What to see and do in Isla Mujeres

Its clear, warm, shallow waters full of life are paradise for divers, whether professional or amateur. Therefore, if we like to dive, the possibilities are endless, whether simply snorkeling on our own or with tours that take us by boat to caves and more remote areas of the beaches. In the north is the most important town, the maritime entry point to Isla Mujeres and where restaurants and craft shops are concentrated, with Hidalgo Street being the axis along which life circulates. The walks along the Malecón and through the cobbled center make us feel in a homely and calm atmosphere. North Beach comes alive during the day, but the ideal time to go is at dusk, when the sun god bathes in the Caribbean waters, offering a sublime sunset. Going down the road near Playa Lanchero we see the signs for Hacienda Mundaca. Built by Fermín Mudaca de Marechega, a Basque fortune seeker born in the town of Bermeo who, like several Catalan bourgeois families, made a great fortune from the slave trade from Africa to the haciendas of Cuba. Fleeing, he arrived at Isla Mujeres where his eccentricity was accentuated, living as a hermit, only in contact with the workers of the hacienda, perhaps regretting the life he had led. Already past 50 years old, he fell madly in love with a teenager named Prisca Gómez Pantoja, nicknamed La Trigueña. Her siege was fruitless and she married another, rejecting the estate that Mundaca had built with great effort (and with material from the Mayan temples). Legend says that he did not recover from the rejection and, already ill, he was transferred to Mérida in Yucatán, where he died. His body never returned to Isla Mujeres even though it was his last wish, and that is why his tomb is empty. Today we can visit the place and learn more about the obviously adulterated legend – to provide it with a romantic ideology – and see the entrance arch that Mundaca baptized “El Paso de la Trigueña”, which sadly for him never saw his intended love pass by. How to get around Isla Mujeres The best option is to use the bicycle as a method of transportation, and only leave taxis in cases of great hurry, since the size of the island invites slow rhythms. Even so, you can rent scooters or golf carts that have become an innate element of Isla Mujeres.