The Enigma of Bermeja Island: A Vanished Land
A mysterious island known as Bermeja has seemingly disappeared without a trace, igniting a flurry of theories that range from rising sea levels to potential government cover-ups. Once depicted on nautical charts as a small landmass in the Gulf of Mexico, Bermeja has perplexed researchers and historians for decades.
Bermeja Island, believed to have existed off the Yucatán coast of Mexico, has intrigued many, as it was featured prominently in maps for centuries but is now nowhere to be found. This raises the question: did it sink into the depths of the ocean, was it ever there at all, or was it deliberately erased from existence?
The island first made its appearance in Spanish maps as early as the 16th century. The name “Bermeja,” which means “reddish” in Spanish, hinted at its unique geographical features. It was located in the Yucatán Channel, approximately 100 miles from the Yucatán Peninsula. For centuries, explorers and cartographers included it in their official records. However, by the late 20th century, Bermeja began to fade from modern maps.
Jesús Israel Baxin Martínez, a geographer from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), shared with The Sun that even in the 19th century, Bermeja was still present in official Mexican atlases. He stated, “Between the 16th and early 19th centuries, Bermeja Island was recorded on maps from various sources. In the 1858 Mexican Atlas, Bermeja Island clearly appears north of Cayo Arenas; however, by 1886, it had vanished from the General Map of the United Mexican States. It is likely that the cartographer made some revisions, but these islands had not been verified.”
In 1977, the Mexican government dispatched a research team to locate the island, but they returned empty-handed. A subsequent expedition in 2009, using advanced satellite and sonar technology, confirmed the same unsettling conclusion: Bermeja was simply gone.
Possible Explanations for the Disappearance
Numerous theories have surfaced regarding the fate of Bermeja Island, ranging from scientific explanations to more conspiratorial notions.
A Cartographic Error
Some researchers propose that Bermeja Island may have never genuinely existed, attributing its historical presence on maps to cartographic errors. “It’s quite possible,” Martínez acknowledged. “Cartographers between the 16th and 19th centuries often copied geographical features from various maps without field verification.” It is suggested that Bermeja may have been a product of repeated cartographic duplication, possibly confused with other islands in the Gulf, such as “El Negrillo” or “Zarca,” which also disappeared over time. A 2009 study conducted by UNAM found no supporting evidence of Bermeja’s existence, leading to the conclusion that it was likely a perpetuated mapping mistake, as reported by NBC.
The Sunken Island Theory
Another hypothesis posits that if Bermeja did exist, it might have been a low-lying atoll or sandbank that succumbed to erosion from ocean currents over the centuries. However, Martínez deems this unlikely, remarking, “These causes are implausible; it seems impossible that sudden events could have gone unrecorded and left no trace over the past five centuries.” Even though historical sailing records indicate that Bermeja had vegetation, suggesting it was more than just a simple sandbank, no detailed cartography of the island has ever been created. “It only appears on maps of national scale or those focused on the Yucatán region,” Martínez noted. “If significant erosion or a rise in sea level submerged any of the islands, traces would remain.”
Deliberately Erased?
A more controversial theory suggests that Bermeja was deliberately destroyed or erased from records due to its strategic location. The island would have extended Mexico’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), granting the country rights to valuable oil reserves in the Gulf. Some speculate that it was secretly bombed, submerged, or removed from maps to alter maritime boundaries, potentially benefiting the United States. However, Martínez quickly refutes this theory, stating, “It’s a conspiracy theory, of course. Isla Bermeja was a contentious issue because it was a critical area of the Exclusive Economic Zone in the Gulf of Mexico.” He further explained, “There were official searches initiated around this time to determine if any remnants of this island existed, as expanding this zone for Mexico would mean significant oil resources.”
Despite extensive searches, no trace of Bermeja has ever been found, leaving the mystery unsolved. Martínez concluded, “In short, the most plausible theory is that it is a cartographic error replicated and unverified over more than 400 years.” Yet, he also cautions that Mexico’s preoccupation with lost islands like Bermeja distracts from a more pressing issue: the neglect of the country’s real, inhabited islands. “Mexico has overlooked its island territories and has focused efforts on investigating lost or seemingly fictitious cases rather than protecting the real islands over which the country has sovereignty.”
Whether it was a mere mistake, a victim of climate change, or something more sinister, one fact remains certain: the tale of Bermeja Island has left a ghostly imprint on history.
