This island has a rich history dating back to the times of the ancient Mayans.

Some vestiges of this important culture can be seen in a temple-observatory atop a reef on the southern tip of the island.

In 1517, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba arrived on the island and decided to name it Isla de Mujeres (Island of Women) as he came across many wooden idols of a Mayan goddess.

In the following centuries, Isla Mujeres, like many islands in the region, became a haven for pirates, smugglers, and slave traders.

One of the most famous characters was Fermín Mundaca. He was a merchant and a slave trader, but he was also an architect, sculptor, painter, poet, and farmer.

Mundaca arrived on the island in the early 19th century and decided to settle in this little paradise. He burned his ship and killed his crew so no one could reveal his whereabouts. To convince a beautiful local woman to marry him, he built a beautiful hacienda in the southern part of the island.

Despite the magnificent place, the girl left for Mérida, and although Mundaca followed her to this place on the peninsula, he never persuaded her, and that is where he died. It is said that the famous pirate dug his own tomb, and there, the famous inscription reads "As you are, I was" on one side and "As I am, you will be" on the other. Mundaca's tomb is empty, and no one knows where his remains ended up.

After this period, life on the island continued peacefully until it became a tourist destination.