Isla Mujeres was still a relatively young community in 1876, when archeologist Augustus le Plongeon lived here briefly with his young wife, Alice. The town of Dolores had been established twenty-six years earlier, by ~50 families fleeing the Caste War. In the early 1800's, the isle had been a temporary base for pirates & fishermen, without permanent settlements.
He described downtown as consisting of
~500 thatch huts (? that number sounds high, maybe a typo for 50? About 50 families founded the town in 1850.), sitting in a grove of palm
trees, with three sandy streets running north & south, with the
main one ending at the cemetery. He said there were only about a dozen
more substantial homes, made from stone and mortar, but these were also
thatched with palmetto leaves. The houses were separated by courtyards,
and some families proudly grew rose bushes & other flowering shrubs
in the sandy soil.
He said the interiors of the houses were all
the same, rich or poor, with a single large room, where hammocks are
hung at night from the rafters. Sometimes a sail served as a room
divider, and furniture was made from tree trunks and stray lumber that
washed up, or was brought from the mainland.
The men of the village spoke Maya among themselves and their sinewy, athletic bodies reminded the le Plongeons of the warriors that were portrayed on the walls of Chichen-Itza. He described the women as being of medium height, handsome, graceful, and not overly shy. (He also called them slovenly). He added, "It is a fact, patent at first sight, that the Indian blood is fast disappearing from amongst the islanders. The blue eyes, fair, rosy skins, and light blond hair of the rising generation bespeak their direct descent from European blood."
Alice described their arrival to the isle:
"On the tenth day after leaving Progreso, about nine o'clock at night, we sailed into the beautiful Bay of Dolores, at Mugeres Island, or Women's Island, as the Spanish conquerors called it, because they found in the temples of the natives many images of women. The water of the bay was as un-ruffled and crystalline as a sheet of emerald ; and the village of Dolores made a charming picture, with its thatched cottages, boats hauled up on the white beach, and tall palms waving like feathered canopies above the dwellings ; while the perfect stillness made usalmost imagine that we beheld an enchanted island awaiting the touch of a magic wand. That wand was the first golden sun-ray that shot from the east, calling every creature to life and action. Doors were thrown open; faint columns of smoke wreathed their way to the cloudless sky ; children ran to the beach to float their toy ships; fishermen launched their boats ; women passed to and fro, and feathered songsters warbled their sweetest lay."
When they visited the ruins at Punta Sur, the villagers followed them, and seemed disapproving of them digging around in the temple, so they returned another day. Agustus found and took away an incense burner which had been buried, hidden within the temple. It was broken by the shovel used to dig it out.
She describes Fermin Mundaca, 52, who'd purchased ~40% of the island nearly two decades before....and happened to be infatuated with a 14 year old island girl, building landscaped gardens & statuary in her honor, that failed to win her favor.
"We found a strange character living on the island apart from every one except two men who serve him. With them he makes houses, stone walls, and statues of himself. He calls himself Spanish Consul and has large plantations of vegetables, and plenty of cattle, yet will neither give nor sell anything to anybody, not even a little milk for any one who is sick. Vegetables and fruits ripen and rot, while his cattle roam everywhere and spoil all that other people plant. He works like a slave, and only allows himself one scanty meal a day.
No one knows why he lives such an austere, isolated, selfish existence. It is understood that in his younger days he was engaged in the slave-trade on the African coast, and the people believe he must have committed some heinous crime that keeps him a prey to remorse, which he tries to stifle by doing penance. Some say he is haunted, and others that he is looking for the treasure, because he frequently changes his place of residence, building a new hut each time. He has plenty of gold ounces, yet seldom approaches the village. When he passes along the beach at twilight the friendly chat is suddenly hushed, and some one exclaims, in an awe-struck whisper: 'There goes Mondaca!'"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This blog is brought to you by....
 |
| View from the rooms. |
MaraVilla Caribe Bed & Beach Three rentals with large glass doors overlooking our white sand beach and the beautiful Caribbean sea, with kitchenettes & free WIFI. In the coastal neighborhood of Bachilleres, among upscale villas & boutique hotelitos, convenient to downtown or the colonias, yet separate. Quiet & Private.
 | |
| Kitchen in a large studio. (Sur & Norte are identical) |
 |
| Kitchenette in small room, Medio. There's a table & chairs across from it & a double bed. |
.jpg) |
| A large slider opens from each of the 3 rooms onto the patio where each has a table & chairs, hammock & clotheslines. The BBQ is behind the pole, and the outdoor shower is outa the pic at left. |
 |
| Large studio (Norte), I'm standing in the kitchen. A queen & single bed. |
Free amenities such as hammocks, bikes, outdoor shower, portable beach chairs & beach towels, washer, loungers. Breathtaking panoramic views from the rooftop terrace. Upstairs room also available. Downtown is ~ a mile away; if you don't feel like walking or biking, flag a $2 taxi. Parking. You can enjoy the music & crowds downtown, then come home our quiet neighborhood of Bachilleres where you'll sleep to the sounds of the sea.. $275/$325/$425 wk $40/50/$65nt Monthly Discounts
 | ||
| Large studio (Sur) with Queen & Single bed. Slider door & view are behind me. |
Comments
Post a Comment