Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo or Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo, and often referred to as ''The Mexican Caribbean'' is a state of Mexico that is part of the Yucatan Peninsula, with a shoreline along the Caribbean that has grown in just a few decades into a major tourism destination. It includes large resort cities built specifically for the Yanqui/Euro tropical vacation business, small communities with a more local Maya-Mexicano character, and fascinating ancient Maya archaeological sites.