“Mexico's Alcatraz” Set To transform From Prison Island To A Tourist Hotspot By The End Of 2022

A little archipelago in the Gulf of mexico off the coast of Mexico that housed a penal colony until 2022 is nearly prepared to welcome tourists to the remote beaches.

Getting towards the Marias Islands is a challenge by itself as visitors must spend four hours on a boat. The Secretary from the Navy (Secretaria en Marina) has promised to make things easier in the future as well as the time being this is the best way to get to the hawaiian islands.

On April 9, Mexican President Manuel López Obrador said that the prison island could be converted into a tourist destination and that it might be available to the public in a matter of months.


However, an exact date for visiting the famed prison is not yet been released. It is believed to be near the end of 2022.

The prison, located 100 kilometers from the coast of Nayarit, continues to be attempting to reinvent itself for the past Three years.

Initially, it served being an environmental education center, housing and training 153 young adults. Now it aspires being an ecotourism destination for watching birds and its beaches.



Visitors towards the island will be able to learn about the island’s extensive history as well as spend the night time in one of the former jail buildings.

The structures, which housed both prisoners and prison staff, are presently being restored to prevent the making of new infrastructure that may endanger environmental surroundings.

The president has additionally stated that visits to the islands is going to be restricted to protect the ecosystem. 

The idea is the fact that most of the guests will visit the island in the morning by leaving within the afternoon.

The Marías Islands were home to some of Mexico’s most feared and isolated prisoners. It was opened in the middle of the Porfiriato, in 1905, and closed in 2022. 

Famous personalities like the writer and political activist José Revueltas died in the prison’s cells. and in total, during the time it functioned like a prison, it housed about 45,000 prisoners.