Did you know that Yucatan has the longest pier in the world?

It is located in the port of Progreso in Yucatán and measures more than 6 km (3.7 miles) in length.

It overlooks the Gulf of Mexico in its northwestern part. It is used in the commercial and tourist fields. Passenger cruise ships and cargo ships arrive there as well.

Originally, the pier was built to replace an old wooden pier and had an extension of 2.1 km. In 1988, 4 more kilometers were added to the structure to increase the reception capacity of ships and containers.

Although it has been transformed over the years, its original structure remains as it was designed and built by the Danish firm Christiani and Nielsen, architects who won the public bidding issued by the federal government in February 1935.

For its construction, 23,000 tons of cement were required. Of these, 17,500 were brought from Denmark, th rest from the United States and central Mexico.

According to information from the chronicler of Progreso, Romeo Frías Bobadilla, construction of the pier began in 1936 and was completed on May 9, 1941, during World War II.

Being a strategic point in the Gulf of Mexico, the city of Progreso de Castro became a benchmark for the state and gave way to the economic boom of the 50s, 60s and 70s of the last century, in commerce, services and tourism.

Today, Yucatan wants to consolidate itself as a cruise destination. For this, the Secretariat of Tourism Promotion of the Mexican state (Sefotur) is executing modifications and improvements in the facilities of the cruise port: Puerto Progreso.

Currently, the conditions of Puerto Progreso only allow the docking of ships with a capacity of about 2,500 passengers. With the improvements that are being made, the facilities could receive ships with up to 8,000 passengers and thus compete with the large Mexican cruise ports such as Cozumel (Quintana Roo) or Puerto Vallarta (Jalisco).

TYT Newsroom