Welcome to Cozumel, the largest island in Mexico, and one of the best known in the world. The island stretches 29 miles (48 km.) from north to south and 9 miles (15 km.) east to west. Though small, Cozumel has a rich history dating back thousands of years involving the Ancient Maya, the Spanish, multiple wars and even pirates.
The island of Cozumel was settled by the Mayas as early as 300 AD. It became an important seaport for Mayan trade because it was well positioned in the middle of routes to and from Honduras and Veracruz. In addition, Cozumel history began as a pilgrimage site; the shrines of Ixchel, goddess of fertility, drew worshippers from places such as the Costa Maya. The site of this worshiping was what is now the San Gervasio ruins, located on the transversal road going east on the island.
Although initial attempts by the Spanish to settle the Yucatan Peninsula failed due to the resistance of the Mayas, in 1518, Juan de Grijalva landed on Cozumel Island with four ships bound for Cuba. Grijalva did not have much impact on Cozumel history but was followed by Hernán Cortéz one year later, marking the beginning of a bitter struggle for control of the peninsula between the Spanish and the Mayas. Cortéz and his men destroyed many of the Mayan temples on Cozumel; after he departed the island to further explore the peninsula, a smallpox epidemic broke out and Cozumel's population fell to less than 300 people by 1570. By the year 1600, Cozumel was completely abandoned.
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In the 17th century, pirates took advantage of Cozumel's isolation and used it as a base for operations. The most notable
Cozumel pirate was the American pirate Jean Lafitte.
The island was not re-inhabited until 1848, when settlers from the mainland sought refuge there from the “Caste War”, a violent struggle waged by the natives of Mayan ancestry to regain their lands and end the oppression of the Spanish. In 1901, the government troops proved to be too much for the rebelling army, and they surrendered. The Revolution of 1910 resulted in important land reforms and freedom for the native people upon winning their independence in 1917.
The Mexican settlers on Cozumel survived on sparse ranching and farming, but their main source of income came from the harvesting of ‘chicle’ from the Zapote tree (*see CMT on Trees). This ‘chicle’ was the world’s first chewing gum and was processed on the mainland then sent to Cozumel for exportation. The depression in the 1930´s seriously affected the island economically and as the ports shut down the inhabitants had no source of income.
Cozumel bounced back during World War II when the United States of America built an air base on the island. The U.S. air base was the main terminal for allied planes hunting U-boats in the Gulf of Mexico. After the war, the island hit another economic slump, and many of its residents moved away. Those that stayed now made their living off of fishing, and the few travelers who visited the island.
Cozumel remained a quiet little fishing community until 1961, when French explorer Jacques Cousteau proclaimed the area's waters one of the most spectacular scuba diving sites in the world. This endorsement, along with the fully operational airport left behind by the Americans facilitated Cozumel’s growth into the world renowned diving and tourist destination it is today.
Andrew Synyshyn
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