It was a bit of a lazy morning. We had a busy day yesterday and slept in a little. Yes, I was still first up.

Today we are going to go to Isla Mujeres (pronounced Isla Mohairas). It is an island half way across the bay which has beautiful beaches. Claudia did not accompany us as she had some errands to do. So Vic, Paul and I took a ferry over with a cooler to enjoy another beach day. 

Isla Mujeres is the easternmost point of Mexico, the frontier of eastern Mexico, and the Mexican Navy base was established in 1949. At that time, fishing was still the main source of income. It wasn't until recent years that tourism became a large part of the island. In 1967, the Mexican Government and its water department (C.A.P.A), with the help of many local divers, installed an under-the-sea purified water piping system, the first in the world. The 6" pipes were replaced with 8" pipes in 1988 the same year.

In Mayan times Isla Mujeres was called Ekab, it was one of the four provinces or Mayan territories that formed what is today the State of Quintana Roo. The island served as the sanctuary for the goddess Ixchel, the Mayan Goddess of fertility, reason, medicine, happiness and the moon. The Temple was located at the South point of the island and was also used as the lighthouse. The light from torches was shown through holes in the walls, which could be seen by the navigators at sea. The Mayans also came to the island to harvest salt from the salt lagoons. 
In March 1517, a Spaniard, Francisco Hernandes and his expedition found many female shaped idols representing the goddess Ixchel and named the island Isla Mujeres - Isla Mujeres means island of women. 

Long before Cancun was even a glint in developer's eyes, Isla Mujeres opened it's arms to tourists from around the world. Some older residents of the island tell stories of tourists signaling from a make-shift dock near where Puerto Juarez stands today. Son's of local fisherman would take small launches over to the mainland and pick up visitors for their stay on the island. Eventually, Isla established a regular ferry service, making frequent runs to 3 different areas. 

We started our adventure walking through the market streets and staving off vendors and eventually came to the beach and found a spot to park ourselves. We couldn't wait to get in the water. It was very hot and humid. The beaches are beautiful and the water is warm but refreshing. We spent a very enjoyable day lounging and swimming and walking the beach on the Isla and made our way to the last ferry to come home at 5:30. 

We had a margarita on the deck and had shrimp, dumplings, and ribs for dinner with some wine, of course. 

 Tomorrow is Chichen Itsa. We are leaving first thing in the morning so are hitting the pit early tonight.