Photo Exhibition Brings Isla Mujeres History to Life

ISLA MUJERES, Quintana Roo — Historic family photographs and miniature versions of the island’s traditional wooden houses are on display in the Municipal Esplanade as Isla Mujeres celebrates the 176th anniversary of the founding of its modern town.

The outdoor exhibition, Luz a Través del Tiempo, or Light Through Time, traces changes in the community through photographs of earlier streets, homes, landscapes, celebrations and everyday life.

Many of the images were contributed by local families following a public call issued by the municipal Department of Culture in June. Participating families were recognized when the exhibition opened at the beginning of August.

Rather than relying only on photographs from government archives, organizers asked residents to search through family collections for images documenting the island’s development. The result presents local history through the experiences of people who lived through those changes.

The exhibition is open daily from noon until 10 p.m. in the Municipal Esplanade. Admission is free. The municipality has not published a closing date specifically for the exhibition.

Why Isla Mujeres is celebrating 176 years

The anniversary does not mark the island’s original settlement or its first contact with Europeans. Isla Mujeres had a much longer Maya history before the modern community was established.

During the pre-Hispanic period, the island was associated with Ixchel, a Maya deity connected with fertility, childbirth, medicine and the moon. Spanish explorers arriving with Francisco Hernández de Córdoba in 1517 named it Isla Mujeres after finding numerous female figures there.

The anniversary commemorates the founding of the town of Dolores on August 17, 1850.

Its establishment followed the beginning of the Caste War in Yucatán, when Maya and Yucatecan families, including fishermen displaced by the conflict, settled on the island. Dolores gradually developed into the community now known as Isla Mujeres.

This year’s Fiestas de Fundación began in late July and continue through August 28, according to the Quintana Roo Tourism Secretariat. The program includes cultural performances, religious traditions, food and cocktail competitions, sports and a formal Municipal Council session on August 17.

The story behind the wooden houses

Alongside the photographs, visitors can see colorful replicas of the wooden houses once common throughout downtown Isla Mujeres.

These small buildings represent an architectural style that became closely associated with island life. Traditional homes were generally modest, naturally ventilated and adapted to the warm coastal climate, with wooden walls, porches and corrugated metal roofs.

Many disappeared as concrete construction replaced wood and hurricanes, salt air, redevelopment and rising property values changed the appearance of the island. Surviving wooden houses are now reminders of an earlier fishing community, before large-scale tourism transformed Isla Mujeres.

The replica houses have become a recurring feature of the island’s anniversary celebrations. A similar display accompanied the municipality’s historical exhibition in 2025, when officials described the models as representations of the island’s history and welcoming character.

The current exhibition places the models alongside photographs of real homes and streets, allowing visitors to compare the small-scale representations with the community shown in the historical images.

A history preserved by local families

Municipal Culture Director Mari del Carmen Martínez Vera said the exhibition was created to preserve collective memory and help younger residents understand how earlier generations shaped the community.

The photographs cover more than buildings. They document family life, local traditions, celebrations, landscapes and the gradual urban transformation of the island.

That community participation gives the exhibition value beyond the anniversary program. Family photographs often preserve details that formal records overlook: how streets were used, what homes looked like, how people dressed and how public celebrations changed over time.

Visitors can see Luz a Través del Tiempo and the wooden-house replicas at the Municipal Esplanade every day between noon and 10 p.m. The display is located in Centro, within walking distance of the ferry terminal.