ISLA MUJERES
Just six miles offshore from Cancun, yet a world apart, Isla Mujeres
(Isle of Women) is a needle-shaped island only five miles long and a
quarter-mile wide at its widest point, offering relaxed village life. It
is Mexico’s easternmost bit of land—the sun shines here first, rising over
the Caribbean, then setting magnificently over the Yucatan mainland.
Called “The Pearl of the Caribbean,” it was a pirate hideout during the
17th and 18th centuries, and has retained the calm, unhurried air of a
Caribbean village frozen in time.
Unlike its young neighbor, Cancun, “Isla” as it’s often called, has
centuries of history and generations of native inhabitants. This island
still retains its manifold blend of traditions—Mayan, Yucatecan, Caribbean
and Spanish. A warm feeling of pueblo and community pride mingles with an
enduring air of serenity.
Isla’s history dates back to Mayan times. An ancient cliff-top
temple-observatory on the southern tip was reconstructed after being
blasted to bits by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. The island was “discovered”
by Spaniard Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba and his crew in 1517, after
becoming lost in a storm. They literally blew in from Cuba, 90 miles to
the east!
The most common claim for the island’s name says that there the
Spaniards found idols depicting the Mayan goddess of fertility. Another
theory holds that when the Spaniards arrived, all they saw were females
because the men and boys were all out at sea fishing; by the time the men
returned home with their catch, the name had already been logged in by the
now disappointed captain and crew.
Later the island became a popular spot for pirates and slave traders,
such as the legendary Fermin Mundaca, who arrived in the 1800s to find
paradise and his true love, a young islander called La Triguena, who
didn’t return his passion and ran off with another to Merida. Fermin
Mundaca pursued her there, where he died. His unoccupied tomb, in the
island’s interesting cemetery north of town, is decorated with a skull and
crossbones symbolizing his past, and an inscription that reads, “What you
are, I will be. As I am, you will be.”
Passenger ferries leave every half hour from Puerto Juarez, just north
of downtown Cancun, and make the trip in 15 minutes. You disembark right
in the tranquil town, located at the northern end of the island. Its
narrow streets are lined with small shops and Mexican-style diners. The
town square with its church, basketball court and gazebo bandstand is a
favorite gathering place for the friendly islanders. There are concerts or
dances, usually on Saturday nights, and always on festive holidays.
The island is narrow and flat at the north end, and in five minutes you
can stroll across town. In the “good old days” (meaning before Cancun was
built), there were no roads or vehicles on the island; now there are more
than a hundred taxis, and visitors can rent bicycles, mopeds or
four-passenger golf carts to explore the island; watch out for speed
bumps!
Adjacent to the town square, a brick-lined malecon, or boardwalk, faces
the Caribbean with its continuous and refreshing sea breeze. Beaches along
this eastern shore are great for sunning and shelling, but not for
swimming because of the strong currents.
The best beach, an expansive stretch of sand at the northernmost lee
side, is Playa Norte (also known as Playa Los Cocos—Coconuts Beach). The
water is shallow, and as calm and clear as a swimming pool; the soft,
porous limestone sand never gets hot, although it is blinding white;
sunglasses are advisable. Here jet-skis, windsurf boards, aqua-tricycles,
banana boats and other water toys are available from Tarzan’s Water Sports
on the beach—ask for Tarzan, of course! A few steps away, time is well
spent enjoying tropical drinks, fresh seafood and socializing at La Palapa,
a seaside restaurant-bar that’s also lively at night.
With its coral gardens, reefs and lagoon, Isla Mujeres is an attractive
base for snorkeling and diving—so much so that an island visit is included
in most seafaring tours out of Cancun. Most of these day trips also
include the newly-renovated El Garrafon National Park, a shallow coral
reef just off the island’s southwest shore that is good for swimming and
snorkeling. There are dozens of varieties of brightly-colored fish, and
cannons and anchors from sunken Spanish galleons have been placed on the
bottom to add to the underwater scenery.
About one kilometer off the southern tip of the island is Los Manchones,
a series of beautiful coral reefs only 30 to 50 feet deep, which, together
with El Farito, are one of the area’s main attractions for scuba divers.
Also fascinating for experienced scuba divers is the Cave of the Sleeping
Sharks, 60 feet down in the open Caribbean to the northeast of Isla
Mujeres. This bizarre phenomenon of immobile sharks, who must normally be
in constant motion in order to breathe, was discovered by a local diver
who happened upon the cave. The late, noted oceanographer-cinematographer
Ramon Bravo’s documentation of the cave and its inhabitants became the
cover story of National Geographic in April 1975.
South of Macax Lagoon, located in the center of the island and home to
the deluxe Puerto Isla Mujeres resort and marina, on the lee side beach,
is a marine biology station and turtle farm called Tortugranja. Giant sea
turtles have been nesting on this strip of beach for centuries, and are
now under strict protection—nests are monitored and hatchlings placed in
tanks for a few months to mature them before they’re turned loose in the
ocean. From here, about 40,000 baby turtles are set free annually, and
resident marine biologists offer interesting talks (in several languages)
on the endangered species.
On Isla, you can also swim with dolphins, or simply have an up-close
and personal encounter with them, at Dolphin Discovery, which operates
three such facilities in the Mexican Caribbean. Swimming with the gentle,
curious creatures or just joining in a petting session while immersed
waist deep in one of the pens is an unforgettable experience, as is any
visit to Isla Mujeres—the Isle of Women.
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