Isla Mujeres was a very important religious center for the Maya, and harbored a temple dedicated to Ix-Chel, the Moon goddess and patroness of pregnant women. You can still visit the ruins of the temple at the south end of the Island. When the Spanish leaded by Francisco Hernandez Cordova arrived in March 1517, they found so many statues and idols shape as woman that they name the island "Isla Mujeres" or Island of the women. The Spanish never settle in Isla Mujeres and for the nest 3 centuries, the island remains uninhabited except for the occasional fishermen or pirates who land for fresh water or safe harbor.

The first population to settle were fishermen around 1800, and created a small village on the north part of the island.

One famous resident was without doubt Firmin Mundaca, who arrived on the shore in 1858. He has made his fortune in slave trading or piracy, depending of the sources. He built a large estate for the love of a young local girl. The love affair never prospered but eventually lead the pirate to madness and its death. He was buried in Merida. You can visit his estate in the center of Isla Mujeres, with its ruins, a zoo and even view its empty grave, which he carved himself.