ONCE home to some of Mexico’s most notorious mass murderers, the abandoned Islas Marias prison has been revamped into a glamorous tourist attraction.
The iconic prison, hailed as Mexico’s very own Alcatraz, sat on a lone island which is a five-hour boat ride away from the Pacific coastal town of Mazatlán.
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The high walls and barbed wire that contained the building made it almost impossible to escape from.
But many inmates would attempt to flee the prison via the shark infested waters which surrounded the high-security site.
It still remains unknown how many were ever successful.
Islas Marias housed a number of prisoners, but one of the most infamous inmates was José Ortiz Muñoz, better known as El Sapo.
The infamous killer began murdering at the age of 9 after stabbing a schoolmate with a compass because he was jealous of the child being the teachers favourite.
El Sapo then turned into a brutal, bloodthirsty serial killer who ultimately assaulted, raped and butchered over 120 people.
He was sentenced to 30 years in prison 1946 after confessing to his grisly acts, including gunning down over 100 protesters at a demonstration.
Urban legend says he later became a hit-man for the Mexican government before joining the island church and converting to Christianity.
He is believed to have repented for his years of horrific murder but was soon killed by other inmates at Islas Marias.
El Sapo, along with his priest Padre Trampitas, are still buried on the island.
But now only four years after the prison closed its doors, tourists can walk the same haunted paths that the savage El Sapo once did.
The eerie island has been revamped into a glamorous all-inclusive holiday resort, and is the brainchild of Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Similar to the United States famous Alcatraz tour, the Islas Marias project hopes to attract more people to the former penal colony.
The makeover has turned the old federal prison island into a beautiful, sunny paradise and attraction for history lovers.
“This is tourism for excursions, to explore, to live with nature,” Lopez Obrador said in December.
“To recreate history, it’s something exceptional, extraordinary.”
Islas Marias is surrounded by lush, untouched forests, crystal waters and expansive coasts – making it a glorious destination for visitors, despite its sinister history.
The island has been altered completely, with colourful splashes of colour and bright, inviting archways at the entrance.
Several excursions are available to visitors of the ex prison base which include 5:30am hikes, tours of the abandoned remans of the prison and tours of the salt mines where inmates usually worked.
Guests are invited to sleep in glamorously refurbished mini apartments, where some of the more well-behaved prisoners used to live.
But along with the freshly painted white villas, new restaurants and tranquil beaches, the revamped ghost island even includes a tribute to Nelson Mandela.
“Mandela is an example that even behind prison walls, ideals and change can live on for those who want to change history,” Mexico’s government said.
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