Cancun’s Underwater Museum Completes Phase Two

The National Park, located in Isla Mujeres Punta Cancun and Punta Nizuc welcomes approximately 750,000 tourists a year and is now home to 400 submerged sculptures, completing phase two of what is set to be that largest underwater museum in the world.

The Silent Evolution is the name that Jason de Caires Taylor, its creator, has given the submerged sculpture collection that depicts the history of man from the start of ancient Mayan civilizations to today’s modern world -- hinting at historic moments such as “The Conquest” (La Conquista), “The Independence” (La Independencia) and “The Revolution” (La Revolución).

A technique developed by the sculpture allows the creation of life-size human figures that depict actual people, their gestures and positions. The sinking process to more than 10 meters of depth consists of placing the pieces over a two-ton immobilized base, preventing the sculptures from moving out of place with the waves.

The underwater museum can not only be seen from the depths of the ocean, but each sculpture is placed in a way that forms the shape of a human eye when seen from below. The first sinking took place on Nov. 14, 2009.

In the project’s first phase and under the supervision of the renowned artist and sub-aquatic sculpture Jason de Caires Taylor, three sculptures were submerged: “Coleccionista de Sueños” (Dream Collector), “Hombre en llamas” (Man on Fire) and “La Jardinera de la Esperanza” (The Gardener of Hope). The sculptures where placed near the natural reefs and close to marine life habitats in order to create a natural ecosystem that helps maintain corals and reefs in the best conditions.

The main gallery is formed by 400 life-size figures, based on real people. Its building required 18 months of hard work, 120 tons of cement, 400 kilograms of silicone, 3,800 glass fibers and more than 120 submarine work hours, as well as effort and dedication from a committed team with a dream that began almost two years ago. Once the next phase is finished, other artists will be invited to show their own sculptures and contribute to this museum.

The project is backed by Cancun’s Ministry of Environment and its Nautical Association and has required an investment of more than $350,000, in order to allow the natural reefs that surround the sculptures to remain untouched. That is why this marine park was up for the challenge and developed a way to deviate tourists from the natural habitats, through coral reefs, without having to lose its visitors and the $36 million that they represent in annual income.