Bacalar in Mayan: bʼak halal, means "surrounded by reeds".

Bacalar was a city of the Maya civilization. This was the first city in the region which the Spanish Conquistadores succeeded in taking and holding in 1543. In 1545 Gaspar Pacheco established the Spanish town here with the name Salamanca de Bacalar with the help of Juan de la Cámara. The region of the southern half of what is now Quintana Roo was governed from Bacalar, answerable to the Captain General of Yucatán in Mérida.

After the town was sacked by pirates in the 17th century, the Fortress de San Felipe Bacalar was completed in 1729, and may still be visited today.

When you arrive at the Magical Town of Bacalar, you have the feeling of observing an optical illusion created by various flashes of blue water, ranging from the darkest, through the turquoise, to the most transparent. But no, this is not a mirage, it is a reality and it is the immense Laguna de Siete Colores and tourist magnet that force you to discover Bacalar, located just 40 minutes from Chetumal, Quintana Roo. 

We owe this gift of nature to seven cenotes distributed along the Bacalar lagoon, whose length is 43 kilometers. Depending on the time of day, the sun's rays illuminate the entrances of the underground caverns, allowing travelers to appreciate the range of colors and their various depths. There are different activities such as kayaking, snorkeling or diving, so you can explore this aquatic labyrinth.

Whether you are looking to have a fun sport adventure in these majestic turquoise waters, enjoy a serene pace on a sail boat or connect on a spiritual level on this birth ground of millennial lifeforms, Bacalar is guaranteed to leave a mark on your soul.