Isla Mujeres is well known for having the most impressive landscapes of all and also for its crystalline waters, but did you know that below those crystalline waters there’s the Cancun underwater museum of art? In this article, we will tell you more about it…
Cancun Underwater Museum of Art (MUSA): “The Art of conservation”
MUSA is an art museum located in the deeps of the sea between Cancun and Isla Mujeres, it was inaugurated in 2009 by Dr. Jaime Gonzalez Cano, and the ex-president of Associated Nautics of Cancun (ANC), Roberto Díaz Abraham along with the British artist Jason deCaires Taylor, sustainable art advocate and very well known for its marine sculptors pieces on the Grenadine Islands.
The idea was born because of the deterioration of the protected natural area of the Occidental Coast National Park of Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancun, and Punta Nizuc.
That is part of our Coral Barrier which is the second-largest coral reef in the world and receives more than 700 thousand visitors per year; the idea is to dissuade visiting the natural coral reef so it can recover little by little.
Museum made conscientiously
Something fascinating about this museum is that every sculpture was made not only with ecological materials so it won’t contaminate the water, but also with some materials similar to the substratum of the marine bed.
Also, they made holes of different shapes and sizes propitiating coral natural growth, and at the same time, it becomes the home of a variety of crustaceans and little fishes.
In fact, it has become the largest artificial reef in the world, making it a work of art made by humans, and nature.
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This enormous collection, made by the artist Jason deCaires Taylor along with other Mexican artists like Karen Salinas, Rodrigo Quiñones and the Cuban artist Elier Amado Gil.
The underwater museum of art has almost 500 sculptures divided into 3 galleries:
- Manchones Hall located 8 meters deep.
- Nizuc Hall located 4 meters deep.
- Punta Sam Hal, located 4 meters deep.
There are different ways so you can get there and admire this incredible museum.
In Isla Mujeres, you’ll find lots of options, for example, tours in a boat with a transparent bottom, snorkel tours through the surface, or if you feel more adventurous, you can take a scuba diving tour and look up close the amazing sculptures of this museum.
Don’t miss visiting this breathtaking place on your next trip to Belo Hotel in Isla Mujeres.
