Quintana Roo

History

The area that makes up modern Quintana Roo was long part of Yucatán, sharing its history. With the Caste War of Yucatán, which started in the 1840s, all non-natives were driven from the region. The independent Maya nation of Chan Santa Cruz was based on what is now the town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto. For decades it maintained considerable independence, having separate trade and treaty relationships with British Honduras, now Belize.

Quintana Roo was made a territory of Mexico by decree of President Porfirio Díaz on November 24, 1902. It was named after an early patriot of the Mexican Republic, Andrés Quintana Roo. The Mexican army succeeded in defeating most of the Maya population of the region during the 1910s. In 1915 the area was again declared to be legally part of the state of Yucatán.

Quintana Roo was granted statehood within the United Mexican States on October 8, 1974. It is the Mexican Republic’s youngest state.

Quintana Roo is located on the eastern part of the Yucatán Peninsula and is bordered by the states of Campeche to the west and Yucatán to the northwest, and by the Orange Walk and Corozal districts of Belize, along with an offshore borderline with Belize District to the south. As Mexico’s easternmost state, Quintana Roo has a coastline to the east with the Caribbean Sea and to the north with the Gulf of Mexico. The state previously covered 44,705 square kilometers (17,261sq mi) and shared a small border with Guatemala in the southwest of the state. However in 2013, Mexico’s Supreme Justice Court of the Nation resolved the boundary dispute between Quintana Roo, Campeche, and Yucatán stemming from the creation of the Calakmul municipality by Campeche in 1997, siding with Campeche and thereby benefiting Yucatán.

Quintana Roo is the home of the city of Cancún, the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, and the towns of Bacalar, Playa del Carmen and Akumal, as well as the ancient Maya ruins of Chacchoben, Cobá, Kohunlich, Muyil, Tulum, Xel-Há, and Xcaret. The Sian Ka’an biosphere reserve is also located in the state.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, much of the state has a tropical wet and dry climate (Aw) while the island of Cozumel has a tropical monsoon climate (Am). The mean annual temperature is 26°C (78.8°F). The hottest months are April and August where the average high is 33°C (91.4°F) while January is coldest month with an average low of 17°C (62.6°F). Extreme temperatures can range from low of 10°C (50.0°F) in the coldest months to 36°C (96.8°F) in the hottest months.

Tourism

Quintana Roo’s tourist boom began in the 1970s. Tourism resulted in the development of coastal hotels and resorts, in addition to ecotourism inland and in coastal regions, which have increased the development of the region as well as the gross domestic product. Quintana Roo ranks sixth among Mexican states according to the United Nations Human Development index (HDI).

The Riviera Maya is located along the Caribbean coastline, including Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos, Akumal and Cozumel.

Biotic situation of the Yucatán Peninsula

The Yucatán Peninsula is one of the most forested areas of the world in terms of biotic mass per hectare. However, anthropological, biological and governmental experts have determined that Quintana Roo is ‘facing a faunal crisis’. Many medium to large game animals are disappearing due to huntingand habitat loss. While its population is relatively small, Quintana Roo is experiencing both a population influx and an increase in tourism. This only increases the pressure on the plants and animals native to the area.

Ecosystems and animals

There are four generalized ecosystems in Quintana Roo—tropical forests, or jungle; savanna, mangrove forests, and coral reefs. One of the byproducts of traditional and large-scale agriculture is the creation of additional habitats, such as second growth forests and fields/pastures. Tourism has caused Quintana Roo to become famous around the world in the last thirty or so years for its beaches, coastline and cenote sinkholes. Biological experts consider the coastline of Quintana Roo one of the best manatee habitats worldwide. Queen conchs are also noted for their inhabitation of coastal territory. The wide variety of biotic organisms such as these has decreased drastically in the last fifteen years.

Avifauna

Also affected by the loss of habitat due to both agriculture and development, birds are one of the region’s most varied animal assets. Hundreds of species reside in Quintana Roo permanently, with hundreds of others either wintering there or using it as a stopover on the long journey into South America. As a result, many birders come to the area annually in search of the rare and unexpected.

Impact

Many blame the environmental damage in Quintana Roo on either the regional government or outside investors. However, resorts and hotels in Quintana Roo have created jobs and increased economic activity, which in turn has resulted in growth.

Projections for the tourism economy of Quintana Roo were exceedingly optimistic. It houses multiple tourist attractions from the Maya ruins to the lush forests and beautiful beaches. However, the long-term effects were not foreseen. The effect on the local environment was not properly considered. Economic stresses of development and population were virtually ignored. The effect on the native population was not properly considered. The ‘economic marginalization‘ of the Maya has had drastic effects on their sense of place and identity.

Notes

1. ^Jump up to:^abc“Clima”. Información por entidad (in Spanish). Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
2. Jump up^Hernández, Silvia (2 February 2011). “Bacalar, el décimo municipio de Q. Roo”. El Universal. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
3. ^Jump up to:^abcdefAnderson, E. N. and Felix Medina Tzuc. 2005. Animals and the Maya in Southeast Mexico. University of Arizona Press. Tucson, Arizona.
4. ^Jump up to:^abcdeDaltabuit, Magali and Oriol Pi-Sunyer. 1990. Tourism Development in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Cultural Survival Quarterly 2, 9-13.
5. ^Jump up to:^abEncyclopædia Britannica “Quintana Roo”. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9062295. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
6. Jump up^Villa Rojas, Alfonso. 1945. The Maya of East Central Quintana Roo. Carnegie Institute of Washington Publication 559. Washington D.C.
7. Jump up^Chandler, Gary. “Tulum Beaches and Cenotes”. Moon Guides. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
8. Jump up^“Cenotes”. Afar. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
9. ^ Jump up to:^abcSchlesinger, Victoria. 2001. Animals and Plants of the Ancient Maya: A Guide. University of Texas Press. Austin, Texas.
10. ^Jump up to:^abcn Juarez, Ana M. 2002. “Ecological Degradation, Global Tourism, and Inequality: Maya Interpretations of the Changing Environment in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Human Organization 2, 113-124.
11. Jump up^“Mexico’s Quintana Roo Gears Up for Feb. 1 Time Change”. TravelPulse. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
12. Jump up^Haynes, Danielle (29 January 2015). “Cancun switches to Eastern time zone”. UPI. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
13. Jump up^“Cancun Region Gets Longer Evenings”. Time and Date. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.

References

• Dumond, Don E.1985 The Talking Crosses of Yucatán: A New Look at their History. Ethnohistory32(4):291–308.
• Freidel, David., Schele, Linda., et al. 1993 Maya Cosmos: Three thousand years on the Shaman’s Path. New York: W. Morrow
• Harrison, Peter D. 1985 Some Aspects of Preconquest Settlement in Southern Quintana Roo, Mexico. Lowland Maya Settlement Patternsedited by Wendy Ashmore Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, A School of American Research Book.

Further reading

• Anderson, E. N. and Felix Medina Tzuc. Animals and the Maya in Southeast Mexico. University of Arizona Press. Tucson, Arizona. 2005.
• Barton Bray, David, Marcelo Carreon, Leticia Merino, and Victoria Santos. “On the Road to Sustainable Forestry: The Maya of Quintana Roo are Striving to Combine Economic Efficiency, Ecological Sustainability, and a Democratic Society.” Cultural Survival Quarterly1, 38-41. 1993.
• Daltabuit, Magali and Oriol Pi-Sunyer. 1990. Tourism Development in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Cultural Survival Quarterly2, 9-13. http://209.200.101.189/publications/csq/csq-article.cfm?id=837
• Encyclopædia Britannica Quintana Roo. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Accessed 2008-02-21.
• Forero, Oscar A. and Michael R. Redclift. “The Role of the Mexican State in the Development of Chicle Extraction in Yucatán, and the Continuing Importance of Coyotaje.” Journal of Latin American Studies1, 65-93. 2006.
• Gabbert, Wolfgang. Becoming Maya—Ethnicity and Social Inequality in Yucatán Since 1500. University of Arizona Press. Tucson, Arizona. 2004.
• Hervik, Peter. Mayan People Within and Beyond Boundaries—Social Categories and Lived Identity in Yucatán. Harwood Academic Publishers. Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 1999.
• Jones, Grant D. Maya Resistance to Spanish Rule—Time and History on a Colonial Frontier. University of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque, New Mexico. 1989.
• Juarez, Ana M. 2002. “Ecological Degradation, Global Tourism, and Inequality: Maya Interpretations of the Changing Environment in Quintana Roo, Mexico”.vHuman Organization 2, 113-124.
• Morely, Sylvanus Griswold. The Ancient Maya. Stanford University Press. Stanford, California. 1947.
• Morely, Sylvanus Griswold and George W. Brainerd. The Ancient Maya, 3rd ed. Stanford University Press. Stanford, California. 1956.
• Pi-Sunyer, Oriol and R. Brooke Thomas. 1997. Tourism, Environmentalism, and Cultural Survival in Quintana Roo. “In Life and Death Matters: Human Rights at the End of the Millennium. Barbara R. Johnston, ed. p. 187-212. Walnut Creek, California. Altamira Press.
• Roys, Ralph L. The Political Geography of the Yucatán Maya. Carnegie Institution of Washington Publication 613. Washington, D. C. 1957.
• Rugeley, Terry. 2004 “Yaxcabá and the caste war of Yucatán: An Archaeological Perspective” In Alexander, Rani T. ed. Yaxcabá and the caste war of Yucatán Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press
• Schlesinger, Victoria. Animals and Plants of the Ancient Maya: A Guide. University of Texas Press. Austin, Texas. 2001.
• Sharer, Robert J. The Ancient Maya, 4th ed. Stanford University Press. Stanford, California. 1983.
• Villa Rojas, Alfonso. The Maya of East Central Quintana Roo. Carnegie Institute of Washington Publication 559. Washington, D. C. 1945.

Young, Peter A, ed. Secrets of the Maya. Hatherleigh Press. Long Island City, New York. 2003