Isla Mujeres («Island of Women») is a small and charming island, with the most beautiful beaches, as well as colorful houses in the Caribbean, boutique hotels and friendly people. It mixes rustic and modern, making this beautiful island a must see… located off the coast of Cancun, along the stretch of 7.5 km long and 500 m wide. Isla Mujeres during the Mayan empire, was the sanctuary of Ixchel, the Mayan goddess of fertility, abundance, and medicine. In the middle of the 16th century, the Spanish arrived on the Mexican coast. Other versions say that many women died because of pirates and so the island served as a refuge so that women were not attacked, since during their robberies they kidnapped women. One of them, the pirate Mundaca, built a hacienda on the island as his home and took a pretty Mayan girl with whom he fell in love. Today, Isla Mujeres has a hotel infrastructure with facilities from 1 to 5 stars, cozy boutique hotels and local and international fusion food restaurants, as well as beach clubs and bars. Isla Mujeres therefore offers ecotourism experiences in places such as: Garrafon Natural Park, Contoy Iceland also known as Bird Island – or Tortu-granja, the turtle farm. But if you are looking for water sports, go and swim with dolphins or in the famous Cave of the Sleeping Sharks, and snorkel or dive in the reefs of Faritos and Manchones! To tour the Island, it is best to rent a golf cart and ride around the North area, where you will see the most amazing beaches. Or you can rent bikes as well. Timetable for delivery is around 18:00 hrs. so start early on your trip to discover this paradise. When in Iceland, you must try the «Tikinxik», a typical fresh fish from the area like the Mayans used to cook… delicious! Some good restaurant options to try this delicacy are Playa Lancheros, Tikinxik or El Comején, located in front of the sea to spend a beautiful day… Isla Mujeres is a beautiful Iceland in the Mexican Caribbean that invites you to enjoy its Natural Wonders as well as the hospitality of its people!
Beautiful beaches bathed by the warm turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea, it is quite natural to expect that the Riviera Maya will offer a wide variety of nautical activities to attract the interest of visitors. But there is much more in the way of water activities for visitors to enjoy throughout the region. There are underground rivers and lagoons to swim, dive and explore, beautiful lakes and cenotes.
The first news of Isla Mujeres dates back to the period between 564 and 1516 AD and places it as a Mayan province of Ekab, one of the four Mayan provinces or territories that made up what is today the state of Quintana Roo. At this time Isla Mujeres was not a human settlement, but a sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Ixchel.
We can call Isla Mujeres a land of encounters, which experienced the first when the Mayans settled on the island and began to exploit salt, a key input not only for their food but also for medicine and for the commercial exchange that they practiced with the provinces to the south, even beyond Honduras, where this precious mineral has never existed.
A temple was built for the Goddess Ixchel where Fermín Mundaca’s hacienda is today, and there before each summer the offerings were multiplied so that the salt harvest would be abundant.
Because of these idols in the shape of a woman, this island was baptized as Isla Mujeres. They represented Ixchebel Yax, Ixbunic and Ixbunieta, daughters of the Mother Goddess of the Moon, Goddess of weaving, fertility, medicine, childbirth or Goddess of Making Children as Father Landa called her. Inventor of painting, wife of Itzamá the God of the Sun, in short Ixchel was the Patron of Isla Mujeres since before the arrival of the Spanish.
To cross to Isla Mujeres, take the ferry, at the Puerto Juarez pier in Cancun, if you are in downtown Cancun. You can take a taxi that will cost you $30.00 MN pesos or a bus to Puerto Juarez or Punta Sam for $6.00 MN pesos, but if you are in the hotel zone, you can go to Playa Tortugas to cross to the island. To get around the island you can rent motorcycles, golf carts or take the bus at the Ultramar terminal. They take you to Hotel Palace, Playa Lancheros.
To cross to Isla Mujeres, you must take the ferry at the pier in Puerto Juarez, Cancun. But if you are in the hotel zone, you can go to Playa Tortugas to cross to the island. To get around the island you can rent motorcycles, golf carts or take the bus at the Ultramar terminal.
If you travel by car you can cross from the Puerto Juarez maritime terminal at the end of the same road.
