Isla Mujeres History

      In the mid 1500's, there were only six coastal towns, which were poor Mayan pueblos, between what is now Holbox & Chetumal, of which two were located on the island of Cozumel. During the colonial era, the Yucatan peninsula was not really part of New Spain, and was administrated separately as a "General Captaincy", which included Belize, Honduras, and parts of Chiapas and Tabasco. It was a vast, difficult to control area, lacking in means of communication or transportation by land. In 1537, the Spanish government acknowledged that the waters of the Caribbean were infested with pirates, but made little progress to contain them.         Pirates found strategic shelter on the islands of Cozumel, Contoy, and Mujeres, and in Ascension and Espiritu Santo Bays. They were periodically expelled by the Yucatan government, who sent expeditions for this purpose every five or ten years. However, the outla...