According to Lonely Planet, during the pre-Hispanic era, Cozumel was a site of religious worship for Mayan women who would cross from the mainland to honor Ixchel, the goddess of fertility. The women would leave sacrificial dolls that are still found by archaeologists today. There are more than 40 religious sites on the island with the ruins of shrines from this era. In 1961, French diver and explorer Jacques Cousteau declared Cozumel one of the most beautiful diving destinations in the world.
Villanova scientist, Robert L. Curry studies the Cozumel Thrasher, an endemic bird and one of the most endangered species in Mexico. Other endemic species include: The Cozumel Island coatimundi, the Cozumel raccoon and the Cozumel fox, suspected to be extinct. The splendid toadfish, an endemic marine creature to the region, lives in coral outcroppings near the sea floor.
According to Travel and Leisure, the docking station for cruise ships off the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula is not the best Cozumel has to offer. A former fishing settlement, much of the 24-mile-long island does not have electricity and has not been touched by tourism development. Chankanaab National Park and the Punta Sur Ecological Reserve can be found at the southern end of the island, as can the Punta Celarain lighthouse and Colombia Lagoon, home to marine turtles and other endangered endemic species.
Carnaval takes place every February, according to Frommers. Dancers fill the streets and the locals come out to celebrate. Started in the 1800's, Cozumel Carnaval celebrates the mix of cultures that come to the island to escape the colder climates.
Cozumel food is influenced by Mexican traditional fare but also by the Caribbean islands and Europe, according to Lonely Planet. The resulting cuisine relies heavily on locally caught and grown seafood and produce, and features an eclectic mix of spices and sour or bitter fruit juices. Some of the more popular dishes include: Sopa de Lima, a rich chicken stock with a variety of meats, radishes, onions, bitter oranges and lime; Poc Chuc, pork marinated in sour orange juice; and Tikin-Xic, baked fish (often grouper or snapper) marinated in sour orange juice, oregano and spices and baked in banana leaves.
