Akumal, Riviera Maya

 
Originally a seaport and trading center, known to the early Mayans as “Place of the Turtles,” Akumal is a small beach community approximately 65 miles south of Cancun, along Mexico’s beautiful Caribbean coast.

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Akumal Properties for Sale


 
Sold
Homes Sold in Beachfront, Akumal, Quintana Roo $998,000
27 photos

Akumal Beachfront Home

"Best beach location"
SOLD  $998,000 USD
"Beachfront house and casita"
Style 2 Storey
Type Residential
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 4
Homes for Sale in Akumal, Quintana Roo $880,000
61 photos

Jade Bay Casa Esmeralda

"Needing TLC"
$880,000 USD
"Beach condo Great Value"
Style 2 Story
Type Residential
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 3
Homes for Sale in TAO, Tulum, Quintana Roo $149,900
24 photos

Tao Loft Akumal

"Turnkey, Private and comfortable"
$149,900 USD
"Fully furnished, 5 star amenities"
Style Single Story
Type Residential
Bedrooms 1
Bathrooms 1
Homes for Sale in Bahia Principe, Tulum, Quintana Roo $145,000
7 photos

Akumal Lot in Gated Community

"Exclusive residential community"
$145,000 USD
"Private single family lot"
Style Lot / Land
Type Residential
Homes for Sale in Beachfront, Akumal, Quintana Roo $17,000,000
32 photos

$17,000,000 MXN
Style 2 Storey
Type Residential
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 5
Half Bathrooms 1
Condos for Sale in Akumal Sur, Akumal, Quintana Roo $6,726,876
18 photos
(New Construction)

"beach front comunity"
$6,726,876 MXN
Style Apartment
Type Condominium
Bedrooms 2
Bathrooms 2
Homes for Sale in Akumal, Quintana Roo $6,090,000
4 photos

$6,090,000 USD
Style Lot / Land
Type Residential
Homes for Sale in Tankah Bay, Akumal, Quintana Roo $4,200,000
63 photos
(New Construction)

$4,200,000 USD
Style Single Story
Type Residential
Bedrooms 4
Bathrooms 4
Homes for Sale in Akumal, Quintana Roo $2,750,000
160 photos

$2,750,000 USD
Style 2 Story
Type Residential
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 4
Half Bathrooms 1
Homes for Sale in Beachfront, Akumal, Quintana Roo $2,700,000
27 photos

"Diamond in the Rough"
$2,700,000 USD
"GREAT DEAL, JUST REDUCED!"
Style Single Story
Type Residential
Bedrooms 6
Bathrooms 6
Half Bathrooms 1
Homes for Sale in Akumal, Quintana Roo $2,700,000
145 photos

"Decadent Beachfront Home!"
$2,700,000 USD
"Temporary price reduction"
Style Single Story
Type Residential
Bedrooms 6
Bathrooms 6
Other for Sale in Akumal, Quintana Roo $2,700,000
19 photos

"Bonne opportunité"
$2,700,000 USD
"6 chambres, 6 1/2 salles de bains"
Style Single Story
Type Other
Bedrooms 6
Bathrooms 6
Half Bathrooms 1
Other for Sale in Akumal, Quintana Roo $2,700,000
19 photos

"Buena oportunidad"
$2,700,000 USD
" 6 recamaras, 6 1/2 banos"
Style Single Story
Type Other
Bedrooms 6
Bathrooms 6
Half Bathrooms 1
Homes for Sale in Bahia Principe, Akumal, Quintana Roo $2,200,000
49 photos

"Two Luxurious and Unique Villas!"
$2,200,000 USD
Style 2 Story
Type Residential
Bedrooms 6
Bathrooms 6
Homes for Sale in Akumal, Quintana Roo $1,750,000
84 photos

$1,750,000 USD
Style Single Story
Type Residential
Bedrooms 6
Bathrooms 6
Half Bathrooms 1
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Akumal, Riviera Maya

      
    Akumal

It is a quiet and friendly place, and something of a secret to those who live there, with its powdery beaches, lush jungle and wonderful people.  Akumal’s shallow and protected bays, created by the world’s 2nd largest barrier reef, delight every level of snorkeler discovering the beauty of its underwater world. 

The bays are populated with a huge variety of fish and marine life.  The favorite resident here is the sea turtle.  You can swim with an abundance of tropical fish, along with the unconcerned turtles feeding on underwater grasses.  The beach is spotted with protected turtle egg nests.  The local environmental organization, CEA (Centro Ecologico Akumal) is dedicated to protecting these turtles, which nest from May to October.

A little known story is the town’s beginnings.  The year was 1511 and a shipwreck caused 17 sailors to wash up on shore, where the Mayans swiftly captured them.  Fifteen men died and the two survivors would have an enduring impact on Akumal and Mexico.  One of the survivors, Gonzalo Guerrero, married the Mayan princess Xzazil, who was the daughter of the Mayan chief.  He fathered three children, who became the first mingling of Mayan and Spanish heritage in Mexico and the first Euro-American family.

 He grew to love his new life and even denounced his Spanish culture.  He told the Spanish emissaries that he was no longer Spanish; he was a Mayan.  He taught the Mayans techniques of war which they later used against the invading Spaniards.  The Spanish conqueror Cortes arrived at the island of Cozumel in 1519 and was told about the shipwreck and its only two surviving sailors living in Akumal.  He sent a search party.  They located the two men and rescued the other sailor, Geronimo de Aguilar, who became the first Mayan language translator and a guide for the Spanish conquistadors. Guerrero lived in Akumal with his wife and three children until his death in 1536.  A statue of Guerrero, with his wife and children greets visitors at the entrance to Akumal.

About 200 years later, a Spanish merchant ship, El Matancero, ran aground on the coral reef during a terrible storm.  Its cargo would have brought a considerable price had the ship made her destination of Veracruz.

In 1959, a team of WWII Mexican frogmen came to salvage the ship.  This tropical coast had only been accessible by boat.  Cannons from the ship were recovered and can be seen at the north end of the bay.  Snorkelers can also find them on the sea floor there.  One of those divers, Pablo Bush Romero, eventually purchased thousands of acres of land in and around Akumal.  He founded the town as a dedicated community for scuba divers.  Their group donated Xel-Ha and over 5,000 acres of land around Akumal to be dedicated as a national park.  There is a shipwreck museum in Puerto Aventuras, which holds most of the artifacts found on El Matancero.  Visitors there can get a view of the fascinating history of scuba diving in the area.  Part of the ‘treasure” of glass beads can still be found at the site of the wreck in Akumal Bay.

Unlike the many resort communities along the coast, Akumal has kept its relaxed, eclectic and laid back mood.  Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead made Akumal his vacation hideaway.  The famous dive locations in the Riviera Maya originated in the waters of Akumal.

 There is much to see and do in Akumal, but it is really more about just relaxing.  The very first vacation resort on the Riviera Maya is still just a small beach community with an easy feel and slow pace.

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