guest on important occasions, such as the All Saints Day (Día de Todos los Santos) and All Souls day.

According to this tradition, it is believed that the death and memory of the faithful departed, gives us a sense of identity rooted culture.

Experience the traditions of México. The Riviera Maya is waiting...

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President Felipe Calderón Attends Presentation of Mexico, The Royal Tour

By:presidencia.gob.mx

Mexican President Felipe Calderón attended the premier of the Mexico, The Royal Tour program, produced by US public television station PBS.

The program is designed to promote tourism to Mexico abroad.

During the presentation, President Calderón met with company directors, tourist operators, businessmen and cinema and television producers interested in highlighting the importance of tourism and promoting the production of foreign films in Mexico.

In the course of the meeting, the president explained that Mexico is one of the best choices for a travel or investment destination in the tourist sector as well as in the movie industry.

Production of the Mexico, The Royal Tour program forms part of Mexico’s strategy for promoting tourism abroad, contemplated in the National Tourism Agreement signed by President Felipe Calderón in February of this year.

This program was recorded in ten days, during which the production team visited Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Mexico State, Jalisco, Michoacán, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí and Yucatán and the Federal District.

The Royal Tour, conducted by journalist Peter Greenberg, is one of the best known programs in tourist promotion. It has previously been recorded in countries such as Jordon, New Zealand, Peru and Jamaica, where it boosted tourist promotion internationally, attracting a larger number of tourists.

President Calderón was accompanied by his wife, Margarita Zavala, Mexican Ambassador to the United States, Arturo Sarukhán Casamitjana, Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara Manzo and Health Secretary, Salomón Chertorivski Woldenberg.

Real Estate Playa del Carmen and Real Estate Riviera Maya, American Development Co. has the most complete list of properties for sale or rent for Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya. More information

 

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Updated Tourism Report 2011

In 2011 the Riviera Maya has had 3.5 million tourists according to one source. The close of  this year brought 3.5 million tourists from home and abroad. This represents an increase of over 5 percent compared to 2010, said the director of the Tourism Promotion Trust, Flota Dario Ocampo.

He reiterated that as a result of tireless advocacy work led by Governor Roberto Borge Angulo, "We will end with a positive balance in the number of tourists and will also have a successful winter." He explained that in recent months there had been remarkable increase in the number of visitors to the Riviera Maya. Additionally, it has been noted that more than one million tourists are coming from England, France and Russia. 
 
Moreover, Flota Ocampo said another factor that further boosts the arrival of European tourism is the opening of the flight of the British airline Virgin Atlantic for next year. Thiswill be formally announced at the London Tourism Fair (World Travel Market 2011 ) to be held in November.

Ocampo said, we (Mexico) will be used to demonstrate that the Riviera Maya continues to grow stronger as a major international destination for quality and choice of hotels with continued rooms opening to  have a capacity of 40 thousand occupancies. 


As tourism levels increase, there is also an increase if in people who are interested in property ownership as well.  If you would like more information on owning property in the Riviera Maya, contact one of our associates at www.american-development.com who will be happy to provide with many of the answers to frequently asked questions.



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Riviera Maya Unique Attraction- Uxmal´s Pyramid of the Magician

The Pyramid of the Magician, also known as the House of the Dwarf (Casa del Adivino, or Casa del Enano), is one of the most famous Maya monuments of Uxmal, an archaeological site in the Puuc region of Yucatan, in the northern Maya Lowland of Mexico. The site, located not far from Mérida beside a road to Campeche, has attracted many visitors since the time of Mexico's independence.

It is the central structure in the Maya ruin complex of Uxmal. The Pyramid of the Magician is also referred to as the Pyramid of the Soothsayer.  Uxmal is located in the Puuc region of Mexico and was one of the largest cities on the Yucatan Peninsula. At its height, Uxmal was home to about 25,000 Maya. Like other Puuc sites, the city flourished from 600-1000 AD, with the great building period taking place between 700 and 1000 AD. The name Uxmal means 'thrice-built' in the Mayan Language- referring to the many layers of construction of its most imposing structure.

Several phases of the temple constructed on top the pyramid are visible while ascending the pyramid from the base to the top. Five construction phases have been detected (Temple I, II, III, IV, V). The facades of the different phases were decorated with stone masks of the rain god Chaac, typical of the Puuc architectural style of the region.

The city of Uxmal was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 as it is considered that the ruins of the ceremonial structures represent the pinnacle of late Maya art and architecture in their design, layout and ornamentation. The Pyramid of the Magician is the largest building of the Uxmal complex. It is situated so that its western stairway faces the setting sun at the summer solstice.

An interesting fact about this site, is that as the spanish conquest beset the Yucatan- it would take some 170 years and the help of the Xiu Maya before the last recognized Maya stronghold fell (which was Itza, just north of Uxmal.) The Mayan´s also have preserved their language as well. Thus- to some effect-  the spanish quest for choosing to seize control thru combat has only proven to cause un-willed disunity amidst cultural preservation. The point being is that the Mayan´s have preserved their language up to today.

The pyramid, over which the actual temple stands, has a peculiar elliptical form.  Two staircases lead to the top of the pyramid. The Eastern staircase, the wider, has a small temple along the way that cut the stairway in half. The second access stair, the Western, faces the Nunnery Quadrangle and is decorated with friezes of the rain god Chaac.The Pyramid of the Magician is the first building a visitor encounters entering the ceremonial area of Uxmal, just north of the Ball Game Court and the Palace of the Governor and east of the Nunnery Quadrangle. The tourist entrance is near the foot of the Pyramid of the Magician

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TULUM

Tulum offers the perfect combination of total relaxation, tranquility and seclusion, yet fill your day with the many interesting and rich activities in the area. The little town of Tulum is slowly developing to offer various services (like an Internet Cafe for example) phone service, and more. There are several very good local restaurants and a few on the beach in the various properties in the hotel area on the beach that are absolutely wonderful and still very cost effective.

The history of Tulum indicates that it was the site of a Pre-Columbian Maya  walled city serving as a major port for Cobá.  The ruins are situated on the tall cliffs, along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea.. Tulum was one of the last cities inhabited and built by the Mayans, it was at its height between the 13th and 15th centuries and managed to survive about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. Old World diseases brought by the Spanish settlers appear to have been the cause of its demise. One of the best-preserved coastal Maya sites, Tulum is today a popular site for tourism.

Tulum has two main points of interest. The beach (Playa) site, and the city (Pueblo) site. The city  sits off of highway 307 running South-North. "El Pueblo", as referred to by locals, is home to most workers of the tourist industry and where many of the stores, supermarkets, two bus stations, inns, hostels and small hotels are found. This section of town has a definite feel of existing mostly to cater to the Tulum ruins. Tulum pueblo is indeed a destination for shopping, great restaurants, a modest night life, studying the language at Instituto Chac-Mool Spanish School, booking tours, banking, shopping for food, local vegetables, fruits, cafes, and local flavor. Do not miss it.

Tulum Playa nests along the coastline that leads into the Sian Ka'an Biosphere [Ecological Reserve], the Caribbean white sandy beaches to the east, an impressive mangrove & wetland reserve to the south. Tulum Playa embraces many of the fancier, ecological, boutique and spa hotels, and it has a decent to excellent selection of restaurants and night spots. There are also a number of affordable beach front cabana-type lodging locations. Walk the beach and simply step in and inquire about accommodations and rates. You will be surprised and delighted. 

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