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Ruins of a second temple to Ixchel were found on the Mundaca Hacienda a few years ago

   In 2014, while excavating under the old monkey cage at the Mundaca Hacienda, the foundation of a Mayan temple to Ixchel was discovered. During the construction of  walls and pathways around the former Hacienda, they also found an abundance of Mayan relics, which were mostly religious offerings, as well as some human skeletons, and eight underground cisterns built by the Maya to ensure that worshipers didn't go thirsty. Mundaca's Hacienda covered about 40% of the island in the mid 1800's, and stones from the Mayan structures were used in its construction, according to Isla Mujeres historian, Fidel Villanueva Madrid. Foundation of temple to the Mayan goddess Ixchel, located inside the Mundaca Hacienda. Photo from Diario de Q Roo, Larry Parra, May 14, 2014 .      The caption for this video says that the Mundaca Hacienda dates back to 1860, when its creator, the pirate and slave trader Fermin Mundaca Marechaga, took refuge in Isla Mujeres from the Bri...
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Chronological Table of Contents (Click on "Read More" to open the Chronological Table of Contents)

Chronologically: From Mayas to Tourism PRECOLONIAL     Ruins of a second temple to Ixchel were found on the Mundaca Hacienda a few years ago EARLY CONTACT Mayan Merchant-Sailors Traded Salt & Stingray Spines and Met Columbus PIRATES Hard times in the 1500's: Attacks by Conquistadors, Corsairs & Pirates Do you think of Isla Mujeres pirates when you hear the song "La Bamba"? SETTLED IN 1850 From Pirate Refuge to Established Settlement   From Five Fishermen to 1500 Refugees: Isla Mujeres in the 1840's Sending Slaves to Cuba, Conspiring With Rebels & Liberating Sailors from Cozumel: The Caste War The Census of 1866 (16 years after the town was founded) Mundaca & La Trigueña   Isla Mujeres in 1876 1876: The Fishermen & the Bay by Alice Le Plongeon AMONG THE TURTLE CATCHERS by Alice le Plongeon in 1876 This Town was Built by Farmers Who Learned to Fish and Survive Disasters & Disease 1900's The Hu...
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From Pirate Refuge to Established Settlement

      For centuries Isla Mujeres was a shelter for pirates, until the Lafitte brothers were expelled in the early 1820's. After that, the isle was only occupied a few months of the year by a handful of fishermen from Campeche, Yucatan, and Cuba.This is evident from statements such as those of American John L Stephens, the "Father of Mayan Archaeology", who visited the island in 1842. He said there were only two huts and a shelter made from branches, inhabited by three fishermen and two natives, who were fishing for turtles. The three fishermen told him nostalgic tales about the good times they'd once had with the Lafitte brothers. Less definitive reports from visitors in 1825 said there were about a dozen huts.       When Mexico's War of Independence ended in 1821, the Spanish regime was ousted, and the Yucatan acquired statehood in 1824. There were constant disputes and regional clashes during the following decades, wi...
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