Quintana Roo

Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states of Mexico, along with Mexico City. Its capital is Chetumal, and it has 11 municipalities. It is on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. It borders Campeche to the west, Yucatán to the northwest, and Belize to the south.

Quintana Roo has a beautiful coastline along the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Popular places to visit include Cancún, the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, and towns such as Playa del Carmen and Akumal. The area also has ancient Maya ruins like Tulum and Xcaret, as well as the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve.

Because of where it is, Quintana Roo sometimes gets strong hurricanes. One big hurricane was Hurricane Dean in 2007. Many people are moving to the state for jobs in hotels and tourism.

History

See also: Territory of Quintana Roo

The land that is now Quintana Roo was once part of Yucatán and shared its history. In the 1840s, a big conflict called the Caste War of Yucatán happened. During this time, many people who were not native to the area had to leave. An independent Maya nation called Chan Santa Cruz was formed near what is now the town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto. For many years, this Maya nation stayed mostly separate, even making its own trade deals with British Honduras, which is now Belize.

Quintana Roo became an official territory of Mexico on November 24, 1902, named after a hero named Andrés Quintana Roo. Quintana Roo switched back and forth between being part of Yucatán and its own territory before finally becoming a full state of Mexico on October 8, 1974.

In recent decades, Quintana Roo has grown quickly, especially because of tourism. Places like Cancún became very popular, changing the northern part of the state. Meanwhile, the southern part still relies on traditional work like forestry.

Archaeological findings

Ancient human remains have been found in underwater caves near Tulum. These discoveries include some of the oldest human bones found in the Americas. These discoveries show that different groups of people lived in Mexico during a time when Earth’s history was changing from the Pleistocene to the Holocene.

Geography

Quintana Roo is located on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula. It borders the states of Campeche to the west and Yucatán to the northwest, and parts of Belize to the south.

The area has a warm climate, with average temperatures around 26 °C (78.8 °F). It receives about 1,300 mm (51 in) of rain each year, mostly from June to October. Some coastal areas can sometimes feel the effects of hurricanes, especially between September and November.

Quintana Roo is home to many different plants and animals. The region includes tropical forests, savannas, mangrove forests, and coral reefs. Birds from many places live there or stop by during their travels. However, some animals are disappearing because of hunting and loss of their homes due to growth and tourism.

Demographics

Municipalities

Main article: Municipalities of Quintana Roo

The state of Quintana Roo has 11 municipalities (Spanish: municipios). Each municipality has a leader called a municipal president. The municipalities are:

• Bacalar
• Benito Juárez
• Othón P. Blanco
• Puerto Morelos
• Cozumel
• Felipe Carrillo Puerto
• Isla Mujeres
• Solidaridad
• Tulum
• José María Morelos
• Lázaro Cárdenas

Tourism

Quintana Roo became a popular place for visitors in the 1970s. Many hotels and resorts were built along the coast. People also enjoy trips to the forests and beaches. This helped the area grow and become better off. Quintana Roo is one of the best states in Mexico for quality of life.

The Riviera Maya is a famous stretch of coastline along the Caribbean Sea. Popular places here include Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos, Akumal, the Hotel Zone, and the island of Cozumel.

Visitors can also see old buildings made by the Maya people, such as Chacchoben, Coba, Kohunlich, Muyil, San Gervasio, Tulum, Xcaret, Xelha, and Yo'okop.

People love Quintana Roo for its beautiful beaches, green forests, and ancient ruins. But growing too fast can sometimes hurt the environment and make life harder for local people.

Education

Quintana Roo has several universities where students can study. Some of these include the Instituto Tecnológico de Cancún in Cancún, the Instituto Tecnológico de Chetumal in Chetumal, and the University of Quintana Roo in Chetumal. Other schools are located in places like José María Morelos, Playa del Carmen, and Cancún.

Media

Quintana Roo has several newspapers. Some of these include Diario de Quintana Roo, Diario Respuesta, El Periódico de Quintana Roo, El Quintanarroense, Novedades de Quintana Roo, and Por Esto!. These papers share news and stories from the area.

Sports

Cancún has exciting sports teams! There is a soccer club called Atlante F.C. that moved to Cancún in 2007 but plans to return to Mexico City. They now play in a smaller league called Liga de Expansión MX at Estadio Andrés Quintana Roo.

The city also has a professional baseball team named the Quintana Roo Tigers. They started playing in Cancún in 2006 at Estadio de Béisbol Beto Ávila. In 2009, they reached the big championship but did not win.

Time zone

Quintana Roo changed to a new time zone on February 1, 2015. This time zone is called Southeastern Time. It is five hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−05:00).

Quintana Roo does not change its clocks for daylight saving time, so the time stays the same all year. This new time matches Eastern Standard Time in the winter and Central Daylight Time in the summer.

The change happened for economic reasons. It helps tourists in places like Cancún, Cozumel, and Playa del Carmen enjoy more time at beaches, restaurants, and historic sites. It also helps save electricity at hotels and other places. Before this change, Quintana Roo used to follow the Central time zone.

Notable people

Julián Abtia was the governor of both Baja California Sur and Quintana Roo.