With less than 20 years since it first became a city, the city is still struggling to establish a feeling of ‘belonging’ for many residents
Although many define Playa del Carmen as a paradise, this is not enough to for most who decide to live and put down roots.
In fact, Playa del Carmen is not the final stop for many who live here, as many move on to live elsewhere.
According to Pedro Leal Salazar, coordinator of the Population Council, COMUPO, although the location is very attractive, “As the years go on, people don’t always feel a love for this place, perhaps their hearts are elsewhere so they do not create a relationship with the area. We see this in the talks we give in neighborhoods, people don’t know each other, they don’t know those who live around them and only dedicate themselves to work,” he explained.
He said that more than 80 percent come to Playa del Carmen to look for work, but few tend to stay in the long term. In other words, they don’t love the location and just worry about living comfortably while they are here.
Most agree that there is a peacefulness and safety that isn’t found elsewhere, making not only Playa del Carmen but also Quintana Roo an ideal place to live. Mexicans who settle in Quintana Roo primarily come from Chiapas, Tabasco and Veracruz. In the case of foreigners, the majority are Argentines, Cubans, and Italians. Leal Salazar explained that because of the difficulty in gaining access to some developments like Playacar and Marina de Puerto Aventuras, there are no accurate figures on North American residents.
It is important to clarify that this information was gathered by COMUPO in 2013. However, a curious fact is that in the 58,000 houses surveyed, 25 percent were not inhabited. “Many had a ‘For Sale’ sign on them,” he said. Furthermore, of the 499 deaths which happened in 2014, most of the deceased were taken to their places of origin by their families, mainly to states like Tabasco and Chiapas. This information came from the San José funeral parlor.
Without a doubt, Playa del Carmen is a good place to live, but it will be a while for the majority to see it as home.
