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> Homepage > Welcome > Destinations > Northern islands > Isla Mujeres >   How the island got its name
 There are several versions of this tale. According to Francisco López de Gómara, when the Spanish explorer Francisco Hernández de Córdoba anchored off the island in 1517, he reported the existence of feminine idols at a shrine and called the place Punta or Isla Mujeres ('Point' or 'Isle of Women'); this version is the most widely accepted. Another version asserts that when the Spaniards first set foot on the isle, the local men were out fishing, leading the visitors to believe that the sole inhabitants were women. Another states that the Mayan name of the island was Ixchel (the Mayan goddess of fertility, who was apparently associated with the island in some capacity) and that young virgins were sent there before marriage so that the goddess would bless them with fertility and problem-free pregnancies.
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© 2004 Editorial Veras. La guía Oficial del Caribe Mexicano.