PROGRESO

The secret is out! For years this port town was just a sleepy fishing village. Then in the 50´s the Meridanos started building summer homes along the coast to get away from the scalding heat of tropical Merida during July and August. They also use the houses for two weeks at Easter. The other 10 months of the year the fishing villages along to coast are quiet and the beaches are beautiful and empty.

In the late 60s and early 70s, a small number of Americans and Canadians "discovered" Progreso, Chicxulub and Chelem to be a winter paradise. They made a pact to keep the secret. They were enticed by the warm weather, cheap rents, friendly Yucatecan people, the laid-back way of life and the safe atmosphere.

Today you will find Progreso to be a bustling town of about 50,000 people. It is on the "cruise ship map" and many people are beginning to visit Progreso on their cruises. Fancy restaurants are springing up along the seaside promenade or El Malecón, facades are being spruced up, and people are selling handcrafts, seashells and tshirts along the beach.

Despite all that, Progreso is still a laid-back port town where you can enjoy the true flavor of Mexico. Progreso has safe, tranquil beaches with no currents or tides, which makes them great for swimming, floating, windsurfing and jetskiing. Palm trees, fresh seafood, the seaside boulevard called the malecón (mah-lay-CONE) and the friendly local Mayan residents make Progreso a great place to visit.

The average temperature in Progreso is 87º F with rainy seasons in June and September. You may experience cold fronts or nortes (NOR-tays) from November to April, so bring a sweater! The local industry is fishing, and Progreso boasts over 900 fishing boats. The fish caught in this area is exported to the US, Japan and Europe. But you get to eat it right on the beach!

Progreso has a lighthouse, built from 1885-1891. It stands 40 meters or almost 120 feet tall, and can be seen for 20 nautical miles.

In Progreso you will find a large grocery store, a large market, hotels, restaurants, a hospital, police station, bus station, post and telegraph offices, handicrafts stores, taxis, money exchange, real estate info, hardware stores, pharmacies, and bakeries.

Everyone who comes to Progreso wants to know why the pier is sooooo long! Progreso, like the rest of the Yucatan Peninsula, sits on a limestone shelf that very gradually goes out to sea. The pier had to be built that long to get past the shelf and allow the ships to dock in deep water. The water at the end of the pier is only 28-32 feet deep! The first part of the pier was built between 1936 and 1942, and the second part was built just within the last ten years.

When you are in Progreso, be sure to give yourself time to stroll along the malecón. This 16-block seaside walkway is lined the entire way by a comfortable cement bench...well, okay, maybe its not that comfortable. But after a long walk, its more comfortable than standing! Its the best place in town for people watching, and its where the local families congregate in the evenings to visit, exercise and solve the problems of the world.

Looking for something else to do besides the above? Its a short ride to the Mayan ruins of Dzibilchaltun or Xcambo.

To reach Progreso, take Paseo Montejo north out of Merida and just keep going until you get to the beach. Easy.

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