Islas Marías: From Prison Island to Eco-Tourism Hub
A former prison island in Mexico is being reimagined as an eco-friendly tourist destination. The Islas Marías archipelago, a UNESCO world heritage site off the coast of Nayarit, will soon open to tourists, three years after it released its last inmates.
The Islas Marías archipelago is home to vibrant coral reefs, mangrove forests, and rare wildlife you won’t see anywhere else, such as the Tres Marías raccoon and the Tres Marías cottontail rabbit. The reserve is a prime spot for whale shark watching and is an important nesting and feeding site for large colonies of seabirds, sharks, and sea turtles.
Islas Marías History
It sounds idyllic, an easy-breezy place that has remained relatively untapped by human development. However, the islands have a dark past. Often compared to Alcatraz or Robben Island, until 2019 Isla María Madre, the largest of the four islands, was a penal colony for men and women, and sometimes their families. When it opened in 1905, it held socialists and striking workers under the regime of Porfirio Díaz, before keeping prisoners accused of petty theft and more serious crimes. Far from prying eyes—it’s about a four-hour choppy boat journey from the Pacific coast—the prisoners held here suffered in brutal conditions.
Mexico’s president López Obrador stated that the prison was famous for its cruelty and claimed that prisoners’ human rights were violated. In a recent interview, a former inmate spoke of the inhumane living conditions she endured, describing a “dirt-floored warehouse” where 500 women shared five bathrooms. “We lived in a chicken coop,” she lamented.
Islas Marías as an Eco-Tourist Hub
These days, the islands look very different in their new chapter as a tourist destination. In 2019, the government closed the prison and transformed parts of the existing buildings into a museum and cultural center named after the writer José Revueltas, who was imprisoned there during the 1930s and who based his novel on his experience in Islas Marías.
The whitewashed church stands bright and welcoming, while the prison buildings have been renovated, allowing visitors to stay rather than disrupting the land by building a new hotel.
“What was a hell is becoming a paradise,” López Obrador declared. “In three months, this island will open for visitors, who will have a lot to see, do, explore, and enjoy.”
As an eco-friendly tourist hub, Islas Marías aims to attract scuba divers and nature lovers with tours, hikes, bird-watching, and arts programs. López Obrador emphasized that the island will be accessible to people of all budgets. “It shouldn’t be an island for the elite; we’re going to seek a balance,” he stated.
How to Get to Islas Marías
The navy will provide tours and run the express ferry service from Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco; San Blas, Nayarit; and Mazatlán, Sinaloa. Islas Marías is set to open to tourists by July 2022, provided the hurricane season does not impact the schedule.
