More than a hundred years ago, the Mexican government built a federal prison on a large Pacific archipelago just off the coast of Mexico.

The Islas Marias Federal Penal Colony was the pride of the government. Under former President Porfirio Diaz, the Isla Maria prison became the most modern corrections facility of its time. It was deemed "escape-proof."

The prison colony was infamous for the numerous cases of violence, disease, and forced labor.


The Three Marys

Half a day by boat, off the Pacific coast of Mexico, a small archipelago made up of 4 islands, and five rock outcrops sit on the sea. The islands, which are sometimes called Las Tres Marias, were named after biblical Mary figures-Maria Madre, Maria Magdalena, and Maria Cleofas.

The tropical prison island housed much exciting flora and fauna. Some animals were also native to the island, including the Tres Marias deer mouse, raccoon, and parrot.

Before a conquistador named Diego Hurtado de Mendoza found and christened the island, no evidence of ancient habitation, legends, or histories existed about the island. It was, even for the indigenous groups on the mainland, a discovery.

In 1877, newly-elected President Jose de la Cruz Porfirio Diaz Mori, who was a former general and politician, started making a plan to use the island as a prison colony, one that resembled the Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay and the Devil's Island in South America.

Porfirio believed building the federal penitentiary could help develop Mexico's minor island territories. The prison would also serve as a way to increase national pride. By 1905, the Isla Marias Federal Penal Colony was complete.


Inescapable

The Islas Marias is known for being an inescapable prison facility. According to activist, author, and former Isla Marias prisoner Jose Revueltas, the prison colony resembled a "wall of water." Inmates were subjected to varying degrees of incarceration. As a vast body of water surrounded the island itself, inmates had nowhere to go.

The officials recorded a total of 76 successful escapes. In 2011, six prisoners escaped using plastic containers as a floatation device. They were, however, caught by passing boats and were brought back to the island.

Most successful escapes were made by inmates who bribed officials and other support staff. In 1986, the Reyes Servin brothers, a family notorious for kidnapping, fled the island. They were never heard from again.


Tropical Life

In the early days, the corrections facility was filled with stories of intense labor and torture. The prisoners cut down most of the island's tropical hardwood to build small settlements on the island. They also built workshops and farms to produce products for consumption and export.

The island was not populated by hardened criminals. At various points in time, the government and corrections officials allowed families to live with the inmates in private homes on the island. The prisoners built a functioning school and hospital, stores, and a home for a small congregation of nuns. For years, the prison colony was self-sufficient.

The prison survived until the 21st century, where it was the last island penal colony left in the Americas. Devil's Island shut operation in 1946; Alcatraz closed its doors in 1963. On February 18, 2019, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador decided to close the prison, citing expensive maintenance costs as well as the island's tendency to be hit by violent tropical storms.

Since the island ceased operations, it has seen a gradual transformation. Many of the small businesses and the island's pre-shutdown population have remained. The Mexican government plans to establish hotels, resorts, and educational facilities. They will also repair the damage done to the tropical island's ecosystem.

The main prison will be converted into a visitors' center named after the activist, Jose Revueltas. While there is much work to be done, government officials expect the Islas Marias to return to its idyllic state in the next few years.

See the island by watching the video below:


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