Chetumal

The name Chetumal comes from the ancient Maya word “Chactemàal,” which translates to “Place of the Red Wood.” This name reflects the region’s natural environment, once rich in trees with reddish-colored wood that were highly valued by the ancient Maya.

Before the Spanish arrived, the Maya city of Chactemal, likely near modern Santa Rita in Belize, served as the capital of a Maya state controlling southern Quintana Roo and northeastern Belize, acting as a major political and economic center for centuries.

During the Spanish conquest, the Maya of Chetumal resisted multiple expeditions for many years before being finally subdued in the late sixteenth century, ending their independence and bringing the region permanently under Spanish colonial control.

In the 1840s, during the Caste War, most Hispanic settlers were forced to flee the region. Many of them crossed the Río Hondo and resettled in British Honduras, now Belize, while the area remained largely under Maya control for years afterward.

The modern city was founded in 1898 under the name Payo Obispo. In 1936, it was officially renamed Chetumal and later became the capital of the state of Quintana Roo, establishing itself as an important administrative and economic hub of the region.

Two major hurricanes in the 1940s destroyed much of the town, and Hurricane Janet caused severe devastation in 1955. Afterward, the city was rebuilt with stronger concrete structures instead of the older wooden buildings for safety.

Chetumal remained small until highways were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, connecting it with the rest of Mexico. Migration from other regions fueled population growth and rapidly transformed Chetumal into a modern urban center.

The city has a Museum of Maya Culture as well as a zoo, the Payo Obispo Zoo, which belongs to the children of Quintana Roo.

Chetumal’s economy has been influenced by its proximity to the border with Belize. A goods and services tax-free zone (Corozal Free Zone) established on the Belizean side attracts many visitors to Chetumal and also provides a ready market for Chetumal’s retailers and traders.

A large indoor mall, the Plaza de las Américas, houses a modern movie theater (which belongs to the Mexican chain Cinepolis), various department store chains, fast-food outlets, and a Chedraui supermarket.

The city has a music school which offers lessons on various instruments as well as music theory and history. The school is the main music school of the state and is the home of the Junior symphonic orchestra of the state Quintana Roo (“Orquesta sinfonica juvenil del estado de Quintana Roo”), which is directed by Silvia Alcantara Chavero.

The city houses two theaters. The “Teatro Minerva”, which is an open-air theater and belongs to the state’s music school, and the “Teatro Constituyentes”, which is a privately owned theater.

Monuments

• Monument to the Flag (Monumento a la Bandera
• Cradles of the Meztizaje (Monumento Cuna del Meztizaje)
• Andrés Quintana Roo Memorial
• Monument to the Fishermen

• The Cultural Center of the Fine Arts (Centro Cultural de las Bellas Artes)
• Museum of the Mayan Culture (Museo de la Cultura Maya)
• Museum of the City. Tied to the Cultural Center of the Fine Arts

• Ecological Park (Parque Ecológico)
• Cheese Park
• Biouniverzoo Zoo

Chetumal is a perfect city to stay for a while, exploring the surrounding areas in daily tours on your own or guided ones.

Suggested 1-day tours from Chetumal

• Chacchoben
• Kinichna + Dzibanche
• Kohunlich
• Bacalar
• Xpuhil, Hormiguero, Rio Bec, Chicanna, Balamku
• Calakmul