The ideological concept and actual execution of the works belongs to Jason Decker Taylor, whose 100 sculptures were placed underwater in 2009 near the shores of Isla de Mueres, Punta Cancun and Punta Nizuc. To date, their number has increased to 450 copies. The purpose of creating this underwater miracle is... to protect the environment!
Cancun is known for its hospitality, allowing approximately 300,000 tourists each year to enjoy exploring the seabed off the city's shores. Therefore, it is not surprising that this has a detrimental effect on flora and fauna. Caribbean Sea. The essence of the museum underwater sculptures is to create artificial coral reefs from its exhibits and direct huge tourist flows here. This way, the natural reefs on the West Coast will be relatively safe.
By the way, the figures are made of reinforced cement, which allows them to become an excellent refuge for lobsters and other inhabitants of the deep sea.
Book your diving trip to the Underwater Sculpture Museum online!
Location of the Cancun Underwater Museum on the map
How to get there on your own
By the way, if you want to visit this museum, keep in mind that a ticket to visit it costs a lot, which, however, completely pays for the impressions you get there. A tour to the dive site and all diving equipment can be obtained from the AquaWorld and Punta Este Marina diving centers. You can also view this work of art from aboard a glass submarine.
Sculptor and diver Jason de Caires Taylor began with a small exhibition in the name of preserving coral reefs, and now plans to create a huge underwater museum with 27 thousand exhibits in the Caribbean Sea.
Since 1970, the Mexican city of Cancun on the Caribbean Sea began to actively develop as a tourist destination. Gradually, Cancun has become not only a popular destination among travelers, but also one of the world's main centers for divers. Firstly, there are beautiful karst caves with underwater visibility of up to 100 meters and direct access to the sea. Secondly, the system of underground rivers Sak Aktun is incredibly beautiful. Thirdly, the ancient Mayan Indian tribes lived in Cancun, and many enthusiasts still believe that among the countless coral reefs one can find the treasures of this amazing nation.
Such an influx of people could not but affect the state of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, which is very complex natural system with a strong addiction biological species from each other. Divers not only swim among coral reefs, but also strive to tear off a piece as a souvenir, and constant human intervention in the life of the ecosystem can lead to irreversible consequences and destroy these beautiful underwater landscapes forever. Sculptor Jason de Caires Taylor decided to draw attention to this problem in an original way- create the first in the world underwater park sculptures
The author's main goal is to remind people how closely they interact with nature. Taylor is not only a graduate of Camberwell College of Art, but also a diving instructor, so he is well aware of the scale of the problem. The Mexican authorities, seriously concerned about the deteriorating environmental situation on the coral reefs of the Yucatan Peninsula, supported the good intentions of the sculptor and believed that the museum would be able to draw the attention of tourists away from the reefs.
Placing motionless stone figures of people under water does not seem like the best idea from an aesthetic point of view. At first glance, the museum is associated with ancient Asian tombs and could well be mistaken for a cemetery of a civilization that went under water. At dusk, all this looks really creepy, and perhaps someday archaeologists will mistake this exhibition for some kind of burial.
Taylor's global underwater project is called "Silent Evolution", and the first 65 human figures were made from life-size images of local residents and lowered to the bottom in the shallow waters of Molineux Bay near the island of Grenada. Taylor worked from life, and the locals agreed to pose for the master. Through sculpture, Taylor attempted to convey the physical and social evolution of man from the Mayan civilization to modern times.
Single exhibits are of particular interest. Here the collector of lost hopes thought.
A lonely gardener rests here.
A cyclist is hurrying somewhere
Here is someone peacefully having dinner in front of the TV.
Meanwhile, the monk sat down to pray.
But the most impressive, perhaps, is this figure of a boy.
Now in the sculptor’s underwater park there are more than 400 single and group sculptures, and by 2025 it is planned to complete work on the second underwater museum, which promises to be much larger. According to the project, new park will occupy about 20 hectares of the seabed and will accommodate 15 thousand statues and 12 thousand funeral urns in the form archaeological finds. Such a large-scale construction definitely cannot be ignored.
To prevent seawater from destroying the sculptures and preventing them from affecting the environment, Jason de Caires Taylor used a steel wire frame and special environmentally friendly concrete that is impervious to the effects of salts and other underwater substances. As additional materials Silicone and fiberglass were used. Stability of sculptures seabed is supported by impressive pedestals.
The sculptures are located at a depth of 2 to 10 meters. Some of them can be seen without scuba gear, riding on special boats with a transparent bottom. Local cleanliness sea water allows this. You will have to dive to the deepest figures, but such dives are available not only to certified divers, but also to beginners.
Some critics believe that the underwater sculpture park is a purely economic project, but many divers have indeed switched from the Mesomerican Barrier Reef to the underwater park. In addition, the idea is also to use large quantity sculptures to artificially create a new reef for marine life and corals. The photos below will explain how the underwater statue gradually turns into a coral reef.
One way or another, Jason de Caires Taylor achieved his goal, and there is a high probability that with the expansion of museums, the reefs of the Yucatan Peninsula will finally cease to be considered the main local attraction and will thereby be saved.
In the Mexican city of Cancun there is the most amazing museum, the exhibition of which is exhibited under water. This unusual museum of underwater sculptures is located at the very bottom of the Caribbean Sea in national park Cancun and is recognized as one of the most interesting cultural sites in the world.
Diving excursion to the Cancun Underwater Museum
To enjoy this magnificent spectacle, visitors will have to put on special equipment and go underwater. You will remember such diving in Mexico for a long time and will leave a lot of positive emotions. After a short briefing, accompanied by an experienced instructor, you can safely dive.
Main idea
Numerous sculptural compositions in the MUSA museum (Museo Subacuatico de Arte) have already been chosen by sea inhabitants, adding mystery and charm to their appearance. The main goal The creators were not interested in attracting tourists, but to show how much the surrounding ecology suffers from the crowds of numerous travelers. Almost every hotel in Cancun offers guests this unforgettable excursion.
Rich collection of the underwater sculpture museum in Cancun
In total, the museum collection includes more than 400 sculptures, and the exhibition is called “Silent Evolution.” It depicts the history of people, from the ancient Mayans to modern times. The main emphasis is placed on such moments of history as “Conquest”, “Revolution” and “Independence”.
Each sculpture, which depicts a specific person, is made in life size. To create such a collection, the master needed 1.5 years, 400 kg of silicone, 120 tons of cement and almost 4 kilometers of fiberglass.
All sculptures are placed on a fixed pedestal, its weight is almost 2 tons, which allows the figures to stand motionless under the pressure of waves and currents. The sculptures are at a depth of 10 meters, creating the impression of a civilization suddenly submerged under water.
Even before the 1970s, the city of Cancun, Mexico, was a small village where the main source of income was fishing. Over the course of 40 years, the village grew into a large resort town. Today, Cancun is one of the five best resorts on the planet and is one of the most important tourist centers in the world. Nature and close proximity to famous historical places are the reason for this. Guests of the city have the opportunity to see many amazing places, one of which is the world famous underwater museum Muse.
As of the end of 2013, the Muse underwater museum consisted of about 500 sculptures. By of this work is an English sculptor Jason Taylor. Work on establishing the museum began in 2009 by Jason and his five associates from Mexico. Initially, about 100 statues were placed in Cancun's National Marine Park, which suffered damage from frequent storms. Today, the Muse underwater museum is considered the largest of its kind in the world. 
For the past 5 years, the works of six creators have been regularly replenished at the bottom of the sea. Throughout 2013, the Muse underwater museum was visited by about 100 thousand people. All statues are made from natural materials so as not to cause harm environment and depict members of local society. According to the sculptors, all the statues should soon become an artificial reef, and to speed up the process, the Muse underwater museum was planted in the area with some types of corals. 
All exhibits in the underwater gallery are also covered with corals over time, due to the close proximity and natural distribution. The Muse Underwater Museum contains three galleries: two underwater and one on land. The authors of the project were given permission to immerse 1,200 sculptures in 10 areas of the National Marine Park. There are 500 statues in two galleries: 477 exhibits at Manchones Reef and 23 statues at Punta Nisuc Reef. Another 26 creations of the authors can be seen in shopping center Kukulkan Plaza. 
In the near future, the Muse underwater museum will be replenished with another gallery. TO new exhibition Cuban sculptor Elier Amado Gil had a hand in it and called it “Blessing”. All galleries can be seen in three ways: snorkeling - diving with a mask and snorkel, diving, or for those who do not want to dive under water, the authors organized trips on glass-bottom boats. 
The Muse underwater museum is located on the territory total area 420 square meters. If you put all the statues together, the total weight will be about 200 tons. The museum is conventionally divided into two zones, with different depths: 8 meters, for those who do not want to dive deep, and 12 meters for diving enthusiasts. The main purpose of creating the museum was to restore marine flora and fauna. The author of the project, Jason Taylor, in addition to art, is also a photographer and a fighter for the preservation of nature. The Muse Underwater Museum became a project in which he was able to simultaneously combine all his ideas and at the same time contribute to the popularity of the resort.
Underwater museum in Mexico, Cancun.
Cancun is one of the most popular resorts in Mexico.
Golden beaches, azure waters, magnificent nature, cuisine, whose devoted fans come here every year to taste the most unusual and exotic dishes that are prepared exclusively here. But Cancun is not only known for its natural beauty; one of its most unusual wonders is underwater. And it's not even luxurious underwater world with colorful flora and fauna, it is the most a real museum sculptures, where the exhibits are figures of the most diverse and unusual people.
The Underwater Museum in Cancun is a very recent phenomenon; the first sculptures appeared in it in 2010. The first sculptures placed in shallow water in the future museum were such exhibits as: “Collector of Wishes”, a figure of a man who is simply called “Unknown”, a figure with the amazing name “Man on Fire” and also “Gardener of Hope”.
But already before today this amazing collection has been increased several times. Only now there are over 370 different figures.
Initially it was planned that there would be no more than 400 figures, but now the city authorities are announcing that they do not intend to stop at this number.
The figures themselves are creations made from environmentally friendly concrete. Not only Mexican sculptors, but also sculpture creators from all over the world work to create the most unusual compositions.
This explains the multinational diversity of the “underwater inhabitants”: there are Mexicans, Europeans, looking at whom it is easy to understand what nationality they belong to, Asians and African Americans. The sculptural variations themselves tell whole stories, which are sometimes very difficult to tear yourself away from.
There is a sculptural composition of people here, standing with their backs each other and holding hands, sculptures of people praying, there are sculptures of children playing with animals, sculptures depicting crowds of people talking, laughing, quarreling and making peace, and there are sculptures aimed at making contemplators think about the pressing problems of humanity and individual personality in general.
The idea of creating such sculptural composition belongs to the British sculptor Jason de Cairis Taylor, who is also the author of most of the sculptures located under water. The idea of the artist-sculptor was supported by the authorities of the city of Cancun. And it’s not surprising, because the creation of such an underwater museum has many positive aspects.
Firstly, of course, this is tourism. Hundreds of thousands of tourists decide to come and look at this incredible art every year, and there is nothing to blame them for; the museum is truly the most beautiful, largest and an unusual museum in the world and not only among underwater museums.
Another benefit is the environment. It was this motivation that Jason Taylor argued for placing his masterpieces underwater. Sculptures are not only high art, but also additional places for the development of sea corals, which off the coast of Mexico are amazingly beautiful and unique. In addition, corals starfish, fish and other inhabitants of the waters are an additional decoration and further demonstrate the unusualness of the museum.
Jason Taylor and his assistants make their sculptures on special platforms to make the compositions more convenient to place in the museum. Thousands of people come to watch this magnificent dive. Because this action is incredibly exciting to witness. The museum itself and its exhibits are located at a depth of 2 to 10 meters. It was decided to do this in order to make it easy to get to it.
You can look at the figures by acquiring a snorkel and fins (not deeper than 2 meters), scuba diving, and even taking a ride on a special glass-bottomed boat. The latest innovation is designed for children and adults who do not want or do not know how to scuba dive.
Thus, we can say that the authorities made sure that anyone could look at the amazing composition of underwater statues in Cancun.
