An Idea To Protect Reefs
In Cancún, Mexico, a non-profit underwater museum holds 500 submerged sculptures between three and six meters deep. Planned to reduce pressure on nearby coral reefs, the site draws about 200,000 visitors a year and opened in November 2010 after work began in 2009.
From Proposal To Installation
Marine park director Jaime González Cano proposed the project in 2008 to redirect divers from damaged sites like Manchones Reef. Working with the Nautical Association, he secured approvals, an environmental assessment in October 2009, and funding for a long term program of artificial habitats.
Artists And Early Works
British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor was invited after earlier reef projects in Grenada. The first four pieces were deployed in November 2009. By late 2010 he had installed The Silent Evolution, a set of more than 400 human figures, and later added What Have We Done at Punta Nizuc in March 2011.
How The Art Is Built
Each piece uses pH neutral marine concrete so coral, algae, and sea life can colonize safely. Some works were seeded with fragments from damaged reefs. Heavy lifts, a forty ton crane on a ferry, and lift bags lowered the sculptures without harm to the seafloor or the works.
Galleries And Permits
Authorities granted a permit for 1,412 artificial habitats across ten sites inside the national marine park. Two galleries are active. Manchones shows 477 works. Punta Nizuc holds 23. A new area named Chitales is planned for Blessings by Cuban artist Elier Amado Gil.
More Hands Behind The Project
The program includes pieces by Mexican artists Karen Salinas Martinez and Rodrigo Quiñones Reyes, plus works by Jessica Miles and Nelson Gamboa. On land, a room at Plaza Kukulcán exhibits replicas and one original, allowing guests to learn before heading offshore.
What Visitors See Today
Snorkelers, divers, and glass bottom boats visit the installations. Over time the figures change as marine growth spreads, turning static forms into living reef surfaces. The approach has eased traffic on natural coral areas while creating stable habitat for fish and invertebrates.
Where It Stands
MUSA operates inside the Cancún National Marine Park with founder Roberto Díaz Abraham and director Jaime González Cano credited as key organizers. The museum’s three to six meter depth range, gentle conditions, and clear water make the art accessible while coral restoration proceeds nearby. Visitors can reach the sites by snorkel tour, scuba charter, or glass bottom boat from Cancún and Isla Mujeres.
Beneath Cancún’s waves lies a museum unlike any other.
Hundreds of human figures rest on the seafloor, their concrete faces slowly disappearing under coral and sea life.
This is MUSA, an underwater gallery built not only for art but to save Mexico’s reefs…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/eDylszHCwo
— Fascinating True Stories (@FascinatingTrue) October 2, 2025