Ixchel from the Island of Women

In the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula sits an island with a temple dedicated to the goddess Ixchel.

Local tradition holds that for many generations women have been making two pilgrimages to the temple in their life time. Little girls first accompany their mother to the temple to make offerings, and when they become mothers, they take their own daughters back to make offerings.

The continuity of this pilgrimage has been preserved across many generations.

For highland Maya peoples of Guatemala, Ixchel is the protector of women during childbirth.