Cozumel Culture & Heritage

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Culture and history is evident throughout Cozumel island, everything from music, art, language, clothing, sculptures, pottery and jewlery is showcased in many shops. It's not uncommond to see demonstrations of dancing or celebrations of culture, but today we learn more by visiting the Cozumel museum located on the main street a few blocks past the passenger ferry to Playa del Carmen.

The entrance fee is $4, we spend about an hour - so well worth the cost. There are five main exhibits: an environmental aspect of the island, marine life and Mayan heritage on the main floor. Island history and marine history upstairs on the second floor. There's also a small art gallery, gift shop and restaurant. There is no doubt a strong religious aspect here dating back to the Mayans, then influenced by the Spaniards. Ian was most interested in the marine history, artifacts of ancient scuba diving, boating and history around the spanish invasion and how they captured people here for slaves. We learn about the shipping routes and how Cozumel was discovered. The marine life exhibit showcases the reefs around the island and the incredible underwater life.

We both find the photo history exhibit of the island quite interesting. Charles Lindberg and the spirit of St. Louis had landed here in Cozumel. We see photos of what the island used to look like and photo exhibits of recent hurricanes. The most recent was hurricane Wilma in 2005, I remember seeing that on the news. The photos show how much devastation ocurred less than a decade ago, which is a testament to how much restoration work has been completed since then.

Since this blog is better demonstrated with pictures rather than words, I've attached more than my usual three photos - which you can see below. I suggest you enlarge the photos for your viewing pleasure by clicking on any photo which launches the gallery - you can navigate with the arrow and number buttons below the frame. Enjoy!

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