Cancun Seaweed Season 2023: When is it and How to Avoid it!

Wondering when the Cancun Seaweed Season starts? You have landed in the right place. In this post, we will tell you all about it so that you can plan your vacation accordingly.

When you are planning a beach vacation one of the last words you want to hear is seaweed.

Unfortunately, the last few years have seen an increase in the amount of seaweed that washes ashore in Cancun.

The good news is that there are always seaweed-free beaches and seaweed is not typically a problem all year. With some knowledge about the seaweed situation and the use of seaweed tracking sites, you should be able to find clean beaches to enjoy.

Finding seaweed-infested beaches during your long-dreamed vacation is not ideal, but you can still travel to Cancun and still find its pristine white sand beaches all year round if you know where to go.

Keep reading to learn all about the Cancun seaweed season, and how to make sure you have a great beach vacation! 

When is seaweed season in Cancun?

Seaweed season in Cancun usually starts in May and goes on all summer until October, but it’s never so precise. And it’s not everywhere.

If you are traveling to Cancun or the Riviera Maya in these months, although it’s something that shouldn’t hold you back, you may want to learn about the hotels and beaches that are less affected by the sargassum.

And this is precisely what we’ll be talking about in this post.

Seaweed in Cancun an Overview

In recent years, there has been an increase in the amount of seaweed that washes ashore in Cancun. There are certain times of the year when it is more common for there to be seaweed on the beach, but the fact is, small amounts of seaweed can arrive at any time.

The beach conditions can change quickly, and the arrival of seaweed is dependent on many factors, including wind and currents.

As a visitor to the Cancun area, the most important thing you need to know is this: will the seaweed affect my vacation and can I find seaweed-free beaches? 

The great news is that you can almost always find seaweed-free beaches to enjoy. The amount of seaweed on the beach, and how much it will affect you, changes constantly.

There are times when there is just a small patch of dried seaweed you need to step over before getting to the water line, other times the beach can have a lot of seaweed but clean water, and on rare occasions, there are large patches of seaweed on the beach and floating in the water.

A small amount of dried sargassum, while not ideal, will not ruin your day at the beach. If you have the bad luck of arriving at a beach with lots of seaweed on the beach and water, you will not want to hang around. 

With a little knowledge about where the seaweed is most likely to wash ashore, as well as some online resources that update seaweed conditions daily, you can plan a beach vacation, even in seaweed season.

Below I will explain what exactly seaweed is and why it is here, as well as what the government is doing to deal with it.

Most importantly, I will help you learn how to enjoy a great vacation, regardless of the seaweed. 

What is Sargassum Cancun Seaweed? 

The seaweed that washes ashore in Cancun is called sargassum or sometimes referred to as sargasso.

Sargassum is a brown alga that naturally grows in the warm, shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Sargassum can float up to the top of the ocean, where it stays on the surface of the water. The growth of Sargassum is a natural phenomenon and until recently, the sargassum seaweed generally stayed in the Atlantic Ocean, in an area called the sargassum sea.

The sargassum floating on the surface of the ocean serves as a home for all sorts of animals, from eels to sea turtles. Now, due to man-made climate change, sargassum is all over the Atlantic, and the Caribbean Sea, and has been also found in the waters off of South America. 

Why is there seaweed in Cancun?

Over the past ten years, Cancun has seen an increase in the amount of seaweed that washes onto its beaches.

The seaweed travels from its natural home in the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean due to changes in ocean currents, due to climate change, and warming ocean water temperatures.

The worldwide destruction of mangroves also adds to the arrival of sargassum in Cancun. Sargassum would naturally arrive in mangroves and stay there.

Now, with so many mangroves being developed into commercial areas, the seaweed continues to float in the water, ending up in Cancun and the rest of Quintana Roo. 

Why is seaweed in Cancun increasing?

Sargassum first washed onto the beaches of Cancun and the Riviera Maya in 2013. Since then, every year has seen sargassum, with the amount fluctuating.

Although the amount of seaweed on any given beach varies by year, experts agree there is always more sargassum than before.

No one knows exactly why the amount of seaweed in Cancun is increasing; however, scientists agree it is due to man-made climate change.

Scientists think that the changing ocean currents and warming water temperatures play a role. They also believe that the use of fertilizers and chemicals aids in the growth of this brown algae. 

What causes the seaweed problem in Cancun? 

The seaweed problem in Cancun is due to global climate changes. Climate change, the change of ocean currents, and increasing ocean temperatures have all led to the arrival of sargassum in Cancun. 

Large amounts of seaweed floating on the ocean and piling up on Cancun beaches cause big problems for the tourism industry- Quintana Roo’s main industry. People are quick to post pictures of seaweed on beaches, and it creates a bad image of the destination.

People are understandably hesitant to book beach vacations if they do not understand when they might encounter seaweed.

Not only is it ugly to look at, but large patches of seaweed that are not removed by hotel staff or government workers begin to smell bad as it dries in the sun. 

Sargassum is not only a problem for the tourism industry, but also for the ocean. Large blankets of sargassum that float on the ocean surface can reduce the amount of light that goes into the ocean and oxygen levels.

This can also harm delicate coral reef systems. In many areas, people use heavy machinery to remove sargassum from the beach, and this can be destructive.

In recent years there were reports of turtles who got stuck in sargassum or had a hard time digging their nests due to the seaweed on the beach. 

Things to do when there is Seaweed in Cancun

It can be a disappointment to find out there is seaweed outside your hotel or at your favorite beach in Cancun. The seaweed situation changes fast in Cancun, and you may be lucky to have seaweed one day, and a relatively clear ocean the next.

If you have the misfortune of having days with lots of seaweed, there is still plenty to do in Cancun. 

➡️ Find a beach with less or no Sargasso

If you are set on enjoying beautiful beach days, even in seaweed season, you will need to be willing to move around a bit.

The wind direction and ocean currents affect how much seaweed ends up on a beach, and you can usually find sargassum-free beaches.

You can take a ferry across to Isla Mujeres. The beach on the north end of the island is almost always seaweed free- and a beautiful spot to spend the day.

If you want to stay local in Cancun, try visiting Playa Mujeres, in the northern hotel zone. The northern location of this beach helps it stay seaweed free. 

➡️ Take a day trip to Cozumel

If you are willing to go even further, you can make a day trip to Cozumel.

The west side of the island rarely gets any seaweed. There is a constant current that pushes the seaweed through the Yucatan Channel.

This current, paired with favorable wind directions, makes the west side seaweed free almost always. You can spend a day at a beach club, or book a snorkel tour, and enjoy the clear water.

Days, when there is seaweed on the beach, are a great time to head into the jungle, visit some ruins, and then a cenote.

➡️ Visit archeological sites

There are several great archeological sites to visit on the Yucatan Peninsula, including Chichen Itza, Coba, and Tulum.

You can either rent a car and go by yourself or book a tour. However you go to the ruins, a great post-ruin activity is to cool off in a refreshing cenote. Cenotes are freshwater pools that connect the surface to underground river systems.

The freshwater is usually 75 degrees year-round- making it the perfect spot to cool off after a hike. Cenotes are located all throughout the jungle, making them free from any seaweed. 

➡️ Take a sailing tour

If there is seaweed on the beach, but the ocean is free from large patches of sargassum, you can book a catamaran or snorkeling tour.

Check out the seaweed forecast, but it is not uncommon that the seaweed is on the beach, but taking a boat out into the ocean to visit the reef will get you away from the sargassum.

There are many adventure parks in the area that you can visit to avoid seaweed. 

➡️ Enjoy your hotel pool

If all else fails, you can always spend the day lounging by your hotel’s pool. Some of the hotels have amazing pools and even waterparks for the kids and adults, which could be a great alternative to the beach.

Other hotels even have suites with private plunge pools as well.

➡️ Take a Tour to Isla Contoy

Isla Contoy is a nature reserve located to the northeast of Cancun.

This breathtakingly beautiful island has clear water, and white sandy beaches, and is home to over 150 species of birds.

There is a shallow reef just off the shore of the island, and here you can find different fish, rays, and sea turtles.

There is no development on Isla Contoy, and the only way to get there is with a day tour. Similar to Isla Mujeres, Isla Contoy’s beaches are free from seaweed due to their position in the ocean and the currents that keep the seaweed from washing ashore.

Here is one of the top-rated tours to take you there: 

👉 Beach Escape: Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres with Snorkeling, Breakfast, and Lunch

You will start your day with a small breakfast at the marina. Your first stop will be to snorkel at the coral reefs where your guide will help point out a variety of fish and sea life.

Next you will arrive at Isla Contoy. Here you can enjoy a guided nature hike and have time to explore on your own. Spend time on the pristine beach and enjoy a grilled lunch.

The last stop of the day is at Isla Mujeres. Here you will have one hour of free time to enjoy the island before returning to Cancun. 

➡️ Enjoy the refreshing cenotes

Cenotes are natural sinkholes that the Yucatan Peninsula is famous for. They are scattered around the peninsula, with major concentrations in the Yucatan state and along the Riviera Maya and they keep finding new ones. They have counted something around 6000 Cenotes! Can you believe it?

The closest to Cancun is located in Puerto Morelos only 30 minutes drive from Cancun. The cenotes near Cancun are a great alternative to the Cancun beach when it’s infested by Sargassum.

You can get there on your own or join one of the amazing Cenote tours available from your hotel.

How locals handle seaweed in Cancun 

Obviously, the arrival of Sargassum ten years ago has been a big problem for Cancun. Everyone from the government to hotels to beach clubs has been affected by the seaweed situation.

Most hotels and beachfront businesses work hard to clean up the sargassum that washes ashore.

You will see everything from small machines that scoop up the sargassum to hardworking people raking it up to make the beach pleasant for tourists. 

The Mexican government, along with the Navy, has been working to come up with plans to try to stop sargassum as it arrives in the ocean before it can wash ashore.

As the government tries to come up with ways to stop sargassum before it hits the beach, many locals are inventing ways to put the sargassum to use.

A local girl started a company that makes paper products, including notebooks from sargassum. People are working to make bricks and other building materials out of the sargassum too.

Sargassum is also being used to create eco-friendly fertilizers. While this does not reduce the amount of sargassum, it does bring awareness to the problem and put the seaweed to good use. 

Best Hotels without seaweed

All hotels will work hard to keep their beaches clean from the sargassum in Cancun. However, some hotels have advantages due to shore topography, and the typical wind and current directions, that keep them free from seaweed while other properties struggle with being covered with it.

Simply put, some locations avoid getting hit with seaweed better than others.

While there is no way to guarantee that a hotel will be seaweed free, the location of these hotels makes them a good bet. 

🏨 Mia Reef Isla Mujeres 

Mia Reef Hotel is located on El Yunque Island, which is a tiny island that is connected to Isla Mujeres by a bridge.

Here you will feel like you are on a private island. El Yunque is located off the north end of Isla Mujeres, making it a great location to avoid patches of seaweed, and is just 700 meters from the beautiful Playa Norte of Isla Mujeres.

The property offers four on-site restaurants, where you can choose from Mexican, Caribbean, and International cuisine. It has a spacious outdoor pool.

The hotel offers a variety of rooms, including family rooms, making it a good choice for families traveling with children. 

🏨 Majestic Elegance Costa Mujeres

The Majestic Elegance Costa Mujeres Hotel is located in Cancun’s northern hotel zone, near Playa Mujeres, on the way to Isla Blanca.

This spacious all-inclusive resort has four swimming pools and nine on-site restaurants.

You can enjoy the live entertainment, and kids will love the kid’s club. You can treat yourself to a relaxing day at the on-site spa.

There are a variety of room types to choose from, including family suites, and some rooms have ocean views. 

🏨 The Westin Cozumel

The Westin is a newly built hotel on the peaceful north side of Cozumel. This luxurious property has amazing ocean views and sits on a piece of sandy beach.

There are three on-site pools, including one adult-only pool.

There are two restaurants on-site, and you can choose between Mexican, Italian and Peruvian food. There is an on-site wellness center where you can treat yourself to a spa treatment. 

Cancun Seaweed Season for 2023 

Experts who study the sargassum situation in the Atlantic and the Caribbean Coast are good at predicting how much seaweed we can expect every year.

They are not able to precisely say where the seaweed will wash ashore, but they monitor many different factors, including studying large patches of sargassum, and can tell us when we should expect a lot of seaweed.

Unfortunately, they predict that 2023 will be another year with lots of seaweed washing ashore.

The 2023 seaweed season is expected to start earlier than usual, with seaweed hitting the beaches by March or April.

There are a few “sargassum islands” floating parallel to the coast of the Riviera Maya, and winds can push some of this seaweed toward the shore.

The good news is that local government officials are preparing ways to deal with the seaweed before it arrives. 

Sargassum seaweed map

When seaweed arrives in the state of Quintana Roo, it does not affect all the beaches equally. Ocean currents, wind direction, and shore topography make some beaches more protected from sargassum, while others get hit hard.

The Facebook group Red de Monitoreo de Sargasso Quintana Roo frequently posts a map that shows the most popular beaches of the state and grades them on how much seaweed they have. Make sure you check them right before your trip so that you can have an up-to-date situation.

Beaches with a blue dot are seaweed free, a green dot represents a very low amount of seaweed. The color code progresses to yellow, orange, and red marking the beaches that have an excessive amount of seaweed.

If you are here, or planning to come, during seaweed season, the map is a great resource to help you find beaches to spend the day that has less ( or no ) seaweed. It will also help you have a visual understanding of what areas get hit the hardest with seaweed. 

How bad is the seaweed in Cancun?

After reading this article, you are probably left wondering…how bad is the seaweed in Cancun? That is a hard question to answer since the conditions change frequently. In the summer the sargassum situation is a problem in Cancun.

It requires a lot of resources, including machines and human labor, to keep the beaches clear from seaweed so that tourists can enjoy their vacation.

The government, and everyone who works in tourism, worry that without a clear plan of action, the seaweed will affect the tourism industry.

The good news is that there are still several months of the year when you can expect clear beaches, and even during sargassum season people are working hard to clear the beach. 

Is Cancun’s Seaweed harmful? 

Sargassum on its own is not harmful to humans; however, when it floats in the hot sun or washes up onto the beach it can become home to microbes and bacteria. Many different species of fish use the sargassum patches as breeding areas and lay their eggs.

All of these things can cause irritation and itching when they come in contact with our skin. Swimming in the sargassum is not directly harmful or dangerous but can cause bothersome rashes for people.

Almost everyone finds swimming in sargassum-filled water unpleasant, regardless of whether it gives you a rash or not. 

When sargassum washes onto the shore in large amounts and begins to break down in the hot sun it can release hydrogen sulfide gas.

Hydrogen sulfide gas smells like rotten-eggs, and directly breathing it in can cause itchy eyes. In extreme cases, it can even cause nausea.

Unfortunately, sargassum is not the only thing that floats in the ocean and washes ashore. The ocean is home to countless pieces of plastic trash, which gets caught in the sargassum.

Seaweed that washes ashore can have pieces of plastic, which can be sharp if stepped on.

If you visit a beach with an excessive amount of seaweed, take care to watch your step. 

When does the Cancun seaweed season start? 

Seaweed in Cancun generally begins to appear in May. The northern winds that blow during the winter months are believed to help keep the sargassum away and the beaches clear during the winter months of November to May. 

This year, small amounts of sargassum are expected to wash ashore in isolated incidents as early as March.

Experts believe that the sargassum islands that are located to the east of Quintana Roo will contribute to some sargassum arriving earlier than normal.

The Mexican Navy has made efforts to trap sargassum at sea to prevent it from washing ashore. Unfortunately, these efforts are not as successful as hoped, and they often resort to cleaning the beaches after seaweed arrives. 

How long does the Cancun seaweed season typically last? 

The Cancun seaweed season typically lasts from April or May until September or October. Some experts say the season ends in August, although there can still be seaweed through the early fall months.

The warm, summer months typically have the wind blowing from the southeast.

This wind and ocean currents carry the sargassum into the waters off of Quintana Roo and onto the beaches of Cancun and the cities of the Riviera Maya. 

How to combat the seaweed in Cancun?

The state and local governments as well as hotel and business managers are doing everything they can to keep sargassum off the beach. They do not want it to ruin anyone’s vacation or cause people to cancel their trips to the area.

The Mexican navy has tried to capture sargassum at sea before it washes ashore. Unfortunately, this is not always very successful. Local governments have been experimenting with building barriers off the shore to keep sargassum from washing onto the beach. 

When these actions fail and seaweed does end up on the beach, crews of people are working hard to remove the sargassum.

During seaweed season workers begin removing sargassum early in the morning to leave clean beaches for visitors. 

Current Seaweed Conditions in Cancun

At the time of writing this article, in January 2023, the Cancun beaches do not have sargassum. It has been a windy January, with some strange wind blowing from the southeast; however, the water is clear.

With the strong winds, small amounts of sargassum have ended up on the beach, but the water is clear for swimming.

If you want to see current seaweed conditions, consider joining the Sargasso Monitoring Network on the Riviera Maya Facebook page.

People are constantly posting their current beach pictures, so you can get a great idea of how the seaweed situation looks. 

3 Best Cancun beaches that are seaweed free 

If you want to enjoy a day at the beach with white sand and clean water, check out these three beaches. 

🔵 Isla Mujeres

Even if most of the beaches in Cancun have seaweed, you can find beautiful, sargassum-free beaches on Isla Mujeres.

Isla Mujeres has the good luck of hardly ever getting seaweed. Take the short ferry ride across and enjoy a day at the beach.

The famous Playa Norte has been named one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and hardly ever gets seaweed!  Playa Norte is a ten-minute walk from the ferry dock, or you can take a short taxi ride.

There are several beach clubs you can choose from, or just find a spot in the sand to hang out. The beach is full of white sand and the water is a beautiful turquoise color. 

🔵 Isla Blanca

Isla Blanca is not actually an island, it is a long, thin peninsula that runs to the north of Cancun. This thin stretch of land is covered in white, sandy beaches, with the turquoise water of the Caribbean to one side and Laguna Chacmuchuch on the other.

For only being 20 kilometers from Cancun, you will feel like you are in a different world. Here you will find undeveloped beaches, except for a few rustic beach restaurants.

You can get here with a rental car, just look for parking spaces along the peninsula.

Some beach restaurants will charge a small fee to park your car and access the beach through their property. Or, you can take a taxi here. Just remember, set the rate with the driver before.

There is not great cell phone service, so make sure to plan your return. Minimal seaweed arrives at Isla Blanca due to the direction of the ocean currents and its location north of Cancun. 

🔵 Playa Mujeres

Playa Mujeres is located to the north of Cancun’s hotel zone, just opposite Isla Mujeres. This stretch of beach is full of luxury resorts, without public beaches.

The southern hotel zone blocks a lot of the sargassum from reaching the shores of Playa Mujeres, leaving the beaches clean. The best way to enjoy this area is to book your stay at one of the resorts.

How to know the seaweed forecast

Sargassum experts can predict months ahead of time what the general seaweed situation will be like; however, they cannot pinpoint exactly where and when the seaweed will hit.

When you visit Cancun, you can get up-to-date seaweed information online.

The seaweed conditions can change quickly, with everyday benign differences, so use these resources to plan your vacation:

Website 

The website sargassummonitoring.com is a great resource to see pictures of what area beaches actually look like. Y

ou can zoom into Cancun and see what several different locations look like. The pictures are constantly being updated, so you can get a real-time update on the seaweed situation. 

Live video footage 

If you would rather see video footage of Cancun beaches, there are a few sites you can check out. Livebeaches.com has beach webcams that you can check out.

They have webcams at several different area resorts, and you can use this information to get a good sense of how the different areas look. 

Best time to visit Cancun

For many visitors, the winter months are the best time to visit Cancun. These months have dry weather, mild heat, and less humidity, and they are when the beaches are typically free from seaweed.

The months of November to March have comfortable temperatures that let you do everything from hanging out on the beach to exploring ruins without overheating, but the water is still warm enough to enjoy swimming and snorkeling.

March and April are spring breakers months so party lovers you will find a lot of fun events and festivals but if you are not into that, you can still find tranquil beaches and have a peaceful vacation. Solo travelers as well have a blast in Cancun.

The occasional cold front with north wind keeps the sargassum away from the beaches. The one downside to coming in the winter is the crowds- it is not a secret that Cancun is a great spot to be in the winter! These months are the peak tourist season, and hotels and tours fill up fast. 

The summer months have hotter, wetter, and more humid weather. People who love spending time in the water may not mind the heat, and the temperatures are great for spending a day in the ocean or a cenote.

That said, these are the months when sargassum is most likely to be a problem. A great advantage of coming in the summer months is the lower number of tourists.

You will have a better chance of finding great deals on hotels. 

What measures are being taken to address the Cancun seaweed

The state and local governments as well as hotel and business managers are doing everything they can to keep sargassum off the beach.

They do not want it to ruin anyone’s vacation or cause people to cancel their trips to the area.

The Mexican navy has tried to capture sargassum at sea before it washes ashore. Unfortunately, this is not always very successful. Local governments have been experimenting with building barriers off the shore to keep sargassum from washing onto the beach. 

When these actions fail and seaweed does end up on the beach, crews of people are working hard to remove the sargassum. During seaweed season workers begin removing sargassum early in the morning to leave clean beaches for visitors. 

Tourists and locals alike want to find a solution to the seaweed problem. Every season that the seaweed arrives experts is experimenting with new ways to combat the problem. 

Seaweed in Cancun FAQs

When should you avoid seaweed in Cancun?

If you want the lowest chance of having seaweed washed ashore or floating on the ocean during your vacation, travel to Cancun during the winter months of November to March. You will have the lowest chance of encountering seaweed during these months. 

Do all beaches in Cancun have seaweed?

No. Ocean currents, wind direction, and shoreline topography all play a role in how much seaweed a beach will have.

Some areas, such as beaches on the north end of the Cancun Hotel Zone have the advantage that ocean currents and wind direction keep the majority of the seaweed off their beaches. The Sargassum monitoring map will help you see which beaches have the most sargassum. 

Does Cancun have a seaweed problem?

Over the last ten years, large amounts of seaweed have washed ashore in Cancun. This is a problem for an area that is known for pristine white sand beaches and turquoise water.

The problem goes beyond the potential for economic loss if tourists stop coming during the seaweed months. The large quantities of sargassum pose environmental threats too.

So, yes, Cancun does have a seaweed problem that it is working hard to solve. 

What month does Cancun have seaweed?

Cancun’s seaweed season is typically from April or May to October. Within these months, the amount of seaweed, if there is any, changes daily. 

Where to stay in Mexico to avoid seaweed?

If you want to avoid the chance of having seaweed on the beach during your vacation, consider staying on Isla Mujeres or Cozumel.

Isla Mujeres rarely gets any seaweed on its beaches. The west coast of Cozumel, where the hotels are located, has strong currents and wind protection that make it generally seaweed free. 

Is the ocean water clear in Cancun?

When sargassum arrives, large patches of it can float on the ocean surface near the shore before washing onto the beach.

Wind and ocean currents affect when this happens and how long it will stay floating. Once the seaweed patches wash ashore, the water is clean for swimming. 

Can you swim in sargassum seaweed?

You can, but many people prefer not to. The microbes and bacteria that live on in the seaweed can give some people a rash or make their skin itch. For most others, it is simply an unpleasant sensation. 

How do you prevent sargassum seaweed?

As with most things that are related to climate change, there is no easy solution to prevent sargassum.

As experts learn more about why there is more sargassum, they will be able to give us recommendations to reduce our carbon footprint and slow the seaweed growth.

For now, you can support businesses that are coming up with innovative ways to use seaweed. If you are local, you can volunteer at public beach cleanups. 

Does Cancun still have a seaweed problem? 

Yes, during the summer months of 2022, Cancun saw a large amount of seaweed come to its shores. The summer months are the worst for seaweed. This summer is still expecting a lot of seaweed as well.

Are the beaches in Cancun still full of seaweed?

The beaches were clean at the end of 2022. So far, 2023 has only seen small amounts of sargassum. Experts predict it will return in the spring of 2023. t amount of seaweed. You can use the sargassum map to check the seaweed conditions daily.  

Seaweed Season in Cancun, Mexico: Final thoughts 

No one wants to plan a Cancun beach vacation and arrive to find seaweed floating in the water in front of your hotel or washed onto the beach.

Unfortunately, Cancun has battled with the arrival of sargassum during the summer for the last ten years.

The great news is that by now there are plenty of resources available to help you plan a vacation in an area of Cancun that is less likely to be affected by seaweed.

And, when the seaweed does arrive, the local government and businesses are working hard to clean the beaches as fast as they can.

You can always plan excursions into the jungle, visit ruins, and swim in a cenote, to avoid any chance of seeing seaweed.

Seaweed is not a welcome guest on anyone’s vacation; however, its arrival does not have to ruin your time in Cancun.