Quintana Roo is a sparsely populated state that has a strong Maya heritage. The state is bordered by Guatemala and Belize on the south, by the Caribbean Sea on the east, by the Gulf of Mexico on its northern tip, and by the states of Yucat�n and Campeche on the west. Quintana Roo occupies a third of the Yucat�n Peninsula, which is an essentially flat limestone surface with almost no aboveground rivers and little topsoil. Quintana Roo covers an area of 39,376 sq km (15,203 sq mi). The state's capital city, Chetumal, is located in the southern portion of the state, across the border from Belize. The state's population in 2000 was 873,804. Spanish explorers made their first landing in what would become Mexico in 1517 at Cape Catoche, at the northern end of modern-day Quintana Roo. Located off the east coast of the Yucat�n Peninsula, Isla Mujeres, where we are currently located, is one of the many beautiful Caribbean Islands that belongs to Mexico. The ancient Maya people built a city on the island many centuries ago. The abundance of salt found on the island supplied much of the Maya empire. Isla Mujeres got its name when explorers found the ruins and discovered large amounts of figurines shaped like women.