Islas Marías Federal Prison, Federal prison on María Madre Island, Mexico
Islas Marías Federal Prison was a detention facility on María Madre Island, the largest in the Marías archipelago off the coast of Nayarit. The complex included residential areas where federal employees and their families lived alongside the prison infrastructure and inmate housing.
The facility opened in 1905 under President Porfirio Díaz and operated for over a century as a federal detention center. It ceased operations in 2019 when the government decided to close and repurpose the site.
Mexican writer José Revueltas was held here as a prisoner and used his time to document prison life in literary works. His writings brought attention to the island as a place where personal artistic expression reflected the reality of confinement.
The site is not open to public visits as it is located on a remote island off the coast. Information about the facility today comes mainly from historical records and accounts by former inmates.
The facility recorded 76 escape attempts over 25 years, most notably an entire family of criminals who successfully fled the island in 1986. This incident highlighted the security challenges of operating a prison on a remote location.
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