Mexico’s Isla Cozumel ( or Cozumel Island) derives its name from the Mayans who believed the island to be a sacred shrine.  In Maya, Cuzamil translates to “Land of the Swallows,” a reflection of the indigenous birds that grace the island.  Recent investigations have uncovered proof that the first Mayans settled on Cozumel approximately 2,000 years ago. Mayan women journeyed to Cozumel to worship the goddess “Ixchel,” the goddess of fertility.  A seafaring people, they established the island as a commercial stop in 1518.  Cozumel itself was a sleepy little fishing community until 1961, when a Frenchman by the name of Jacques Cousteau declared Cozumel reefs one of the most beautiful scuba diving areas of the world.