Tourism in its Infancy

     Tourism was being developed in Isla Mujeres decades before Cancun existed. The island had scheduled amphibious airplane flights arriving in the 1930's. Scheduled ferry service began in the 1950's after a road was built to the coast from Valladolid. The bus drivers would spend the night on the isle, sleeping at the movie theater.

1930's Isla Mujeres downtown

1930's: Amphibious Flights To Isla Mujeres

      In 1932 a 12-passenger amphibious aircraft was flying the "Chicle Route" from Florida to Cuba to Progreso to Cozumel, Chetumal, Belize, and Guatemala. In the 1930's, celebrated Mexican pilot Sarabia began operating his airplane company in Quintana Roo with five airplanes, which could each carry five passengers. They established the "Caribbean Route" (Ruta del Caribe): Chetumal-Puerto Carrillo-Cozumel-Isla Mujeres.
       The famous pilot was good friends with Quintana Roo Governor Melgar, and they enjoyed breaking speed records together, until 1939 when the Governor sponsored Sarabia's successful trip from Mexico City to New York. On his return flight Sarabia's plane plunged into the Potomac, causing his death and the end of the Ruta del Caribe to Isla Mujeres.  
      In 1936, President Cardenas launched a federal jobs program for the Territory of Quintana Roo to foster development, with the goal of promoting international tourism. While he was campaigning, Cardenas had fallen in love the beaches and blue seas of Quintana Roo. He created the Department of Tourism and worked at changing the image of Quintana Roo from being a place of political exile, to being considered as a piece of paradise.
      President Cardenas gave specific instructions to modernize and improve Quintana Roo for tourism.  Governor Melgar cooperated with public works that improved the main cities, including the creation of three hotels: Los Cocos in Chetumal, the Playa in Cozumel, and The Ruins in Tulum.
        At that time, the only tourism was domestic, consisting mainly of  governmental officials, entrepreneurs in the chicle industry, and foreign consignment agents who traveled between the islands and Chetumal.

Airplane flying over the Bay, date unknown.

     Isla Mujeres historian Fidel Villanueva Madrid reports that the runway in Isla Mujeres and the original runway in Cancun were built in 1942 by chicle businessman Francisco Polo Montes, presumably for personal use, and/or perhaps for the transport of raw material. He says many Mexican airplanes came from Belize, laden with goods, and he notes that the best known  example was actor-singer Pedro Infante Cruz, an alleged smuggler who lost his life while piloting a plane in 1957 near Merida. 
      In the late 40's and early 50's, Cozumel received some attention from divers, explorers, and the media. But tourism stagnated in Quintana Roo while the federal government focused on developing tourism in Acapulco, to compete with Hawaii.
       In 1953, José de Jesús Lima Gutiérrez began working at developing tourism in Isla Mujeres. He was a well connected politician from Jalisco who was familiar with Quintana Roo from the years when he was part of the business "Maderas del Tropico".
        In 1954, a federal project began, called "Circuito de Golfo y del Caribe", which intended to connect Florida and Cuba to the Yucatan peninsula, using ferries and a road going from Puerto Juarez to Valladolid. The project ended when its architect, Carlos Lazo, died in a plane crash, but the road construction continued.

La Maria Carmita

        In September, 1955 the road was completed to Puerto Juarez. However, Mexican Union buses started bringing passengers to Puerto Juarez from Valladolid and Merida before the road was completed. The first bus passengers walked the last four kilometers to Puerto Juarez, and then waited while smoke from a fire signaled the Magana boat "Maria Carmita" to cross over and pick them up.
       In 1956, businessman Juan de Dios Carrillo Padilla arrived in Puerto Juarez on the bus from Merida. He describes the scene:

   "The dock used for the crossing to the island was a tiny pier made of weak sticks of wood. From there, we boarded a little launch, and were taken to the boat Carmita, which was anchored in front of Puerto Juarez. Meanwhile, men unloaded correspondence and merchandise from the bus, to be delivered to Isla Mujeres "

     Raul Magana Carillo is the son of Ausencio Magana, who first provided ferry service, and the great grandson of Bartolomé Magaña, who helped found the town in 1850.  He explains:
  "For the first hundred years that Isla Mujeres existed, there were no roads.  The pantries and groceries of Isla Mujeres were stocked from the ports of Quintana Roo and Yucatan. We were bringing in all the consumable goods for the island's population via a boat called La Carmita, going to Progreso and Chicxulub to find food. La Carmita was the largest ship in the area, and went to Rio Lagartos find cattle. When there was a fiesta, we not only brought in the bulls for the event, we brought the musicians too, and a tradition grew on the island. La Carmita would take a loop around the bay, with the musicians playing."

Isla Mujeres 1944 Bullfight. In the comments below the photo an islander explains that the prominent families would contribute to the construction of the ring and then each family would have rights to their section, and would invite their friends to join them. The annual festival for the patron saint often included a bull fight, and the Magana's boat "Carmita" brought the animals, musicians, and non-islanders to the festivities. (From Recuerdos de Isla Mujeres)

Raul Magana spoke about the history of the ferries..
 "We were the first who started to take people across. - We had a 10 passenger boat named El Ariel and one called "De Arena" which was powered by an outboard motor. Then as the number of crossings increased, the Rosa Elena was purchased, which had a capacity for 25-30  passengers. Subsequently, as the number of users increased, the trips to Progreso were canceled and we dedicated the Carmita to transporting passengers, with a capacity for 50, and then came the La Novia del Mar, which carried 45 passengers."
      When the Yucatan Teamsters Union Buses began arriving, the crossings were timed in accordance with their schedule. The drivers would sleep at "La Blanquita", owned by Ausencio Magana , and depart at 7am the next morning.

Photo of "La Blanquita" found in the National General Archive in 1983 with a note by Sr. Ausencio Magaña and posted by Fidel Villanueva Madrid.

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View from the rooms.

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 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.

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.

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Large studio (Sur) with Queen & Single bed. Slider door & view are behind me.

Fine dining a few steps away at Da Luisa or try the traditional neighborhood eateries a couple blocks farther. Within ten minutes walk are the restaurants Mango Cafe, Brisas, Manolitos,  Green Verde, Kash Kechen Chuc, and the large department store-grocery Chedraui. Visit marinas, bars, & beach clubs that are minutes away by bike or on foot. Attend Yoga classes a couple villas away at hotelito Casa Ixchel. Fresh juice, produce & tortillas a few blocks away in the village, as well as a variety of other stores and small local restaurants. It takes 20-30  minutes to walk downtown.