Playa del Carmen History in Brief

Hotel Shangrila Beach Palms - Photo Courtesy of Playa.info

Playa del Carmen is located in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico and is named for Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who is the patron saint of Cancun.

The first recorded visitors to the beaches of what is now Playa del Carmen came during the Early Classic Period (a.d. 300-600) of the Mayan civilization. Then called Xaman-Ha, or “waters of the north,” Playa del Carmen was a rest stop of sorts for travelers making their way from the great cities of the Mayan world to the island of Cozumel.

The coast and lowlands of the peninsula were still heavily populated with the descendents of the fallen civilization when the Spaniards arrived.

Tulum, less than an hour south of Playa, was the last Mayan outpost and there are plenty of small ruins in Playa del Carmen. The Spanish focused their attention around the area of Mérida, where conditions were better for growing henequén (sisal), a fibre used to make rope.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Caribbean coast was considered a savage place with not much to offer for potential settlers.