Akumal

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Akumal is a small beach-front tourist resort community 100 km (62 miles) south of Cancún, between the towns of Playa del Carmen and Tulum in Solidaridad municipality in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The 2005 census showed a population of 1,198 inhabitants.

Akumal means "place of the turtles" in the Mayan language. The town was officially founded in 1958 as a community for scuba divers by Pablo Bush Romero--a Mexican businessman, diver, writer, historian, and archaeologist. Pablo Bush's family (the Bush/Wolfe family) still owns a large portion of Akumal, including the largest resort/hotel Hotel Club Akumal Caribe. Local bartender and DJ Ryan Wolfe is a direct descendant.

The fine white sandy beaches at Akumal Bay and Half Moon Bay are ideal for swimming and snorkeling. Sea turtles can be found in Akumal laying eggs on the beaches at night throughout the nesting season (end of April to October) or swimming in the main bay during the day. Hatching season runs from June to November, coinciding with hurricane season. This translates to big losses in the turtle population. Many environmental associations are settled in the Akumal area, including Centro Ecológico Akumal, better known as CEA).

Akumal is 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 and begin the first "mestizos" (Euro-Americans).