History

Evidence has shown that the island of Cozumel has been inhabited since the year 300 B.C. The first dwellers on the island, the Maya, named this island Cuzamil, meaning the island of the swallows. The island of Cuzamil was an important part of the commercial routes of the Maya. It was also known as the “Island of Fertility”, as Mayan women would come to the island to pay their respects to Ixchel, the Mayan goddess of fertility. With the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico, it is said that the first Christian mass in Mexico was held in the town of El Cedral on Cozumel Island. In the 1960’s, the beauty of Cozumel reefs, beaches and jungle began to be explored by national and international tourists. Today, Cozumel is one of the leading tourist destinations in the Caribbean.