Cancún (/kænˈkuːn/ kan-KOON, US also /kɑːnˈkuːn/kahn-KOON,[4] Spanish: [kaŋˈkun] ⓘ),
often spelled Cancun in English (without the accent), is the most populous city in
the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast
of the Yucatán Peninsula. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico[5] and the seat of
the municipality of Benito Juárez. The city is situated on the Caribbean Sea and is one
of Mexico's easternmost points. Cancún is located just north of Mexico's Caribbean
coast resort area known as the Riviera Maya.
Etymology and coat of arms
According to early Spanish sources, the island of Cancún was originally known to
its Maya inhabitants as Nizuc (Yucatec Maya: niʔ suʔuk), meaning either 'promontory'
or 'point of grass'.[6]
The name Cancún, Cancum or Cankun first appears on 18th-century maps.[7] In older
English-language documents, the city's name is sometimes spelled Cancoon, an
attempt to convey the sound of the name.[8]
Cancún is derived from the Mayan name kàan kun, composed of kàan 'snake' and the
verb kum~ kun 'to swell, overfill'.[9] Two translations have been suggested: the first is
'nest of snakes' and the second, less accepted one is 'place of the golden snake'.
[10]
Snake iconography was prevalent at the pre-Columbian site of Nizuc
