Progreso is a port city in the Mexican state of Yucatán, located on the Gulf of Mexico in the north-west of the state some 30 minutes north of state capital Mérida (the biggest city on the Yucatán Peninsula) by highway. Progreso is one of the newest ports for large cruise ships and an emerging balneario resort destination. Passengers disembark on a very long pier, the Terminal Remota opened in 1989 that juts out 6.5 km (4.0 mi) into the Gulf of Mexico. Passengers are taken to shore to visit Progreso, Mérida or the Maya civilization archaeological sites of Uxmal and Dzibilchaltun.
During the months of July and August the beaches fill with thousands of mostly local tourists, as it is traditional in these months for well-to-do residents of Mérida to leave the city and spend the summer in the cooler seaside environment.
