Main Plaza - The Heart of Old Dolores

A stop on Isla Mujeres: Town to Punta Sur, a free self-guided tour.

This small square is the center of island life. The Palacio Municipal, the town hall, stands on one side, and the Church of the Immaculate Conception faces the plaza too. In the evenings the benches fill with families, and this is where the town gathers for its festivals.

The town grew up in the 1800s. Maya families fleeing the Caste War on the mainland settled here, and in 1850 the village was named Pueblo de Dolores. Fishing kept it going for the next century.

Inside the church is the island's beloved statue of the Virgin. Islanders tell how fishermen found wooden figures of the Virgin on the mainland coast in 1890, and one was brought here; take that as treasured local tradition. Her festival each December draws thousands of people.

The pedestrian streets around the plaza, Hidalgo above all, are lined with places to eat. Look up at the church facade, then wander a block or two in any direction.

Getting here: From the ferry dock, cross Avenida Rueda Medina and walk a few blocks inland. The plaza sits beside the town hall.

Did you know?: The island is the seat of a municipality that also takes in a stretch of the mainland coast north of Cancun.

Photo op: Stand on the far side of the plaza and frame the church facade with the open square in front of it.

More on Wikipedia: Isla Mujeres · Caste War of Yucatan

Main Plaza - The Heart of Old Dolores

Stops on this tour