ANCIENT HISTORY
According to the Chilam Balam of Chumayel, the territory of the current Quintana  Roo was the first settlement of the
Itzáes that arrived from the south in the year 435 A.D. and inhabited Syancan Bakhalal (today Bacalar).  

It is said that the great Señor Kukulkan (who carried the same name of the God of the wind) created the League of
the Mayapán Tribe that lasted during of the years 987 to 1185 A.D.  The Mayan descendants in today’s state of
Quintana Roo were a part of this tribe.  From that time there were a series of internal fights, and in 1461 nineteen
chieftainships in the peninsula of Yucatan were established. These were written down as in the state of Quintana Roo
and  named:  Cochuah, Chactemal (Chetumal), Cuzamil (Cozumel), Chohuac-Há, Tazes, Kupul and Ekab (in the north
region of Quintana Roo).  

The geographical area of the present day Puerto Morelos presents traces of settlements of the Mayan culture
belonging to the Chieftainship of Ekab, whose political influence covered from Cabo Catoche to Tulum.  
This is demonstrated by structures located in the forest and along the coast, "Coxol" located 1 kilometer to the north
of the city, "The Altar" located in the botanical garden "Alfredo Barrier Marín", the "Mayan walls" that are found in a
portion in the mangrove swamp to the south of the city, and the "Pyramid of Muchil" near Punta Brava to the south of
the city.  

In the coastal zone of the city, two pre-Hispanic Mayan structures existed that were destroyed to utilize their rocks in
the construction of the lighthouse that was inclined by Hurricane Beulah in 1967.  This leaning lighthouse is the
current emblem of Puerto Morelos.

Due to the fights between chieftainships the administrative and political conditions were quite weak. It is during this
period that the Spaniards discovered and later conquered the region.  The conquest was not easy due to the natural
conditions and to the violent resistance on the part of the Maya.  In 1526 Francisco of Montejo (father of "the
advanced one") tried continually to conquer the east of the peninsula of Yucatan, but he was not successful until
1540 when his son, Francisco, and  León "el Mozo" began a second campaign, against the existing chieftainships in
Quintana I Roo,
Ekab was the first one in swearing obedience to the conqueror.  

The governments of Yucatan never achieved the complete control of the natives of the east of the peninsula, who
fought for the restitution of its lands and to establish their own government.  On July 30, 1847 in Tepich, the rebellion
of the Maya, Castes War exploded and would last more than 50 years, but the busy zone of what is now Puerto
Morelos was not greatly affected.  

In 1893, Mexico signs with Great Britain the final treaty of the Belize-Quintana Roo border (Mariscal Spencer Treaty),
and as a result Quintana Roo arose as a strategic region for Porfirio Díaz.  The inexact nature of the border,
motivated President Porfirio Díaz to send the commander Othón P.White to that zone, with the purposes to enforce
the dividing line, to impede the traffic of weapons, to reinforce the military campaign of General Ignacio Bravo against
the Mayan Indians and seek the pacification of the zone. And at the same time achieve a permanent establishment for
the Mexican population (that had fled to Belize by the War of Castes) in the territory of Quintana I Roo.  

MODERN HISTORY
The lighthouse inclined by the hurricane Beulah in 1967, is the symbol of Puerto Morelos, which in spite of being a
small population located between two large tourist developments recognized internationally (Cancun and Playa del
Carmen) has an older history than both.  

Its modern history begins toward ends of the 19th century, in the year 1898 upon being founded the Colonizing
Company of the Oriental Coast of Yucatan. Due to the need to find an exit to the sea to export their products, the
company ordered their workers to open a path from the Hacienda de Santa María (today Leona Vicario) toward the
southwest. Little by little the workers arrived at the Caribbean Sea and named the settlement “Punta Corcho”, (Cork
Point) establishing the first families in a camp of very rudimentary huts.  
In this path they laid rails of narrow gauge from 40 to 60 cm wide and they employed rail cars and platforms drawn by
mules.  

The company also owned a steamboat that each month anchored in the Caribbean Sea. Since no dock existed at the
time, the timber and other forest products were thrown into the sea and in small launches the products were rescued
and hoisted by ropes made from agave to the ship.  With the passing of time they built a storage building, a dock and
wooden buildings that gave birth to the population center that with the time would be called Puerto Morelos.  

The products they extracted and exported from the forest were mahogany, chicle, vanilla, tobacco, cedar and cork.  

Puerto Morelos continued its progress and became not only in the oldest natural port of Quintana Roo, but the most
important one in all the state.  

It is around the year 1923 when mahogany loses demand in the international markets, but they established the
company, "Cologne Holy Maria" dedicated to the collection and exportation of chicle, and influencing the local
economy by establishing its collection warehouses in the port.  Puerto Morelos in 1929 was a town with wooden
houses, a dock, and a single street to the coast with one store.  

In 1936 by presidential resolution the Cooperative of Puerto Morelos is founded .The demarcation and physical
boundaries are delineated in 1944.  In the census of 1950 a population of 80 inhabitants was reported.  

With the maritime terminal of Puerto Morelos, during the 1970’s, hardwoods were extracted like chechén (Metopium
browne), to be sold to the federal government and to be destined to the construction and maintenance of railroad
tracks.  The production of chicle declined drastically in 1980 due to the introduction of synthetic replacements, the low
prices of the world market, and to natural disasters as fires and hurricanes.  

In the 70’s the National Fund of the Tourism (FONATUR) gave march to the creation of Cancun, and to the promotion
of the tourism.  Puerto Morelos began a phase of economic and population growth characterized by the immigration of
people from diverse parts of the country and foreigners, creating a cosmopolitan environment.  The forest areas were
colonized also with the legal boundaries of Port Morelos being located from two kilometers of the coast, to both sides
of the federal highway 307 Chetumal-Port Juárez

On October 2, 1975 there was published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación (Official Newspaper of the Federation),
the approval of an addition of 3.337 hectares for the town of Puerto Morelos, municipality of Cozumel, for the
establishment of public utilities, parks, markets, buildings,  jails and other services.  

Subsequently, on October 30, 1998, a new development plan for Puerto Morelos was approved by the municipality of
Benito Juárez (Quintana  Roo) which enlarged the territorial extension to 5.440 hectares of the zone located to the
east and west of the federal highway 307, Chetumal-Puerto Juárez.  

Until the year of 2002 Puerto Morelos was the most important point of collection and provision of the Island of
Cozumel, with ferries that covered the route in a time of three hours. This service was discontinues with the opening
of the artificial port of Calica (closer to Cozumel) as that route is covered in much less time.

On October 7, 2007 the entire city council of the municipality of Benito Juárez approved in an extraordinary session to
elevate Puerto Morelos to the category of Municipal Delegation to City Hall.  (Delegación Municipal a Alcaldía)



                                                        DEMOGRAPHICS
                                                  Population of Puerto Morelos  
                                                       Year         Population
                                                       1980             672
                                                       1990             740
                                                       1995            829
                                                       2000            892
                                                       2005         1.097

Due to the environment geography of Puerto Morelos (mangrove swamps and coral reef), the human settlements
have remained divided along Federal Highway 307.  The settlement located on the coast and to the east of the
federal highway is known as the "Puerto" or "Old Puerto Morelos".  The settlement immediately to the east of the
Federal Highway is known as "Colonia Pescadores". The settlement to the west of the Federal Highway is known as "
Colonia Joaquín Zetina Gazca ",

According to the results of the Census of the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and data processing (INEGI)
of 2005; Port Morelos reported 1,097 inhabitants, while the Colonia Zetina Gasca, reported 6,629 inhabitants plus
108 more located in the Zona Suburbana, for a total of 7.726 inhabitants.  

Nevertheless new housing zones to the north and west of the Col0nia Zetina Gazca are in full population growth:  The
zona urbana "Luis Donaldo Colosio", the division "Villages Morelos them I", the division "Villages Morelos them II", and
the residential area "Buccaneers".  Due to these developments the population in October of 2007 was estimated to be
more than 10.000 inhabitants, the motivation by which the city council of the municipality of Benito Juárez decided to
elevate Port Morelos to Municipal Delegation to City Hall status.

Historically the first settlers of Puerto Morelos were mostly, natives of Tuxpan, state of Veracruz.  At the beginning of
the 70’s there was a strong immigration of inhabitants of Chemax, state of Yucatan.  Due to the tourist influx in the
middle of the 70’s and the early 80’s, the immigration was from all parts of the country and of the world.
Puerto Morelos History
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