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Isla Mujeres

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Asociación Masters del Caribe organized and its members competed in the 2005 Por La Libre or El Cruce 10 km crossing from Cancun to Isla Mujeres in the Caribbean Sea

Isla Mujeres is an island on the Mexican Caribbean. Surrounded by gentle, startlingly turquoise waters, this small Caribbean island is located 8 miles from Cancun and is part of the state of Quintana Roo. It offers a variety of tourist activities with its uniquely beautiful natural parks and is site of the Por La Libre open water swimming competition.

History[edit]

Isla Mujeres, which means “Island of the Women”, was discovered in 1517 by Francisco Hernandez de Córdoba. He chose this name because he was surprised by the number of idols of women floating on the sea. What this explorer was not to know is that the idols were offerings to the goddess Ixchel, a deity concerned with fertility, love and the moon, for whom the island was sacred. It was a place where the Maya prayed for the prosperity of their land, for the health of their unborn children and cures for their illnesses.

Contemporary Times[edit]

Today, Isla Mujeres is visited by thousands of tourists and open water swimmers who come to seek out the marine life with its rays and sharks and to marvel at the Mesoamerican Reef, the second longest in the world.

This heavenly paradise is admired for its many attractions, among them the El Garrafón Nature Park which has various water activities. There you can also find Punta Sur, which is attractive for its huge cliffs that seem to have been made by the gods.

The international tourist and boutique hotels give Isla Mujeres a cosmopolitan air, while the local people have blended Mayan and Spanish traditions ever since the conquest in what are known as syncretic beliefs. Evidence of this is to be seen in the veneration of the Virgin of El Farito, protector of boats and men alongside the celebration of ancestral rites and prayers to the goddess Ixchel.

The sacred Mayan island of Isla Mujeres is today an icon of modernity, which brings together mysticism and underwater experiences all in one place.

Open Water Swimming[edit]

2014-2015 World Open Water Swimming Series Events[edit]

1. aQuellé Midmar Mile in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in February. Race director Wayne Riddin
2. Swim Miami in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. in April. Race director Jonathan Strauss
3. El Cruce in Cancún, Mexico in May. Race director Rafael Hernández
4. Jax Coco Shek O Challenge in Hong Kong in July. Race director Doug Woodring
5. Henley Mile in Henley-on-the-Thames, United Kingdom in July. Race director Tom Kean
6. Hellespont and Dardanelles Swim in Turkey in August. Race director Simon Murie
7. Aichi Crossing in Nagoya, Japan in August. Race director Yutaka Shinozaki
8. BCT Gdynia Marathon – Open Race in Gdynia, Poland in August. Race director Tomasz Pąchalski
9. Waikiki Roughwater Swim in Oahu, Hawaii in September. Race director Kaia Hedlund
10. Swim The Island in Italy in October. Race director Matteo Testa
11. The Five in Hong Kong in October. Race director Doug Woodring
12. King and Queen of the Sea in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in December. Race director Pedro Rego Monteiro
13. Stroke for Egypt in the Red Sea, Egypt in December. Race coordinator Mohamed Marouf

2015-2016 World Open Water Swimming Series Events[edit]

1. Cold Half Extreme Marathon Swim in Hong Kong. Race director Doug Woodring
2. aQuellé Midmar Mile in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in February. Race director Wayne Riddin
3. Swim Miami in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. in April. Race director Jonathan Strauss
4. El Cruce in Cancún, Mexico in May. Race director Rafael Hernández
5. Swim Challenge Cascais in Cascais, Portugal. Race director Jorge Paulo Pereira
6. Jax Coco Shek O Challenge in Hong Kong in July. Race director Doug Woodring
7. Henley Mile in Henley-on-the-Thames, United Kingdom in July. Race director Tom Kean
8. Vibes & Scribes Lee Swim in Cork, Ireland in July. Race director Joe Donnelly
9. Hellespont and Dardanelles Swim in Turkey in August. Race director Simon Murie
10. Aichi Crossing in Nagoya, Japan in August. Race director Yutaka Shinozaki
11. BCT Gdynia Marathon – Open Race in Gdynia, Poland in August. Race director Tomasz Pąchalski
12. Waikiki Roughwater Swim in Oahu, Hawaii in September. Race director Kaia Hedlund
13. Swim The Island in Italy in October. Race director Matteo Testa
14. The Five in Hong Kong in October. Race director Doug Woodring
15. King and Queen of the Sea in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in December. Race director Pedro Rego Monteiro
16. Stroke for Egypt in the Red Sea, Egypt in December. Race coordinator Mohamed Marouf

External links[edit]

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