
Lighthouse at Progreso

Beach at Progreso
'Progreso' is a
port city in the
Mexican state of
Yucatán, located on the
Gulf of Mexico in the north-west of the state at
,
some 30 minutes north of state capital
Mérida (the biggest city on the
Yucatán Peninsula) by
highway. As of the Mexican census of 2005, Progreso had an official population of 35,519 inhabitants, the fifth-largest community in the state in population. The city is also the municipal seat of the surrounding
municipality of the same name. The municipality's area is 270.10 km² (104.29 sq mi) and its population at the census was 49,454 inhabitants. Its largest other towns are
Chicxulub,
Campestre Flamboyanes, and
Chelem.
Progreso is a center for both the fishing industry and the container industry. All containers arrive in Progreso and are distributed to Yucatán,
Campeche and
Quintana Roo.
Progreso
[1] also is one of the newest ports for large
cruise ships, who usually stop for 24-36 hours. Passengers disembark on a very long
pier (6,5 km) and are taken to shore to visit Progreso, Mérida or the
Maya civilization archaeological sites of
Uxmal and
Dzibilchaltun.
During the months of July and August the beaches fill with thousands of mostly local
tourists, as it is traditional in these months for well-to-do residents of Mérida to leave the city and spend the summer in the cooler seaside environment.
References
★
Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
★
Yucatán Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México