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> Homepage > Welcome > Destinations > Cozumel Island > A bit of history >   The age of pirates
 From 1600 to about 1850 anarchy reigned, a Who’s Who of ocean-going renegades converted the Caribbean into their own private sea. Lawlessness was rampant, the Spanish lost control of the region and Cozumel became a refuge for pirates such as Henry Morgan. The outlaws rested, repaired their ships and took on supplies in Cozumel. From here they raided ports in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. They never established a permanent town, however, as they did on Términos Island in Campeche or Belize.
In fact, little is known of those 250 years, and the only pirate to leave his mark on the island was the Spaniard Miguel Molas. Molas was an adventurer, a smuggler, a businessman and a settler. The northern tip of Cozumel is called Punta Molas in his honor.
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© 2004 Editorial Veras. La guía Oficial del Caribe Mexicano.