Volume 2, No. 6. March 22, 2002
New Arrivals
It's a tower
and theater!
Xcaret in Playa del
Carmen, Mexico, announces the arrival of a Skytower and theater, March 4, 2002.
Tower measurements: 110 meters tall (363 feet), 72 passengers in a 360-degree
rotating gondola. Theater measurements: 1,200 square meters (3,900 square feet),
876 seats, two shows with a cast of 60 each. Tower delivered by HUSS Machinenfabrik.
After a delay of almost
four months, the firm that runs several natural parks in the Riviera Maya region
of the Yucatan Peninsula finally got its second Skytower open and now can live
up to a boast that it has "The World's Best View." The eight minute ride to
the tower's top gives guests a varying show of natural and man-made richness.
To the west is a green carpet of jungle rolling out to infinity with vestiges
of ancient temples. To the north are beachfront resort hotels, to the east the
clear blue Caribbean Sea lapping at Cozumel Island, and to the south the Ecoarchaeological
park of Xcaret itself.
"We have one of the
most beautiful corners of Mexico and the world," said Javier Moreno, a park
spokesman. "The tower is the only way to take in this view." The company is
so intent on capitalizing on this view that it opened its first tower in Cancun
in September and plans one for Isla Mujeres next month and Cozumel later in
the year.
Meanwhile, Xcaret sought to
celebrate the country's cultural attributes through two shows at its new theater.
"Voces y Danzas de Mexico" features 60 performers wearing 40 different costumes
doing dances and songs representing all nine states in Mexico. "Tradicion del
Caribe" also uses a 60-performer cast to take guests on a musical tour of the
Caribbean Islands. Both shows last 100 minutes.
The theater fits the mission of the park, which preserves an important portion
of Mexico's natural wonders—including underground rivers, lagoons, coral
reefs and jungle—and archaeological treasures. "The theater shows we have
a richness in this country in traditions, folklore, music, culture and art,"
Moreno said. "We love our country, and our first target is to save and transmit
this culture to all of Mexico and all around the world."
