The Underwater Art Museum on Isla Mujeres

·         Jason deCaires Taylor is the son of a Guianese mother and an English father. He was raised in Europe and Asia and developed a deep love for the sea and the natural world by spending his childhood playing among marvelous coral reefs in Malaysia. He worked as a dive instructor around the world learning all he could about natural preservation, underwater naturalism and photography. In 1998 he graduated from the Institute of Art in London, where he specialized in sculpture and pottery.

·         Roberto Díaz Abraham defines himself as a “versatile” and imaginative person. His love for art first manifested when he was a seven year-old child when he loved transforming a piece of wood into something useful. After high school he started painting as he studied Economy at Boston University. He moved to Cancun with his family about 20 years ago and is involved in several important projects there, one being his Monteverde Educational Center. One of his favorite quotations is: “there still remain one thousand and one projects to develop and my only limit is imagination.”

·         Doctor Jaime Manuel Gonzalez Cano got a PhD in Natural Resource Management at the prestigious Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine at London University. At present he is a research associate to the Marine Resources Assessment Group at the same institution, and a Witness Expert in Environmental Impact before the Mexican College of Biologists.

But these men are not only the individual successful people mentioned before. They also are the successful founders of MUSA, The Underwater Art Museum on Isla Mujeres  (Museo Subacuático de Arte), Mexico.  This impressive museum is the largest underwater museum in the world and features almost 450 life-sized sculptures made from ph neutral clay with the final objective of conservation. MUSA was designed with the intention of counteracting the effects of hurricanes and climate change on the ocean and reef systems. The special material used in the sculptures fosters the overgrowth of coral life and the colonization of the area by all forms of marine life.

MUSA is located very close to the famous Manchones Reef in the National Marine Park of Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc. It covers an area of over 150 sq meters and weighs approximately 120 tons. Being visited by over 750,000 tourists every year, the park holds an immense pressure on its resources. The installation of the sculptures promotes the recovery of the natural reefs and relieves pressure on the park resources by drawing visitors away.

MUSA (Isla Mujeres)was formally opened to the public on November 26^th 2010 and is divided into two galleries: the Salón Manchones, which is eight meters deep and suitable for snorkelers and divers alike; and the Salón Nizuc, which is four meters deep and suitable for snorkelers only.

The sculptures were designed and created by Taylor and look beautiful in the underwater, surrounded by the most colorful and diverse marine life. Some of the pieces are: “The Dreams Collector”, “Silent Evolution”, “Anthropocene” and “Silent Evolution” among many others.

If you visit Isla Mujeres, make sure to enjoy the marvelous experience of knowing MUSA. I can ensure you that you will never ever experience anything like this during your lifetime.

Cecilia Vittori