Cozumel Island, México

The Island of Cozumel gets its name from the Mayan word cuzamil-pectin, which means “Land of the Swallows.”

Cozumel, Mexico

To more modern visitors, it is known simply as a diver's paradise. Inhabited first by the Mayans, then by Spanish colonists, it later became a haven for pirates. The Mayans first lived there around 300 A.D. For them, Cozumel was a sacred place, inhabited, they believed, by Ixchel (pronounced Icks-chel), the goddess of fertility and love. Women were expected at least once in their lives to make the 18 km (12 mile) trip by boat to worship at the shrines they had built for her there. It was said that Ixchel sent swallows, her favorite species of bird, to the island to thank those who erected the temples in her name.

The first Spanish colonists, Juan de Grijalva and his men arrived on the island around 1528. At that time, there were at least 32 Mayan villages in Cozumel. When Hernan Cortez arrived a year later, he destroyed many of the Mayan temples, and attempted to convert the villagers to Christianity. Those that refused were killed. Others merely killed themselves. Those that survied the Spanish invasion were almost completely wiped out by a smallpox outbreak.

The island remained uninhabited by human for years. Eventually, pirates, including Henry Morgan and Jean Lafitte, used it as a base of operations. They claimed the island as their own from the late 17th century to the early 19th century.

Around 1848, the island became a refuge for indians fleeing the abuses of the white Mexican central government, known as the War of Castes. By the early 20th century, most of the population were meztizos, people of both caucasian and indian heritage. By then, the economy of Cozumel had strengthened due to the harvest of chicle, the principle ingredient of chewing gum at the time. The crop was exported to the United States, Europe, and Japan, allowing Cozumel to become a well-known port of call. The invention of synthetic chewing gum shut down the chicle industry, and caused much hardship, but the island's economy did not completely colapsed. The United States built an air base there during World War II, which helped immensely. When the US military left the island after the war, the economy slumped, and many residents departed to find work on the mainland.

Cozumel was known primarily as a tourist

Cozumel, Mexico

destination within Mexico until the early 1960's when it was discovered by Jacques Cousteau, who regarded Cozumel as one of the greatest diving sites in the world. Many divers continue to regard it as such, even today.

Cozumel Map
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