Playa del Carmen - The city

Escuela Internacional can highly recommend that you learn Spanish with our partner school in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

In pre-Columbian times Playa del Carmen was called Xaman-Ha, that means "Water from the North" in the Mayan language and was a departure point for Mayan pilgrimages to the sanctuary of Ixchelc in Cozumel.

Playa del Carmen is the head of the municipality of Solidaridad, in the state of Quintana Roo and is within the area known as the Riviera Maya, with a variety of countryside full of forests, jungles, archeological sites and beaches with crystalline, turquoise waters. The city, with average annual temperatures of 28° Celsius, is bathed by the waters of the Caribbean Sea. Its principal economic activity is tourism with annual visitors estimated at somewhat less than 2 million, mainly from the USA, Canada and Europe.

Perhaps the principal characteristic of this destination is its diversity: one can choose between adventure sports, playing golf or tennis, exploring the jungle on foot or on horseback, water sports and boating, and also routes to see the indescribable cultural and archeological riches left by the Mayan world.

One of the favorite activities for visitors to Playa del Carmen is scuba diving, since the Great Mayan Reef is found here, which is the largest coral reef in the western hemisphere.

The evenings offer a limitless number of options, places to dance and fight the insomnia caused by the Caribbean nights; public fiestas on the beaches and bars with excellent ambience. However, Playa del Carmen has been wise to maintain its charm in the most pure and typical Mexican style, as its local people like to say.