The first Maya settled in Cozumel 2,000 years ago. During the classic period 300-900 A.D. - a time when priests were at the top of the social hierarchy of the Maya world and life revolved around religious ceremonies – Cozumel became one of the most important sanctuaries in the Yucatan region. Cozumel derives its name from the Mayan words Cuzam (swallow) and Lumil (land of), which form the word Cuzamil (land of swallows). The Mayan word changed with time to the Spanish name of Cozumel . The Mayans believed the island to be a sacred shrine. In the codice, Chilam Balam of Chumdyel, Mayan scribes describe Cozumel as the center from which the Earth Children multiplied like ‘bees from a hive of honey.’ Religious pilgrimages were common to the island especially by women who were either pregnant or wanted to get pregnant. Women crossed the 12 mile, 3000 ft. deep channel from the Yucatan to pay homage to the goddess Ixchel, the goddess of the moon, sea, and fertility. It was here on the island of Cozumel that her sanctuary was established around 800 A.D. In 1518 Juan de Grijalva, nephew of the governor of Cuba, set off to investigate the Yucatan Peninsula . He left Havana with four ships and 300 men. The first Spanish set foot on Cozumel during this journey. Upon their return, reports of the island and mainland sparked the beginning of Spain's insatiable search for gold. The following year Hernán Cortés arrived at Cozumel with 11 ships and 750 Conquistadors. At the time of his arrival the Mayan population was nearly 40,000. Within a few years, battles with the Spanish and the diseases they brought dwindled the Mayan population to around 300. The Maya eventually left Cozumel and the island was abandoned. Several pirates used Cozumel as a base of operations in the 17th century, including the notorious Henry Morgan and Jean Lafitte, however, the island was not resettled until 1848. An interesting piece of history found at the Museo de Isla Cozumel is that Abraham Lincoln spoke with the Mexican government about the possibility of buying the island. He was considering it as a place to send the freed slaves. From mid-19th century to the beginning of the 20th, Cozumel ’s economy boomed, and it became an important port. The depression (1930’s) seriously affected the island economically; it bounced back during World War II when the US built an air base for planes hunting U-boats in the mid-Atlantic. Drawn by clear waters, frogmen came to train and returned home with stories of magnificent underwater vistas. Jacques Cousteau’s underwater explorations and declarations in 1960 about the richness of the coral reef surrounding the island made underwater enthusiasts aware of Cozumel ’s existence. By 1970, Cozumel ’s population quickly grew to 10,000 and today the island boasts a population of more than 89,000.
In the codice, Chilam Balam of Chumdyel, Mayan scribes describe Cozumel as the center from which the Earth Children multiplied like ‘bees from a hive of honey.’ Religious pilgrimages were common to the island especially by women who were either pregnant or wanted to get pregnant. Women crossed the 12 mile, 3000 ft. deep channel from the Yucatan to pay homage to the goddess Ixchel, the goddess of the moon, sea, and fertility. It was here on the island of Cozumel that her sanctuary was established around 800 A.D. In 1518 Juan de Grijalva, nephew of the governor of Cuba, set off to investigate the Yucatan Peninsula . He left Havana with four ships and 300 men. The first Spanish set foot on Cozumel during this journey. Upon their return, reports of the island and mainland sparked the beginning of Spain's insatiable search for gold. The following year Hernán Cortés arrived at Cozumel with 11 ships and 750 Conquistadors. At the time of his arrival the Mayan population was nearly 40,000. Within a few years, battles with the Spanish and the diseases they brought dwindled the Mayan population to around 300. The Maya eventually left Cozumel and the island was abandoned. Several pirates used Cozumel as a base of operations in the 17th century, including the notorious Henry Morgan and Jean Lafitte, however, the island was not resettled until 1848. An interesting piece of history found at the Museo de Isla Cozumel is that Abraham Lincoln spoke with the Mexican government about the possibility of buying the island. He was considering it as a place to send the freed slaves. From mid-19th century to the beginning of the 20th, Cozumel ’s economy boomed, and it became an important port. The depression (1930’s) seriously affected the island economically; it bounced back during World War II when the US built an air base for planes hunting U-boats in the mid-Atlantic. Drawn by clear waters, frogmen came to train and returned home with stories of magnificent underwater vistas. Jacques Cousteau’s underwater explorations and declarations in 1960 about the richness of the coral reef surrounding the island made underwater enthusiasts aware of Cozumel ’s existence. By 1970, Cozumel ’s population quickly grew to 10,000 and today the island boasts a population of more than 89,000.
In 1518 Juan de Grijalva, nephew of the governor of Cuba, set off to investigate the Yucatan Peninsula . He left Havana with four ships and 300 men. The first Spanish set foot on Cozumel during this journey. Upon their return, reports of the island and mainland sparked the beginning of Spain's insatiable search for gold. The following year Hernán Cortés arrived at Cozumel with 11 ships and 750 Conquistadors. At the time of his arrival the Mayan population was nearly 40,000. Within a few years, battles with the Spanish and the diseases they brought dwindled the Mayan population to around 300. The Maya eventually left Cozumel and the island was abandoned. Several pirates used Cozumel as a base of operations in the 17th century, including the notorious Henry Morgan and Jean Lafitte, however, the island was not resettled until 1848. An interesting piece of history found at the Museo de Isla Cozumel is that Abraham Lincoln spoke with the Mexican government about the possibility of buying the island. He was considering it as a place to send the freed slaves. From mid-19th century to the beginning of the 20th, Cozumel ’s economy boomed, and it became an important port. The depression (1930’s) seriously affected the island economically; it bounced back during World War II when the US built an air base for planes hunting U-boats in the mid-Atlantic. Drawn by clear waters, frogmen came to train and returned home with stories of magnificent underwater vistas. Jacques Cousteau’s underwater explorations and declarations in 1960 about the richness of the coral reef surrounding the island made underwater enthusiasts aware of Cozumel ’s existence. By 1970, Cozumel ’s population quickly grew to 10,000 and today the island boasts a population of more than 89,000.
Several pirates used Cozumel as a base of operations in the 17th century, including the notorious Henry Morgan and Jean Lafitte, however, the island was not resettled until 1848. An interesting piece of history found at the Museo de Isla Cozumel is that Abraham Lincoln spoke with the Mexican government about the possibility of buying the island. He was considering it as a place to send the freed slaves.
From mid-19th century to the beginning of the 20th, Cozumel ’s economy boomed, and it became an important port. The depression (1930’s) seriously affected the island economically; it bounced back during World War II when the US built an air base for planes hunting U-boats in the mid-Atlantic. Drawn by clear waters, frogmen came to train and returned home with stories of magnificent underwater vistas. Jacques Cousteau’s underwater explorations and declarations in 1960 about the richness of the coral reef surrounding the island made underwater enthusiasts aware of Cozumel ’s existence. By 1970, Cozumel ’s population quickly grew to 10,000 and today the island boasts a population of more than 89,000.