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Caribbean Cruise Ports – CozumelAccording to Mayan myth, Cozumel was home to the gods. It has certainly attracted many other individuals including pirates and buccaneers including Jean Lafitte and Sir Henry Morgan. Just offshore lies the Palancar Reef, which is considered to be one of the most spectacular coral formations in the Caribbean. The name, Cozumel, comes from the Mayan phrase ‘cuzum huzil’ which means ‘land of the swallows. ’ For more than 4, 000 years Cozumel was inhabited by the Mayan Indians, who left behind many amazing archaeological sites. Colonised by the Spanish, who claimed the island for the Spanish crown, they brought the deadly smallpox virus with them which eventually wiped out the island’s native population. For nearly 3 centuries it lay almost uninhabited until the mid-1800’s, when Mayan refugees fled persecution by the Spaniards in other parts of Mexico. It was home to many American GIs during World War II but now it is a popular tourist area. Tourists come to snorkel and dive amongst the fantastic coral reefs which ring this island. Although Cozumel has seen amazing development which has transformed the island in the past 10 years, it still has areas where abject poverty is highly visible. It has a population of just over 175, 000, but everything has to be imported as the land is fairly barren. Every stone, every block, every tile for building has to be brought from the mainland, and the enormous cost of this is reflected in the many half built homes that litter the island. It can take years for a house to be finished, and during this time the family must bide its time in the squalor and dirt which often surrounds these building sites. The town itself has been highly developed in recent years and boasts a new and very modern shopping mall plus the inevitable numerous ubiquitous precious stone shops, such as ‘Diamonds International. ’ In recent years a brand new terminal has been built to the east of the town, and this has numerous souvenir and local craft shops as well as restaurants and bars. There is also a new terminal right in the centre of Cozumel town, which enables passengers to walk off the ship into the centre of the shopping area. In recent years tourism has become highly developed, and there is even a new championship golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus. This amazing golf course utilises the natural features of Cozumel, including the mangrove thickets and natural wetlands. We aim to provide acccurate and useful information, but if you feel anything provided here is not accurate or out of date, please email us with the address of the page concerned and any commments so we can amend as necessary. Page added on: 16 July 2010 There are no photos available for this article at the moment. Villa Owners: Upload A Photo To This ArticleTo upload a photo for consideration, click here. Please only submit photos relevant to this article. Other Articles ViewedThe following articles were also viewed by people who looked at this one:
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