Wender·Vista
Cozumel Island
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileMexico
off the Yucatán coast, in the western Caribbean

Cozumel Island

— — a sanctuary the Maya kept for the moon.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“An island in the western Caribbean, about 19 km off the Yucatán mainland. The Maya kept it as a sanctuary of Ixchel, the moon goddess, and women paddled across to make pilgrimage. San Miguel is the only town of size. The reefs along the western shore are part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-longest in the world. The water reads in three blues at once. — from the studio

from the studio
Cozumel Island
— bring it home

Cozumel Island, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Cozumel Island

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Cozumel lies in the Caribbean Sea about 19 km east of the Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. The island stretches roughly 48 km north to south and 16 km across, covering near 478 km². It is flat and limestone-built, ringed by coral reefs. The only settlement of size is San Miguel de Cozumel on the western shore, holding most of the island's roughly 90,000 residents. Politically the island forms its own municipality within the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico.

— the water

The western reef line is part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, the second-longest barrier reef in the world after Australia's. Palancar, Columbia, and Santa Rosa are the named walls divers come for, with visibility regularly past 30 metres and the warm Yucatán Current running south to north. Cozumel Reefs National Park, established in 1996, protects the western and southern shore. Coral cover has thinned since the 2005 hurricane season but remains among the richest in the Caribbean.

— the stone

San Gervasio, near the centre of the island, is the principal Maya site — a small ceremonial complex built between roughly 600 and 1500 CE and the only one of size on Cozumel. The Maya knew the island as Cuzamil, the place of swallows, and held it sacred to Ixchel, the moon goddess of medicine, childbirth, and weaving. Women from the mainland paddled across at least once in life to consult her oracle. The buildings are low and weathered, set among iguanas and dry forest.

— where
Mexico · Cozumel, Quintana Roo
— within
Cozumel Reefs National Park
— elevation
10 m · 33 ft
— position
20.4230° N · 86.9223° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
19 km W
Playa del Carmen
mainland resort town
70 km SW
Tulum
Maya coastal ruins
80 km NW
Cancún
mainland city
N
Cozumel Island
Playa del Carmen
Tulum
Cancún
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Cozumel Island — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

In the western Caribbean Sea, about 19 km east of the Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It belongs to the Mexican state of Quintana Roo and is roughly 48 km long.

The western reefs are part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the world's second-longest. Visibility regularly exceeds 30 metres, the current runs steady, and the walls at Palancar and Santa Rosa drop sharply.

The Maya called it Cuzamil and held it sacred to Ixchel, the moon goddess of medicine and childbirth. Women paddled from the mainland to consult her oracle at the San Gervasio complex.

A small Maya ceremonial site at the centre of Cozumel, occupied from roughly 600 to 1500 CE and dedicated to Ixchel. It is the only sizeable archaeological complex on the island.

By passenger ferry from Playa del Carmen, about a 45-minute crossing, or by direct flights into Cozumel International Airport just north of San Miguel. Cruise ships also dock at the western piers.

— about the piece in your home

It reads to divers, to Maya-descent families, and to anyone who has crossed from Playa del Carmen at dawn. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well.

The reef-blues and limestone whites suit coastal-modern, tropical minimalist, and jewel-tone maximalist rooms. The piece also reads against rattan, lime-washed wood, and undyed linen.

A single Large suits a console or narrow wall. Above a standard sofa, a 4-tile Mural reads at the right scale. A 9-tile Mural is the wide-wall statement piece.

Yes. Order Dura Satin or Matte for steam, splash, or vertical wet-area installation. Cozumel pieces sit especially well in a coastal bathroom or a pool house wall.

A soft microfibre cloth and warm water. No ammonia, no abrasive pads. The colour is in the ceramic surface itself, so it does not lift with regular cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to our family studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. Reid curates the atlas, and the visual language is ours and is not licensed from elsewhere.

— if this one stayed with you

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