The Faux Ruins

Our first visit to Isla Mujeres, we may have thought this structure and wall around the area were Mayan ruins -- or at least very old structures.  All I can say is not!

Recently I read a comment on a Facebook message board referring to this as a Mayan ruin, so I thought I'd further muddle the issue on this blog.

I read the explanation years ago on a message board that's been defunct since 2004 and the poster has since passed away.  He was one of the original ex-pat's to build on the south end, but it's possible his rendition from the Isla coconut telegraph could be inaccurate.  Add that my memory has also faded.  The tale went something like this:

Sometime in the not so distant past (pre-2000), an ex mayor (or former government official) decided to build his own soccer field/ball yard at Punta Sur.  This structure and the walls surrounding it were part of project.  During the process something went wrong and his dream never came to fruition. 

 

I snap a few photos each trip of the ever-evolving scene.  The boat blocking the path has been moved (or pushed back?), but now the plants and birds have taken over the scene. 

 

 

We thought about doing a retake of the old muscle shot from 2002 with our little canine friend, but never got around to it.  Dang!

 

These masks on the original walls, photographed five years ago, are mostly consumed by vines now.

The new masks in the Punta Sur parking lot mirror the masks on the other wall's pillars.

 

Long story short -- what's left of the Mayan ruin, Temple Ixchel, can be accessed by the Punta Sur path beyond the sculpture garden.  That is the only ruin at Punta Sur.

 

If any readers have the entire story or a different rendition of the failed project, I'd love to hear more!