We spent yesterday on Cozumel (Island of the Swallows), which I had always associated with Spring Break, Cancun and such. However, I did not realize the deep & tragic history the island had. Most recently, it was devastated by Hurricanes Emily and Wilma two years ago which basically flattened the island, destroyed its hotels and ripped up the thick cement docks (which they are still rebuilding) used by the cruises. The 150 mph winds and 11 foot waves tore through the island and shut down the island’s tourism life blood.
The Mayans (of Apocalypso fame) inhabited the island originally around 300 AD and it became a key port of trade due to its location and spiritual destination for Ixchel, the Mayan Goddess of fertility and love. At the height of the Mayan civilization, it became the religious center of the Mayan empire with a population of over 50,000. By the 1500’s, Cortez and the Spanish army invaded the island and began to destroy the Mayan temples, replacing them with Catholic churches. They also brought smallpox. Within 50 years, the population had dropped to less than 200. It is amazing to see the destructive impact this “colonization” had on the indigenous population. The pirates used the nearly deserted island in the 1600’s and 1700’s as one of their key bases.
Jacque Cousteau put the island back on the map in the 1970’s when he began filming underwater footage of the Mayan reefs (second in size only to the Great Australian Barrier Reefs).
So, realize that your kids are seeking historical research and not a rich party life when they ask if they can go to Cozumel and Cancun for Spring Break.
Trivia: name the fifth largest financial center in the world (no Googling!)…
Mexico City