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> Homepage > Welcome > Destinations > Northern islands > Isla Mujeres >   Pirates
 During the pirate heyday of the 17th and 18th centuries, ocean-going scalliwags and desperados of every stripe sailed the Caribbean, raiding mainland cities for gold, silver, dyewood and supplies, the various inhabited islands and each other. They sought refuge on Isla Mujeres and probably treated the island as a supplies station, picking up water and salt.
Isla’s Macax Lagoon was a sheltered harbor for the likes of Henry Morgan and Jean Lafitte. The last pirate to visit Isla Mujeres was slave trader/pirate Fermín Mundaca, who fell in love with an island girl called "La Trigueña." Unhappily for him she scorned his suit and to win her heart, Mundaca built an elegant hacienda that he hoped to share with her. It was not to be, however, La Trigueña married another and Mundaca spent his final days in Mérida where he succumbed to drink and a broken heart. The ruins of the hacienda are located in the southern part of the island and are worth a visit. Mundaca's tomb lies in the island cemetery and is marked by a skull and crossbones.
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© 2004 Editorial Veras. La guía Oficial del Caribe Mexicano.