When I first heard about this tradition (on Facebook, of course), my first reaction was: What a great idea! But my second reaction was: Oh god, I hope they don't get caught! (My third reaction was: Oh god, what a great blog post if they do get caught!)
As Carl Franz & Lorena Havens explain in their fantastic Mexican travelogue/guidebook, The People's Guide to Mexico:
"The best way to offend the maximum number of people. regardless of their individual opin-
ions about clothing styles, is to go partially or fully nude in public. A playera (T-shirt) and
pants are usually OK on a man. but a bare chest is frowned upon except at the beach. On our
first trip to Mexico. Steve removed his shin in a busy gas station in orrlerto wash grease off
his arms. An indignant cop ordered him to put it back on. (Mexico's “dress code” is gradually
relaxing. but l still prefer to wear more clothes rather than less. especially in small towns.)
"Men are ofien seen on crowded beaches wearing nothing but a pair of baggy. semi-trans-
parent undershorts. Though their balls may be almost in public view. they are properly attired
for the beach.
"Traditional dress codes for women in rural Mexico can be quite strict. A small boy may
romp stark naked, whereas a girl, even though just a toddler, will cause a scandal if she .
appears with a bare butt. Women occasionally bathe in secluded spots with their breasts
exposed. but they'll rarely remove their undershirts. Mixed bathing with soap is not common
and is considered very daring.
"Mixed nude bathing is very risky and can lead to serious trouble. l know many cases where Mexicans tolerated open dope smoking. laughed at foolish drunken stunts and then called the cops when people swam nude."
So... I hope the Mexican police aren't reading this. (Even if they are, Cancun has more miles of beach than nosy police.)
Come to think of it, the police are nowhere near the biggest danger. Luckily, sharks (who do feed at night) can't read...
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