The 490-square-km (189-square-mi) island of Cozumel hangs 19 km (12 mi) off the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula. Calm waters wash the white sandy beaches on its leeward side, which is fringed by a spectacular reef system. On the windward Caribbean side, powerful surf and rocky strands are broken at intervals by calm bays and hidden coves. Aside from the 3% of the island that has been developed, Cozumel is made up of expanses of sandy or rocky beaches, quiet little coves, palm groves, scrubby jungle, lagoons and swamps, and a few low hills (the maximum elevation is 45 ft). A few Maya ruins provide what limited sightseeing there is aside from the island's glorious natural attractions.

The island's name comes from the Maya word Ah-Cuzamil-Peten, which means "land of the swallows." For the Maya, Cozumel was the sacred site of the fertility goddess Ixchel, as well as a key center of trade and navigation. For the Spanish, it was useful as a naval base in the late 16th century. For pirates, its safe harbors and the catacombs and tunnels the Maya dug were ideal for their treasure-gathering and -storing needs. After cycles of settlement and abandonment that included an economic boom based on the island's abundant supply of zapote trees, which produce chicle, a chewing-gum industry staple, Jacques Cousteau discovered its incredible reefs and diving opportunities in 1961, and the trajectory of its current life was set.

Despite the inevitable effects of cruise ships that dock here, the island's earthy charm remains largely intact, and the relaxing atmosphere remains typically Mexican -- friendly and unpretentious. A mainstay of Cozumel's mood is the isleños, descendents of the Maya who have inhabited the island for centuries.