History of Akumal

But the history of Akumal goes a long way back before the arrival of Pablo Bush. Ancient mayans inhabited this land and in 1511 something quite significant in the history of Mexico happened.
A shipwreck stranded a small group of spanish foreigners in the coasts of the Peninsula, they were taken as prisoners and most of them died but one; Gonzalo Guerrero. He fell in love with the chief’s daughter Zazil Ha, also known as Ixchel Can and married her. This event historically marked the beginning of the Indian – Spanish mix in Mexico called “mestizaje” with Gonzalo’s offspring being the first mestizos in the region.

Considered thus the father of “mestizaje”, he quitted his nation, his King and religion and stayed with the mayas and his family. He made a position for himself as a war counselor among the mayas by teaching them war strategies of attack and defense unknown to them. He became part of the tribe so successfully that he even underwent several mutilations and had ritualistic tattoos done to him. He adopted the culture to the point that he even allowed the deformation of his children’s head with a piece of wood and made them cross-eyed, considered a symbol of beauty at the time.

He even let his first daughter Ixmo, to be sacrificed in Chichen Itza as an offering to the gods and fought against the Spanish conquitadors of Hernan Cortes when they tried to retrieve him.

Today however, Akumal is a much quieter place compared to those days of war, conquest and human sacrifices! It is a place where you can come and snorkel with the peaceful turtles, SCUBA dive or just lay lazy on the beach daydreaming of the treasure hunting adventures of Pablo Bush or envisioning the days when Gonzalo Guerrero walked this same land and fell in love with it… but be careful you too might fall in love with Akumal and quit your nation, King and religion to stay in this beautiful paradise!

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Akumal, once a huge coconut plantation owned by Don Argimiro Arguelles was acquired along with thousands of hectares of land by an exclusive tresure hunting dive club in 1958 whose president and founder was Pablo Bush. Attracted by adventure and the salvage of the ship “Nuestra Señora de los Remedios” aka “Matanceros” that sunk in 1735, many treasure hunters started coming to this exotic region accessible only by boat at that time.
A few years later and as Cancun rapidly gained popularity as a world tourist destination at the end of the 70’s, it didn’t take long for Akumal to be in the spotlight as a new tourist destination of the Riviera Maya.

But the history of Akumal goes a long way back before the arrival of Pablo Bush. Ancient mayans inhabited this land and in 1511 something quite significant in the history of Mexico happened.
A shipwreck stranded a small group of spanish foreigners in the coasts of the Peninsula, they were taken as prisoners and most of them died but one; Gonzalo Guerrero. He fell in love with the chief’s daughter Zazil Ha, also known as Ixchel Can and married her. This event historically marked the beginning of the Indian – Spanish mix in Mexico called “mestizaje” with Gonzalo’s offspring being the first mestizos in the region.

Considered thus the father of “mestizaje”, he quitted his nation, his King and religion and stayed with the mayas and his family. He made a position for himself as a war counselor among the mayas by teaching them war strategies of attack and defense unknown to them. He became part of the tribe so successfully that he even underwent several mutilations and had ritualistic tattoos done to him. He adopted the culture to the point that he even allowed the deformation of his children’s head with a piece of wood and made them cross-eyed, considered a symbol of beauty at the time.

He even let his first daughter Ixmo, to be sacrificed in Chichen Itza as an offering to the gods and fought against the Spanish conquitadors of Hernan Cortes when they tried to retrieve him.

Today however, Akumal is a much quieter place compared to those days of war, conquest and human sacrifices! It is a place where you can come and snorkel with the peaceful turtles, SCUBA dive or just lay lazy on the beach daydreaming of the treasure hunting adventures of Pablo Bush or envisioning the days when Gonzalo Guerrero walked this same land and fell in love with it… but be careful you too might fall in love with Akumal and quit your nation, King and religion to stay in this beautiful paradise!
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