Playa del Alma II: The Faces Behind Playa del Carmen’s Transformation

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Q.Roo — A photography project that has quietly chronicled the evolution of Playa del Carmen for more than two decades is returning with a new volume—and a launch event open to the public.

Playa del Alma Vol. 2 builds on the original 2005 book, which captured 110 portraits of residents during a pivotal moment in the city’s early growth. The new edition expands that vision, bringing together 180 portraits and approximately 120 personal stories from people who lived through Playa’s transformation from a small coastal town into one of Mexico’s fastest-growing destinations.

The project traces its roots back to 2000, when photographer Anthony Caronia began documenting life in Playa del Carmen as the city stood on the edge of rapid change. At the time, the community was still relatively small but increasingly diverse, shaped by arrivals from across Mexico and abroad. Over the following years, that mix—and the pace of development—would redefine the city.

Today, Playa del Carmen has grown into a major tourism hub with a population exceeding 300,000, driven by sustained migration and economic opportunity tied to the Riviera Maya. That rapid expansion—and the sense of a city constantly in motion—is at the core of the Playa del Alma project.

While the first volume focused on capturing faces, the second edition places greater emphasis on memory and lived experience. Each story offers a personal account of what it meant to arrive, build a life, and contribute to a city that was still taking shape.

The book is being released as a limited run, with distribution intentionally kept close to the local community. Organizers say the response so far has been strongly nostalgic, reflecting a growing interest in preserving Playa’s earlier identity amid ongoing development.

A public launch event is scheduled for Monday, May 4, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Amate 38 restaurant in Playa del Carmen. The author will be in attendance, and copies of Playa del Alma Vol. 2 will be available for purchase.

The event offers residents and longtime followers of the project a chance to reconnect with a shared past—one that, for many, feels increasingly distant as the city continues to evolve.