The history of Quintana Roo

Written by Conrad Alvarado

Published on March 24th, 2019

In order to better understand the developing process of Quintana Roo, we have to go back in history and understand how was the state formed so we can answer questions like: 'How many municipalities are?' as well as 'Why does Tulum has titles from Solidaridad?'

History & Facts about Quintana Roo.

The youngest state in México, Quintana Roo remained sparsely populated until the late 20th century when it burst onto the scene as one of México’s top vacation getaways. It was named in 1902 after Andrés Eligio Quintana Roo, a prominent lawyer from the Mexican Independence War era.

In its beginnings, the region was mostly known as the Yucatán Peninsula, populated by pre-Mayan cultures as early as 3,000 B.C. it started developing more sophisticated culture with the foundation of Cobá, Xcaret, Xel Ha, Chichen Itza and Tulum by the Mayans during the 10th century.

It was later in the 16th century that Spanish expeditions explored and later conquered and the region in order to start the foundation of two cities: Mérida and Campeche. Along these cities, several coastal settlements were established in order to trade with the Caribbean Islands, these settlements came under frequent attack by pirates, at some point even forcing to population of Salamanca de Bacalar to abandon it in 1652.

This article may interest you: Quintana Roo a young estate with a great investment potential.

Events that marked the history of Quintana Roo.

During the 19th and 20th century, Quintana Roo has been marked by many territorial, political, social and natural events that will later result in the modern state that we currently know. Conflicts such as:

(1810 – 1821) The Mexican Independence War.
(1821, 1841 – 1848) The establishment of the First and Second Yucatán Republic.
(1847 – 1901) The Caste War of Yucatán.
(1841 – 1974) Quintana Roo’s several annexations and secessions.
(1910 – 1920) The Mexican Revolution War.
(2005) Hurricane Wilma.

When did Quintana Roo become a state?

Since Quintana Roo was granted statehood in 1974 (officially named the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo), Cancún, Isla Mujeres and Cozumel began to rapidly develop as tourist destinations. Until 1970, Cancún was a small fishing settlement of about 100 Mayan descendants. Then, after a three-year study by the Mexican government and private interests, the area was selected as the site for an international vacation center. A building boom in the 1980s transformed Cancún into a major resort for tourists from the United States, Canada, Europe and South America.

The state is currently divided into 11 municipalities (its capital city is Chetumal) and being the youngest state of the Mexican Federation has brought gradual to moderate infrastructure but accompanied of a rapid rate of private construction. In more recent years, natural events and local government hierarchy have motivated the establishment of the 4 youngest municipalities in Quintana Roo:

1993 – Solidaridad. Formed when separated from the Cozumel municipality.
2008 – Tulum. Formed when separated from the Solidaridad municipality
2011 – Bacalar. Formed when separated from the Othón P. Blanco municipality
2016 - Puerto Morelos. Formed when separated from the Benito Juárez municipality

Hola! My name is Conrad, I’m a real estate strategist here at PIM Real Estate in the sunny Mexican Riviera Maya. Just like yourself, I started dreaming of moving to this beautiful part of the world a few of years ago and thankfully things worked out great for me. So I’m excited to use my experience in the area, my real estate knowledge and our company’s resources to help you get clear decisions to build YOUR reality.