From Dozens of Farmers & Fishermen to Millions of Tourists: The Changing Face of the Isle Statistically
Residency statistics.... In 1592 and again in 1597 , every human being on the islands of Isla Mujeres, Contoy, and Cozumel was seized and removed by Spanish conquistador Juan de Contreras and his men, including Maya rebels and Negroes from Guinea, who were hiding on the islands, fleeing from slavery. Until the 1820's , when the Lafitte brothers were expelled, Isla Mujeres was a refuge for pirates. After that, t he isle was only occupied a few months of the year by a handful of fishermen from the Yucatan peninsula and Cuba. A report in 1825 said there were about a dozen huts. *Link to Pirate history articl e Link to Mundaca article .. In 1842 , a visiting American archeologist found the isle was vacant except for "two huts and a shelter made from branches, inhabited by three fishermen and two natives , who were fishing for turtles." In August, 1850 , the town of Dolores was founded by ~250 refugees from the Cas...