In Pre-Columbian times the island was sacred to the Mayan goddess of childbirth and medicine, Ix Chel. When the Spanisharrived in the 16th century they named it "Isla Mujeres" because of the many images of goddesses. The first information available about Isla Mujeres is from the period between 564 - 1516 AC, when it was part of the Mayan province called Ekab. There were 4 Mayan provinces in what is today the State of Quintana Roo. The Maya also exploited the salt that the island produced in the "salinas" (small interior lagoons). The salt was used not only for the conservation of food and medicine but also has a generally accepted currency for commerce of goods along the whole Mayan region. The Mayan goddess Ixchel had a temple in what is today the Hacienda Mundaca (Mundaca's Plantation House).
A small Mayan temple was once located on the southern tip of the island. However in 1988 Hurricane Gilbert caused extensive damage, leaving most of the foundation but only a very small portion of the temple. Since the 1970s, along with close-by Cancún, there has been substantial tourist development in Isla Mujeres
