The island of women
Isla Mujeres is about 13 km as the crow flies from Cancun. It currently has around 13.000 inhabitants, around 90% of whom work in tourism and the rest as fishermen. It was here, and not in Cancun, that the region's first hotel was built, the Zazil Ha, which has been closed since Hurricane Gilberto swept through the island in 1988.
About the name of the island: In the book "Yucatan, antes y despues de la Conquista" (Yucatan before and after the conquest) written by the Spanish monk Diego de Landa in 1566, we read that it was the conqueror Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, who left Cuba in 1517 with three ships to capture slaves for the Spanish silver mines, ended up in a storm on Isla Mujeres, where he discovered a temple at the southern tip dedicated to the Mayan goddesses Ixchel, Ixchebeliax, Ixhunie and Ixhuineta was dedicated.
The goddesses were depicted as small stone figures, clothed only from the waist down. According to another version, the name of the island derives from the fact that one day, when the Spaniards landed on the island, they met only women, since all the men were fishing at sea and all the elderly and children were afraid of the hid from strangers.
However the island got its name, one thing is certain: it is a small piece of paradise, with beautiful beaches and friendly people who have retained the typical Caribbean joie de vivre. The history of the island is enriched with many legends, which are also related to colorful personalities.
