Lighthouses of Mexico: Caribbean Coast (Quintana Roo)

Mexico, officially the United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos or EUM), is the second largest country of Latin America and the largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world. With an east coast on the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea and a long west coast on the Pacific Ocean it has by far the longest coastline in Latin America and, as a result, the largest number of lighthouses.

Mexico is a federal union of 31 states (estados) plus the capital district, and the states are subdivided into municipalities (municipios). This page includes lighthouses of the state of Quintana Roo, which faces east on the Caribbean Sea. Quintana Roo is known for the beach resorts of the Riviera Maya, including Cancún and the island of Cozumel, and also for the Mayan ruins of Tulum and other sites.

In Spanish the word for a lighthouse is faro, baliza is a beacon, isla is an island, cabo is a cape, punta is a promontory or point of land, péñon is a rock, arrecife is a reef, bahía is a bay, ría is an estuary or inlet, estrecho is a strait, río is a river, and puerto is a port or harbor.

Mexican lighthouses are managed by the Port Captains and Maritime Affairs Unit (Unidad de Capitanías de Puerto y Asuntos Marítimos, UNICAPAM). Many of the larger light stations are staffed by resident civilian keepers.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. Light List numbers are from NGA Publication 110 for Caribbean lights and Publication 111 for Pacific lights.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Mexico - Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Leuchttürme in Mexiko
Photos by Andreas Köhler.
Lighthouses in Mexico
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Mexico
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Faros con historia en Quintana Roo
A collection of photos posted by Salatiel Barragán Santos.
Mexican Beacons
November 2001 Lighthouse Digest article by Dalene Thomas covering the Cozumel lighthouses.
Leuchttürme Mittelamerikas auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
Cuaderno de Faros
The Mexican light list can be downloaded in two volumes, Atlantic and Pacific.


Punta Celeraín Light, Cozumel, Agust 2021
Instagram photo by marrrrpv

Lázaro Cárdenas Municipality (Isla Holbox Area) Lighthouses
Isla Holbox is a relatively unspoiled barrier island 42 km (26 mi) long. Visitors are not allowed to bring autos to the island, and transportation is mostly by golf cart or moped.

* Chiquilá Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white light, 1 s on, 1 s off. 14 m (46 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Google has a 2023 street view but the tower is a bit hard to see in Google's satellite view. According to the Cuaderno the front light is on an 8 m (26 ft) tower at the waterfront but Google's 2023 street view suggests the tower may be somewhat taller. Located beside the main street in Chiquilá about three blocks south of the Isla Holbox ferry terminal. Site open, tower closed. CF-23-385.1; Admiralty J4424.51; NGA 15661.1.
* Holbox Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); white light, 1 s on, 2 s off. 11 m (36 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. The light is on the right side of a view by Arturo Velquez and Google has a street view and an indistinct satellite view. The range guides ferries arriving at Isla Holbox from the mainland terminal at Chiquilá. Located a short distance north of the ferry pier. Site open, tower closed. CF-23-365; Admiralty J4427.3; NGA 15657.
* Holbox Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white light, 1 s on, 1 s off. 16 m (52 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Google has the street view seen at right but the tower is hiding in trees in Google's indistinct satellite view. Located in a residential neighborhood on Isla Holbox, about 300 m (0.2 mi) north northwest of the front light. Site open, tower closed. CF-23-365.1; Admiralty J4427.31; NGA 15657.1.
* Holbox
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Google has a street view but the tower is difficult to find in Google's satellite view. Located just off the beach in downtown Holbox. Site open, tower closed. CF-23-360; Admiralty J4427; NGA 15656.

Holbox Range Rear Light, Isla Holbox, September 2013
Google Maps street view by C. Hernán Cortés

Isla Mujeres Municipality Lighthouses
Most of the Isla Mujeres Municipality is on the mainland occupying the extreme northeastern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula. The island from which it takes its name is only 7 km (4.3 mi) long and 650 m (0.4 mi) wide, but it is crowded from one end to the other with tourist attractions. The island lies about 13 km (8 mi) east northeast of Cancún; ferries run regularly between the two.

Cabo Catoche
Date unknown (1930s or 1940s). Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); four white flashes every 20 s. 14 m (46 ft) octagonal concrete tower with gallery and a small lantern, mounted on a square masonry base. Tower painted white, lantern dome red. The base of the tower was formerly painted red. Several keeper's houses; this is a staffed station. Laura Elena Rosado has a 2007 photo, Anita Wettergren has a 2023 photo, Jose de Jesus Perez Avila has a view from the sea, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. The lighthouse is endangered by beach erosion; several groins have been built to protect it. Located at Cabo Catoche, the northeastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower reported open. ARLHS MEX-084; CF-23-350; Admiralty J4428; NGA 15664.
Isla Contoy (3)
1931 (station established 1900). Active; focal plane 33 m (105 ft); white flash every 7 s. 32 m (103 ft) concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white, lantern roof red. Oscar Vazquez has a 2024 photo, Fer Burgos has a 2011 photo, S. Sichler has a 2008 photo, Ubaldo Maynez has a 2023 view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. Isla Contoy is an 8.5 km (5.3 mi) long island about 29 km (18 mi) north of Isla Mujeres. The island, famous for its birds and coral reefs, became a national park in 1998. Eco-tours are available from Isla Mujeres and Cancún. Located at the north end of the narrow island, the lighthouse is rarely visited. Accessible only by boat. Site open only to guided tours, tower closed. Site manager: Parque Nacional Isla Contoy. ARLHS MEX-008; CF-23-340; Admiralty J4430; NGA 15668.
** Isla Mujeres Punta Norte (Isla Mujeres Range Rear) (1)
Date unknown. Inactive since 2017. 16 m (52 ft) concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern roof is red. Agustín Soriano's 2022 photo is at right, David Stanley has a 2014 photo, Cesar Vazquez has a 2021 photo, Trabas has an excellent photo, Köhler has a photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This is the taller of the two Isla Mujeres lighthouses. It stands beside a busy street, but photos of it are not so common as one might think. The light was probably relocated because an increasing number of tall buildings were blocking visibility. Located at the northwestern point of the island and the north end of the harbor. Site open, tower reported open but we need verification on this. ARLHS MEX-139; ex-CF-23-285.1; ex-Admiralty J4433.1.
* Isla Mujeres Punta Norte (Isla Mujeres Range Rear) (2)
2017. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 3 m (10 ft) skeletal tower mounted atop the Mía Reef Resort. Benito Camelo has a 2018 street view and Google has a satellite view. The tower can be seen in a more distant November 2017 street view by Jose Yair Marin and Trabas's very distant view by Capt. Peter Mosselberger. Located on an islet just off the northern tip of Isla Mujeres, accessible by a bridge. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Hotel Mía Reef Isla Mujeres. CF-23-285.1; Admiralty J4431.8; NGA 15680.

Punta Norte Light, Isla Mujeres, February 2022
Google Maps photo by Agustín Soriano
Piedra La Carbonera (Isla Mujeres Range Front)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 6 m (20 ft); white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) square concrete tower, painted white. Steve Stevens has a photo, Carlos Paz has a photo, another good photo is available, Trabas has a distant view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a rock in the harbor of Isla Mujeres, 980 m (0.6 mi) due south of the rear light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. CF-23-285; Admiralty J4431.9 (ex-J4433); NGA 15676.
*** Isla Mujeres (Punta Sur) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1899). Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); four white flashes every 16 s. 10 m (34 ft) octagonal concrete tower with gallery, covered with wood siding, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white. There is only a small lantern; the top of the tower is an observation deck with the light mounted in the center. A 2020 photo is at right, a 2018 photo is available, Ted Donovan has a 2014 photo, Trabas has a 2019 view by Capt. Peter Mosselberger, Alejandro J. Arredondo has a street view, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. The lighthouse was restored after being damaged by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988; the restored lighthouse is faced with wood siding and the gallery rail is wood. It appears that the keeper's house has been rebuilt as a gift shop. Around 2010 the tower was extended with a skeletal tower carrying an radar antenna. Köhler's 2010 photo shows the tower without the extension. Located in an ecological and historical park at the southern tip of Isla Mujeres. Site and tower open. Site manager: Garrafón National Park. . ARLHS MEX-020; CF-23-280; Admiralty J4432; NGA 15672.

Punta Sur Light, Isla Mujeres, May 2020
Instagram photo by islamujeres.mx

Benito Juárez Municipality (Cancún Metropolitan Area) Lighthouses
Cancún is a large city and an internationally known resort; its population approaches 900,000. It is located to the north of the resort coast called the Riviera Maya, for which it provides an urban anchor.
 

El Meco Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); white light, 1 s on, 1 s off. 16 m (52 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. The light is seen at 0:17 of a video and Google has a satellite view and a very distant 2014 street view from the beach. Located 128 m (140 yd) northwest of the front light. Site status unknown. CF-23-240.1; Admiralty J4436.1; NGA 15692.1.
** Gran Puerto de Cancún
2005. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 58 m (190 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 58 m (190 ft) tower with the lantern centered on a large round restaurant. Trabas has Hendrik Martin Porath's photo, Köhler has a photo, there's a 2007 view from the sea, Walter Donegà has a 2019 street view, and Google has a satellite view. Obviously designed as a tourist attraction, this large structure straddles a terminal for ferries from Cancún to Isla Mujeres. Located on the waterfront in Puerto Juárez, the downtown waterfront district of Cancún. Site open, restaurant open. CF-23-590; Admiralty J4436.3; NGA 15694.
* Cancún (Punta Cancún) (2)
Date unknown (2005?). Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. 12 m (39 ft) cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. An external stairway winds around the tower, but does not reach the ground. A 2025 photo is at right, Trabas has Köhler's photo, a 2023 photo is available, Javier Mexicano Torres has a closeup 2020 street view, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was repainted in 2025. The original lighthouse, seen in a 2002 photo, was a simple concrete cylinder with no lantern; it was probably destroyed by Hurricane Wilma when that storm scored a direct hit on Cancún in October 2005. Located at Punta Cancún at the northeast point of the resort area. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS MEX-087; CF-23-230; Admiralty J4436.5; NGA 15696.
El Meco Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); white flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) square pyramidal white concrete tower. Sibling of the Piedra la Carbonera light at Isla Mujeres. A 2022 photo and an aerial view (light at lower right) are available, Google has a street view from the beach and an indistinct satellite view. The range was built to guide vessels in the dredged entrance channel to Cancún.Howvere, a large new building appears to obstruct mariners' view of the rear light, throwing the future of the range in doubt. Located on a headland on the north side of Cancún. Site open, tower closed.CF-23-240; Admiralty J4436; NGA 15692.

Punta Cancún Light, Cancún, April 2025
Instagram photo by Secretaría Municipal de Turismo de Cancun

Puerto Morelos Municipality Lighthouses
Puerto Morelos is a resort town and seaport about 36 km (22 mi) south of Cancún and about the same distance north of Playa del Carmen. The permanent population of the town is about 20,000.

*
Punta Nizuc
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); four white flashes every 16 s. 10 m (33 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white and mounted on a square concrete base. Trabas has Capt. Peter Mosselberger's view from the sea, a 2022 photo is available, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located on a rocky point about 12 km (7.5 mi) south of Punta Cancún. Site open, tower closed. CF-23-225; Admiralty J4437; NGA 15700.
* Puerto Morelos (2)
1946 (station established 1905). Inactive. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower, painted white with blue trim. This leaning tower on the beach was abandoned after being undermined by Hurricane Beulah in September 1967. A 2021 photo and a 2007 photo are available, Luciana Burin has a closeup, Wikimedia has a photo, and Google has a street view and an indistinct satellite view. The original light was mounted on an iron mast. Located on the beach, near the water's edge, in Puerto Morelos, a resort town of about 10,000 residents. .
* Puerto Morelos (3)
1968 (?) (station established 1905). Active; focal plane 15 m (52 ft); white flash every 6 s. 14 m (49 ft) round cylindrical tower with four ribs, lantern, and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. Part of a 2018 street view by Gonzalo Fernandez Prieto is at right, Chris Goldberg has a 2008 photo, Wikimedia has a photo, Trabas has Hendrik Martin Porath's photo, Köhler has a photo, and Google has a street view and an indistinct satellite view. The top of the tower with its gallery was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma (October 2005), but a September 2007 photo shows the lighthouse restored and repainted. Located on the beach in Puerto Morelos, about 30 km (20 mi) south of Cancún. Site open, tower status uncertain. . ARLHS MEX-014; CF-23-170; Admiralty J4438; NGA 15704.
* Punta Brava
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); four white flashes every 16 s. 9 m (30 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white and mounted on a square concrete base. Trabas has Capt. Peter Mosselberger's view from the sea, Oscar Gamboa has a 2020 photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located on the beach at a sandy point about 5 km (3 mi) south of Puerto Morelos. Site open, tower closed. CF-23-165; Admiralty J4440; NGA 15708.

Puerto Morelos Light, Puerto Morelos, April 2018
Google Maps photo by Gonzalo Fernandez Prieto

Cozumel Municipality (Isla de Cozumel) Lighthouses
Cozumel is a large island, 48 km (30 mi) by 16 km (10 mi), located 20 km (13 mi) offshore and 60 km (38 mi) south of Cancún. A very popular resort, the island has a population of about 100,000. It is readily accessible by air and cruise ship and also by ferry from Playa del Carmen. The name of the island is derived from the Mayan Kùutsmil, "island of swallows."

****
Punta Celeraín (3)
1934 (station established 1908). Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white flash every 5 s. 25 m (82 ft) cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with black lettering on the seaward side; lantern painted red, gallery green. A 4th order (?) clamshell Fresnel lens in use. The keeper's house (1908) has been renovated as the Celeraín Museum of Navigation. Foundations of two earlier lighthouses remain visible. Visitor center nearby on the main road. A 2021 photo is at the top of this page, Wikimedia has a 2011 photo, Vladimir Ponomarev has a 2009 photo, an aerial photo is available, Lighthouse Digest has a fine photo by George Fuqua, Trabas has a view from the sea by Capt. Theo Hinrichs, and Google has a satellite view and a street view from the beach. The road to the lighthouse was washed out by Hurricane Wilma in late 2005 but the area was reopened by September 2006. Located in an ecological reserve at the southern end of the island of Cozumel. Site open (entry fee), tower open. Site manager: Parque Punta Sur. . ARLHS MEX-088; CF-23-100; Admiralty J4446; NGA 15744.
* San Miguel de Cozumel (5) (Punta Caletita)
2000 (station established 1906). Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 36 m (118 ft) cylindrical concrete light tower with four ribs, lantern, and gallery. Anthony Coley's 2023 photo is at right, Trabas has a closeup photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Shortly after Richard Johnson's April 2008 photo was taken the lighthouse was repainted white with green trim and large black lettering on the sides, as seen in a July 2008 photo. A 2020 photo shows it repainted all white. Located on the west side of the island adjacent to the ferry terminal, about 1.6 km (1 mi) south of San Miguel de Cozumel. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS MEX-096; CF-23-120; Admiralty J4443.1; NGA 15732.
* San Miguel de Cozumel (4) (Punta Langosta)
Date unknown (station established 1906). Inactive since 2000 (briefly reactivated in the 2010s). 15 m (49 ft) cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and two galleries, painted white with blue trim. Kristine Miller has a 2020 photo, a 2009 photo is available, Lighthouse Digest has a photo by Joost Keesing, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Deactivated in favor of the new lighthouse at Punta Caletita (previous entry), this lighthouse was apparently reactivated to assist boats entering the harbor. Older photos show that the lighthouse was originally shorter; it's not known when it was extended. Located on the waterfront at the cruise ship terminal in San Miguel de Cozumel, on the west side of the island. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS MEX-131; ex-Admiralty J4443; ex-NGA 15730.

Punta Caletita Light, San Miguel de Cozumel, January 2023
Google Maps photo by Anthony Coley
Punta Molas (2)
Date unknown (station established 1900). Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. 32 m (105 ft) cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery; solar-powered 300 mm (?) lens. Tower painted with red and white horizontal bands. Other light station buildings demolished or in ruins. Caddell found a small military garrison at the light station. Ricardo Pech has a 2017 photo, Pedro Misael Caamal Sanchez has a closeup, Vadim Sementsov has a 2022 view from the beach, Trabas has a view from the sea by Capt. Theo Hinrichs, and Jose Luis Cervantes also has a view from the sea, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was restored and repainted in 2010 and repainted again in 2021-22. This lighthouse is accessible only by 4 wheel drive vehicles over a very rough road. Located at the northern tip of Cozumel. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS MEX-089; CF-23-145; Admiralty J4442; NGA 15724.

Solidaridad Municipality (Playa del Carmen) Lighthouses
* Punta Maroma (?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); four white flashes every 16 s. 9 m (30 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white and mounted on a square concrete base. Trabas has Capt. Peter Mosselberger's view from the sea, Antonio Cristerna has a 2011 photo, and Jason Hixenbaugh has a 2017 street view. Endangered: the tower was in the water at ordinary high tides and had developed a lean. Google's satellite view.appears to show that the tower has fallen. Located at the water's edge about 15 km (9 mi) north of Playa del Carmen. Site open, tower closed. CF-23-160; Admiralty J4440.5; NGA 15712.
** Playa del Carmen
Date unknown. Probably inactive (privately maintained); previously listed with focal plane 17 m (56 ft); two white flashes every 12 s. 16 m (52 ft) conical concrete tower, painted white; lantern red. This privately built lighthouse has a unique modern design with a stairway that spirals up the exterior of the tower. Sunny Simantov's 2022 photo is at right, Trabas has Hendrik Martin Porath's photo, Köhler has a photo, Antonio Matinez has a 2020 nighttime closeup, Frank Kovalchek has a 2008 photo, and Google has a beach view and a satellite view. The light has been dropped by the Admiralty and by the Cuaderno. Located in a resort on the beach at Playa del Carmen. Site and tower open. Site manager: unknown. ARLHS MEX-146; ex-CF-23-155; ex-Admiralty J4441(?); NGA 15716.

Tulum Municipality Lighthouses
**** Tulum El Castillo
About 1200 AD. Rubblestone pyramid crowned by a square temple structure with two small openings facing the sea. Köhler has a photo and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Built by the Maya, this structure was used ingeniously as a lighthouse to guide returning fisherman; when fires could be seen from the sea through both openings the boat was lined up properly to enter the harbor. This system was still in use when a Spanish expedition under Juan de Grijalva reached Tulum in 1518. Site and pyramid open.
* Tulum
Date unknown. Reactivated in 2023; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); white flash every 6 s. 11 m (36 ft) square concrete tower formerly attached to a 1-story concrete keeper's cottage. Lighthouse formerly painted white with green trim. For many years the lighthouse was abandoned, covered with graffiti. In 2023 the national development agency (Sedatu) restored the lighthouse as a tourist information center within a new park providing more direct access to the adjoining beach. Before and after photos are available. Tomas Cirio has a 2023 photo, Kamila Świerska has a 2024 photo, Omar Xochipa has a 2024 view, a 2021 closeup photo taken before the restoration is available, Amelia Payne has a distant street view from the beach, a distant view is available, and Google has a satellite view. In the past most tourists missed this lighthouse; it is located about 500 m (0.3 mi) south of the Mayan ruin and 100 m north of the Playa Santa Fe beach, atop a limestone cliff called Salta Iman. Site and tower open. ARLHS MEX-080; CF-23-085; Admiralty J4448; NGA 15748.

Playa del Carmen Light, Playa del Carmen, December 2022
Google Maps photo by Sunny Simantov
** Punta Allen (2)
Date unknown (station established 1905). Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); four white flashes every 16 s. 20 m (66 ft) concrete tower with four ribs, lantern, and gallery. The lighthouse is unpainted white concrete; the lantern roof is painted red. Sergio Villarreal has the photo at right, Nina Chapovska has a 2018 photo, a closeup photo is available, D. Wiggins has a view from the sea, Dario Ponzo has a drone view, Milton Ruiz has a street view, and Google has a sea view and a satellite view. The lighthouse is in the village of Punta Allen about 40 km (25 mi) south of Tulum, marking the entrance to the Bahía de la Ascensión. Site and tower open. ARLHS MEX-048; CF-23-080; Admiralty J4450; NGA 15752.

Felipe Carrillo Puerto Municipality Lighthouses
* Vigia Chico
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); four white flashes every 16 s. 10 m (33 ft) slender round concrete tower painted with red and white horizontal bands. An older photo showing the lighthouse all white is available and Google has a distant satellite view. Basilio Rodriguez has a photo; although dated 2024 it appears to show the lighthouse under construction beside an older skeletal tower. Located at Vigia Chico on the west side of the Bahía del Espíritu Santo. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. CF-23-075; Admiralty J4450.5; NGA 15756.
Cayo Culebra (2?)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. 12 m (39 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower. Radioclub Cancun has a 2012 photo on a QSL card and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Before about 2015 the Cuaderno de Faros and the international light lists described a round white concrete tower for this light and the tiny photo in the Cuaderno appeared to show a concrete tower standing in front of the present tower. It seems likely that the concrete tower was lost to erosion or toppled by a hurricane. Cayo Culebra is an island in the Bahía de la Ascensión about 8 km (5 mi) south southeast of Punta Allen. Located on the north side of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Site manager: Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. CF-23-070; Admiralty J4450.7; NGA 15760.
Punta Nohku
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) square pyramidal white skeletal tower. The Cuaderno has a small photo and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a marshy point at the southern entrance to the Bahía de la Ascensión. Site status unknown. Site manager: Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. CF-23-065; Admiralty J4450.9; NGA 15764.

Punta Allen Light, Punta Allen, Drecember 2021
Google Maps photo by Sergio Villarreal
Punta Pajaros
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) square pyramidal white skeletal tower. The Cuaderno has a small photo and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located at a small fishing camp about 10 km (6 mi) southeast of Punta Nohku. Site status unknown. Site manager: Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. CF-23-060; Admiralty J4451; NGA 15768.

Othón P. Blanco Municipality: Chetumal Area Lighthouses
* Punta Herrero (4)
Date unknown (station established 1901). Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 22 m (72 ft) cylindrical concrete tower with 4 ribs, lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white. 1-story concrete keeper's house. Carlos Martínez has a photo, Luciano Gomes Fischer has a 2019 photo, and Google has a beach view and a satellite view. The original lighthouse was described as a white tower about 15 m (49 ft) tall, and the third lighthouse was a square skeletal tower. Punta Herrero is at the end of a long, northward-pointing spit that encloses the Laguna del Espíritu Santo. The entire area is included in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve. Located at the end of the road in Punta Herrero. Site open, tower status unknown. ARLHS MEX-056; CF-23-053; Admiralty J4452; NGA 15776.
* Mahahual (Majahual) (2)
2006 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane about 23 m (75 ft); four white flashes every 16 s. Approx. 22 m (72 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower with four buttressed ribs, lantern, and gallery. Lantern roof painted red. The former light, a short skeletal tower, stands next to the new lighthouse in an April 2007 photo but it has been removed and is not seen in the Google 2023 street view at right. Google now has a 2024 street view, David Cabrera has a photo, Trabas has Hendrik Martin Porath's photo, Andrzej Trzmiel has a 2018 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Mahahual is a village with perhaps 1000 residents a short distance south of the Costa Maya cruise ship terminal. Located on the waterfront in Mahahual. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. . CF-23-025; Admiralty J4455; NGA 15782.
* X'calak (Xcalak) (1)
1904. Inactive. Round cast iron tourelle mounted on an octagonal concrete base. The top of the cast iron tower is missing. Google has a 2023 street view and an indistinct satellite view. Located on the beach about 400 km (1/4 mi) north of the modern lighthouse (next entry).

Mahahual Light, Mahahual, December 2023
ex-Google Maps street view
* X'calak (Xcalak) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1904). Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern, unpainted. Trabas has Hendrik Martin Porath's closeup photo, Riona MacNamara also has a good closeup photo, and Google has a 2023 street view and an indistinct satellite view. The lantern is an recent addition. The name of the town is pronounced "shkalak." Located at X'calak, the southernmost point of Quintana Roo, across from Ambergris Cay, Belize. Accessible by ferry from Chetumal. Site status unknown. ARLHS MEX-137; CF-23-015; Admiralty J4462; NGA 15796.
*** Ciudad Chetumal (Payo Obispo) (2)
1975 (station established 1896). Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 6 s.15 m (49 ft) cylindrical tower without lantern, attached to a 1-story building now used as a museum. Tower painted white, gallery red. Google's 2019 street view is at right, Trabas has Hendrik Martin Porath's photo, Köhler has a photo, a 2008 photo is available, Wikimedia has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. The museum in the equipment building was a project of the Quintana Roo port authority; it opened in 2015. Gary Dicken has a photo. The original lighthouse was moved closer to the sea is 1943, damaged by Hurricane Janet in 1955, and destroyed by Hurricane Carmen in 1974. The historic city of Chetumal is the capital of Quintana Roo. Located in the median of Boulevard Bahía at the east end of downtown Chetumal. Site open, museum schedule and tower status unknown. . ARLHS MEX-028; CF-23-026; Admiralty J4469; NGA 15800.

Othón P. Blanco Municipality: Banco Chinchorro Lighthouses
Banco Chinchorro is a complex of coral reefs and cays about 40 km (25 mi) long and up to 16 km (10 mi) wide, located about 25 km (15 mi) off Mexico's extreme southeast coast. The reefs have claimed countless shipwrecks since the earliest days of Spanish exploration in the region.

Banco Chinchorro (Cayo Norte) (3)
Date unknown (station established 1909). Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) square white concrete tower. Trabas has Capt. Peter Mosselberger's distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the extreme north end of the reef. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. CF-23-040; Admiralty J4456; NGA 15780.

Ciudad Chetumal Light, Ciudad Chetumal, May 2019
Google Maps street view
Cayo Centro (3)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. Cary Akin has a 2007 photo, which also shows two earlier lighthouses; one is a concrete post light about 10 m (33 ft) tall, undermined and leaning in the water, and the other is a shorter skeletal tower with gallery, perhaps 10 m (33 ft) tall. Only the active lighthouse is seen in Capt. Peter Mosselberger's 2016 view from the sea. The tower is hard to distinguish in Google's satellite view. As its name suggests Cayo Centro is an island in the center of the reef complex. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. CF-23-035; Admiralty J4456.5; NGA 15784.
Cayo Lobos (2)
Date unknown (station established 1900). Active (?); focal plane 14 m (46 ft); two white flashes every 12 s. 13 m (43 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with gallery. Trabas has Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photo (seen at right) and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Cayo Lobos is at the extreme south end of the reef. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. CF-23-030; Admiralty J4456.7; NGA 15792.

Information available on lost lighthouses

  • Chetumal Reloj (Clocktower) (1916-1948). The first light in the Chetumal area was a mast light at Consejo, a promontory on the south side of the entance to the bay. In 1916 a clock tower was built on the town waterfront with a light mounted above the clock. This clock tower does not survive. A monumental clock tower has been built recently. The clock faces, on all four sides, are illuminated at night but have no navigational function. Google has a street view and a satellite view.

Notable faux lighthouses:

  • Hotel Cozumel Marina, near the airport, is the home of a large lighthouse-like tower; it carries a radar antenna but is not an aid to navigation. Ernesto Diaz has a 2020 photo and Google has a satellite view.

Cayo LObos Light, Banco Chinchorro, January 2016
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

Adjoining pages: South: Belize | West: Mexico Southern Gulf Coast

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Posted December 2004. Checked and revised April 23, 2025. Lighthouses: 38. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.