The first vestiges from the Island takes us back 1500 years when it was part of Ekab, one of the ancient mayan provinces. Isla Mujeres was considered back then a sanctuary for Goddess Ixchel, mayan goddess of the moon, medicine, happiness and fertility, ancient mayans constructed a temple located in the south point of the island.
New vestiges have been found with evidence that the real Ixchel temple may have been located in what later became Hacienda Mundaca and the south point vestiges would have just been a lighthouse.
In 1517 the island was discovered by Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba, this expedition found only a few inhabitants including the Priestess of Ixchel’s temple and her court of women, this is where the island has it name, “Island of women” Isla Mujeres.
They also discovered ruins on Isla’s mainland now known as “El Meco” which wasn’t it’s real name, el meco was a local resident without one leg and the site was named after him for some odd reason. The site seems to have been inhabited back in 300 AD and then abandoned to be resettled in the 10th century, it was a major commercial port but also a religious center, it was abandoned after the spanish arrived.
Keywords: Isla Mujeres, Ixchel temple, Hacienda Mundaca, El Meco ruins