Mayan Statues Downtown Cozumel

The Maya are believed to have first settled Cozumel by the early part of the 1st millennium AD. The island was sacred to Ixchel, the Maya Moon Goddess, and temples here became a place of pilgrimage, especially by women desiring fertility. During the height of the Mayan Empire, Cozumel became an important port for trade relying heavily on the locally produced salt and honey. In 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes landed on the island and destroyed many Mayan temples. With him came smallpox and the population of 40,000 Mayans was reduced to just 300 by 1570. By 1600 the island was essentially deserted and became a hideout for pirates. The largest Maya ruins on the island were bulldozed to make way for an airplane runway during World War II. Today, only 40 Mayan shrines remain. The largest remaining are the ruins of San Gervasio located at the center of the island.