Num-Kuxtal

Scenes of the documentary film “Between Two Worlds, the Story of Gonzalo Guerrero” were just shot in various locations of Quintana Roo like Tulum, Muyil, Xaman-ha and Xcaret.

The film narrates the story of a Spanish soldier who decided to become Maya and because his marriage with Zazil-ha would become the initiator of officially mixing Indian and Spanish blood in Mexico. The documentary was fully made in accordance to the story and as a result of a lengthy research.

TV UNAM and Spanish producers Minotaur Films and Sherefe Productions are involved in the production with support from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and the Government of Quintana Roo.

The enterprise Aplicaciones Extraordinarias Aeroespaciales (AEXA) is interested in creating a spaceport in Quintana Roo, Mexico, to offer tourist trips to space since year 2014 with private capital and the support of the Governmet of Quintana Roo.

The enterprise looks for Mexico to be the second provider in the world for this kind of travels along with USA. The control base would be located in the State of Hidalgo and tourist take offs would depart from the State of Quintana Roo.

This kind of travels are really short. AEXA representative Fernando de la Peña said that "they consist in going out of the roof of the Earth until reaching zero gravity for 10 to 13 minutes."

The cost for this kind of travels is around US $200.000 dollars, but it is expected that in Mexico they will be reduced to $130-150 thousand dollars and even less as rates low down with time just like it has happened with airplane flights.

According to Fernando de la Peña, Mexico has a vast niche of people who can pay for this kind of flights and they are already on wait list for traveling from a spaceport in the USA. There is also a potential niche of travelers from the vast range of international tourists that visit Quintana Roo every year and this project could be an extra lure for increasing tourism in the region.

The Mundo Maya Museum in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, is now open. Its equipped with four permanent rooms, restaurant, cinema, rooms for international expositions, all the main services and a special illumination system to use its walls as projection screens. It will also host the mythical statue Chac Mool.

Museographer José Enrique Ortiz Lanz says the museum is: "an ethnic recognition and homage to language, anthropology, history and archaeology of the Mayan culture, where the main goal is to understand the contemporary Mayas and in second place the historic Mayas."

The Mundo Maya Museum was inaugurated on September 24 and it will open its doors for free to all public from September 25 to October 15 of 2012.

Somewhere in an archaeological site at the Riviera Maya, British singer Adele or quartet Il Divo will close the festivities of Mundo Maya Program with a big concert next December in Quintana Roo. Two suitable sites for this event could be Tulum or Coba.

The Secretary of Tourism of the Mexican Federal Government along with the Minister of Tourism of France inaugurated the Mexico Pavilion at the Internatinal French Travel Market Top Resa Show 2012, in Paris, France.

The IFTM Top Resa show is one of the most important tourist forums in Europe and consists of several exhibitions rolled into one, catering for: the French outbound and inbound market sector, travel agents, leisure tourism, business tourism and events, incentive travel, coach operators, and business travel.

Mexico's participation in this event will strengthen the Maya World promotion and supply cultural tourism for Riviera Maya destinations by attracting segments of European tourism.

As part of the Second Bicultural Mayan-Tibetan Meeting at Cancun Theatre during September of 2012, monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery and Olli Nahui dancers presented Mayan and Tibetan sacred dances.

The meeting was attended by countless spectators interested in learning about art and cultural forms of both ancient cultures, their life perspective and aim for peace and harmony with their surroundings.

To share successful experiences with other Clean Beach Committees on beach health and sanity, the Riviera Maya has been invited to participate in the 8th National Clean Beach Conference to be celebrated this year from October 4 to 6 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. 

This event is aimed to government officials of Clean Beaches Committees, tourism service providers, academic institutions, organized society and general public.

The Conference will inform about the investments and work progress on water quality monitoring, sanitation, solid waste management, research and development, training, culture and certification of beach water.

In traditional Mexico and specially in indigenous communities the second day of November is celebrated as Day of the Dead. Altars with photos, objects and food reminiscent of deceased relatives are installed in homes and cemeteries. From October 30 to November 4 of 2012 will be celebrated the 7th Festival of Life and Death Traditions in Park Xcaret, involving great representatives of Mexican culture such as American-Mexican folk singer Lila Downs.

A holiday in the Riviera Maya would be incomplete without visiting one of its famous spas to get an all-in-one personalized treatment.

With a mixture of Mayan, Asian and Western healing methods, spas can take you in a ritual process of physical and spiritual healing using natural substances such like oils, scents, salts and algae to bring tranquility and peace to your body and mind.

Some well known spas in the Riviera Maya are: Kinan, Maya SPA, Renova SPA, Spa Itzá, Vida Real Spa, XPÁ Puerto Aventuras, Yá Ax´SPA. and Paraiso de la Bonita.

From a global perspective, gastronomy is a powerful lure for attracting tourists. Earlier in 2012 the Mexican Ministry of Tourism started a program of 18 Gastronomic Routes across the country to strengthen the tourism industry increasing the number of occupied rooms in an average of 8.8% in major cities within those 18 routes. In the route that incorporates the circuit  Yucatan and Quintana Roo "Los Ingredientes Mestizos del Mayab" the increase was of 7.7 percent.

One of the main attractions of the beaches in the Riviera Maya is its white sand that besides its softness and smoothness has the characteristic of not being heated by the sun. So walking on it is an unparalleled delight.

Normally the sand is made of minerals and tiny pieces of rock produced from the erosion and weathering of rocks that then flow into the rivers.

Much of the fine white sand of the Riviera Maya comes from pulverized coral (limestone) processed in the digestive system of parrotfish. White sand in Maya language is "sack k´áa´náb".

Next October 28 will be held the first Riviera Maya's Ecological Marathon in Playa del Carmen as an event to promote the area as a center for sports tourism.

Its path is designed to enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Participants will be surrounded by beautiful landscapes in the tour, starting with the turquoise blue sea and fantastic white sand of the place.

Three thousand runners are expected and a total of 9000 visitors.

The Riviera Maya will host the 11th edition of the Padel Tennis World Championship 2012, with the participation of 16 countries.

The Mexican Padel Tennis Federation (FEMEPA) announced the holding of the event starting on November 26 and closing on December the 1st at Aventura Palace Hotel.

Participant countries are: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, United States, Canada, Chile, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, France, Sweden, England, Austria, Germany and Mexico.

Russian Yuri Valentinovich Knorozov linguistic studies of the book "Relation of the Things of Yucatán" from Fray Diego de Landa, concluded that this was a syllabary.

Without leaving Leningrad and without ever being to Mexico, Valentinovich presented the phonetic code of Mayan hieroglyphs in 1952.

His work was accepted worldwide in 1970, and has been equated to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone that gave the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Last weekend during the meeting of the five Central American countries that conform Mundo Maya (Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Belice and México), this last one promoted an open skies policy that allows local and domestic airlines to cover international routes within those countries.

Mexico would supply airline seats to destinations of Central America with a policy of reciprocity with the airlines of those countries allowing (i.e.) the Mexican airline Aeromexico to fly without major restrictions between Monterrey and San Salvador, or TAG Guatemalan airline to cover the route from Tikal to Cancun.

This would significantly low down air fares, encourage economic and trade exchanges between the region and increase tourism to 18% for at least the first two years throughout Central America and into Mexico.

All of the representatives of Mundo Maya countries signed this project and called it "San Salvador Declaration".

Thanks to the support of Grand Velas Riviera Maya resort to operate a turtle camp, a nesting corral and providing financial resources for the payment of fees and fuel for night tours surveillance, the federal government (through SEMARNAT) authorized the Municipality of Solidaridad in Playa del Carmen to conduct night patrols to relocate nests in danger, protect nesting females eggs and incubation activities as well as promoting environmental education and outreach.

During the SAP Executive Partner Summit which took place in the Riviera Maya from August 21 to 24, Eric Duffaut, Global President of SAP Ecosystem and Channels (the largest enterprise software company in the world), said that the company has developed a robust portfolio of solutions in various categories such as applications, mobility, cloud computing, analytical solutions and database technology that expand the business opportunity allowing SAP members to get up to 40% of revenues. This event is classified as the largest of SAP taking place in Latin America.