Move over Disney, Mexico plans Mayan theme park

Tourists visit Tulum National Park in Mexico's Quintana Roo state, part of the so-called Riviera Maya, a stretch of pristine beaches on the country's southeastern coast. - AFP/file

Mexico City (AFP) - Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced plans Monday for an $840 million Mayan theme park on the Caribbean coast to rival the major theme parks in the United States.

The park, dubbed Amikoo -- or "friend" in the Mayan language -- will have rides and characters based on Mayan mythology and be built in two phases in the so-called Riviera Maya, a stretch of pristine beaches on Mexico's southeastern coast.