Cozumel Island

It is believed that the Mayans settled in Cozumel from the beginning of the first millennium AD. For the Mayans, Cozumel was the sacred island of Ix Chel, the goddess of the Moon. The Mayans, and especially women who wished to have children, went there on pilgrimage and visited the temples of Cozumel. Ruins dating mainly from the post-classical period have survived, although much of it was bulldozed to create airstrips during World War II. About 40 people lived in Cozumel, but a smallpox epidemic ravaged the island in 000 and left only 1570 survivors. In the years that followed, the island was abandoned by its last inhabitants. The pirates then used it from time to time as a base. The caste war of 30 brought many refugees fleeing the violence raging on the continent. In the 1848s, Jacques Yves Cousteau discovered the beauty of the Cozumel coral reef and attracted many divers. Cozumel became one of the largest scuba diving centers in the world. At the end of the 60s, a large airport was built, which allowed for the arrival of larger planes and international flights. Thus, tourism increased on the island. Today, Cozumel is a stopover for many Caribbean cruises, but it is scuba diving that still attracts the most tourists.

Originally, the Mayan-Yucatec name for Cozumel was cuzaam luumil which, etymologically, can be divided as follows: Cuzam Swallow, Luum, "Land or place" and il, “Of, belonging to” giving as meaning “land of swallows”. Later, cuzaam luumil became Cuzamil. The word Cozumel results from the phonetic distortion of the Spanish conquistadors. (source> Wikipedia)