Isla Cozumel: History

Pre-20th-Century History

The Maya settled here from around AD 300. In the post-Classic period, Cozumel thrived as a trade center and, more significantly, a ceremonial site. Maya women from all over the Yucatán Peninsula and beyond made pilgrimages here to pay tribute to Ixchel, the goddess of fertility and the moon, at a temple erected in her honor at San Gervasio (located towards the northern end of the island).

The first Spaniards, Juan de Grijalva and his men, made their way to Cozumel in 1518. At the time, there were at least 32 Mayan sites on the island. A year later, conqueror Hernán Cortés sacked one of the temples but left the others intact, apparently satisfied with converting the island population to Christianity. Subsequently, Spanish conquistadors introduced devastating smallpox to the islanders - the disease wiped out half of the 8000 Mayan population. And the survivors? All but 200 fell under genocidal attacks by conquistadors in the late 1540s.

A period of virtual desertion on Cozumel followed, during which the island became a refuge for notorious pirates such as Jean Lafitte and Henry Morgan.

Modern History

In 1848, Indians fleeing the War of the Castes found their way to Cozumel. By the early 20th century its now mostly mestizo (people of mixed European and indigenous ancestry) population grew, thanks in the most part to the chewing gum industry. Locals harvested chicle gum from the Manilkara chicle tree on the island (Cozumel was a port of call on the chicle export route). The natural gum was sugar-coated in America and turned into the ubiquitous Chiclets. Later, the invention of synthetic chewing gum meant the need for chicle eventually waned, as did Cozumel's major industry. However, the island's economy stood strong for a while due to construction of a US air base during WWII.

After the US military said adios , the island hit a real economic slump, and many of its residents moved away. The hangers-on fished for a living. Then in 1961, everything changed when ocean explorer-extraordinaire Jacques Cousteau produced a documentary about Cozumel's glorious marine life. Almost overnight, the tourists began to arrive...

Recent History

In its new incarnation as one of the world's most desirable diving destinations, Cozumel has undergone a growth spurt: islanders now number over 75,000. A certain percentage of the populace seems determined to squeeze the last centavo out of the foreign visitor, but in the main Cozumel's native citizens are friendly and polite to the point of courtliness.

October 2005 brought Hurricane Wilma, which decimated the island with three days of non-stop, category 5 gale-force winds and mussed up the shallower snorkeling sites. Cozumel has recovered nicely and is almost back to normal today.

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