Description of the attraction
The lighthouse on the island of Sakrisifios (Spanish Isla de Sacrificios - the island of the Sacrifices) surprises with its history. In 1518, the Spaniard Juan de Grijalva, an explorer of the Gulf of Mexico, discovered this unusual island. According to legend, there was a sacrificial altar here, where people on a certain day sacrificed the most beautiful woman to the gods. The Spanish conquistadors found here the remains of human sacrifices from the times of Mesoamerican cultures. With the arrival of the Spaniards, it was to this island, where a special house was built, that the dying were taken away - from wounds or epidemics. Anthropologists have found here the remains of burials and the foundations of temples of the Totonac and Olmec tribes.
In addition to the beauty of the lighthouse itself, one can admire the beautiful and rare coral reefs that surround the island. In the 90s of the twentieth century, it was decided to close the island due to the deterioration of the condition of rare corals, which were constantly plundered by poachers for handicraft production. In recent years, there have been ongoing negotiations between the government and tourism companies, which insist on opening the island to the public, but environmentalists and biologists fear that the process of destruction will only accelerate.
Today, the Lighthouse on Sacrifice Island serves as a landmark for ships bound for the port of Veracruz. But this is an unusual lighthouse, it is powered by 120 250 W solar panels, and the entire structure of the lighthouse is able to withstand winds of more than 200 miles per hour. Energy experts say that as part of the fight against climate change, the conversion of light energy will save up to six thousand liters of diesel fuel per month and reduce the production of 187,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
