Progreso () is a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

city in the Mexican

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

Yucatán Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate mun ...

, located on the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United St ...

in the north-west of the state some 30 minutes north of state capital Mérida (the biggest city on the

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...

) by highway. As of the Mexican census of 2010, Progreso had an official population of 37,369 inhabitants, the sixth largest community in the state in population. The city is also the municipal seat of the surrounding

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of the same name. The municipality's area is and its population at the census was 49,454 inhabitants. It includes

Scorpion Reef Scorpion Reef ( es, Arrecife Alacranes) is an atoll containing a small group of islets in the Gulf of Mexico, about 125 km (78 mi; 67 NM) off the northern coast of the state of Yucatán, Mexico. Designated a national park, the reef is part of the ...

with its five islets 130 km offshore (north) on the outer edge of

Campeche Bank Campeche Bank is part of the Gulf of Mexico and extends from the Yucatan Straits in the east to the Tabasco-Campeche Basin in the west. Campeche Bankin Geonames.org (cc-by)/ref> The Campeche ocean bank is from Mexico's geography of Campeche na ...

. Its largest other towns are Chicxulub Puerto, 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 Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...

. Progreso also is one of the newest ports for large

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "sho ...

s and an emerging

balneario A balneario ( Portuguese spelling: balneário) is an Iberian and Latin American resort town, typically a seaside resort, and less commonly along the shores of lakes and rivers or next to hot springs. In Spain, balneario typically only refers to spa ...

resort destination. Passengers disembark on a very long

pier Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...

, the Terminal Remota opened in 1989 that juts out into the Gulf of Mexico. Passengers are taken to shore to visit Progreso, Mérida or the

Maya civilization The Maya civilization () of the Mesoamerican people is known by its ancient temples and glyphs. Its Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas. It is also noted for its art, archit ...

archaeological sites of

Uxmal Uxmal ( Yucatec Maya: ''Óoxmáal'' ) is an ancient Maya city of the classical period located in present-day Mexico. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Maya culture, along with Palenque, Chichen Itza and Calakmul ...

and

Dzibilchaltun Dzibilchaltún (Yucatec: Ts'íibil Cháaltun, ) is a Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Yucatán, approximately north of state capital of Mérida. Location In the view of modern researchers, the ancient builders of Dzibilchalt ...

. During the months of July and August the beaches fill with thousands of mostly local tourists, as it is traditional in these months for residents of Mérida to leave the city and spend the summer in the cooler seaside environment.

History

Progreso was founded in 1872, to create a sea port closer to Mérida than the older port of

Sisal, Yucatán Sisal () is a seaport town in Hunucmá Municipality in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. It was the principal port of Yucatán during the henequen boom, later overshadowed when the more modern port of Progreso was built to the east. It lent its nam ...

Climate

Despite its coastal location and fairly humid climate (average humidity around 70–80%), Progreso has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

( Köppen climate classification ''BSh''). There is little variation in average temperatures though the winter months from December to March are noticeably more cool. Precipitation is scarce throughout the year but is more abundant from June to October. On average, there are 36 days with measureable rainfall.

Photo gallery

Image:Progreso_Founder_Statue.jpg, Progreso, Yucatán founder's statue Image:Faro-progreso-mx.JPG, Lighthouse at Progreso Image:Beach at Progreso, Yucatán.JPG, Beach at Progreso Image:Progreso de noche 2.JPG, Progreso's International Boulevard (locally named as ''Malecón'') at night.

References

Link to tables of population data from Census of 2010
INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
Yucatán
Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

External links

Yucatán
Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México {{DEFAULTSORT:Progreso, Yucatan Populated places in Yucatán Port cities and towns of the Mexican Gulf Coast Ports of the Gulf of Mexico