The Disappearance of Bermeja Island

For over 500 years, Bermeja Island appeared on maps of the Gulf of Mexico. It was referenced in legal documents, territorial negotiations, and maritime charts. Then, when Mexico sent expeditions to locate it in the 21st century, the island was simply not there. Bermeja had vanished - if it ever existed at all.

Historical Documentation

Early Maps

Bermeja first appeared on maps in the 16th century:

• 1539: Alonso de Santa Cruz’s map showed “Bermeja” northwest of the Yucatan Peninsula
• 1570s: Multiple Spanish colonial maps included the island
• 1800s: British and American charts documented its position
• 1946: Mexican government maps still showed Bermeja at coordinates 22°33’N, 91°22’W

Physical Description

Historical sources described Bermeja as:

• A small, reddish-colored island (bermeja means “reddish” in Spanish)
• Approximately 80 square kilometers
• Located about 100 miles northwest of the Yucatan Peninsula
• Uninhabited but useful as a navigational landmark

Why It Mattered

Oil Rights

Bermeja’s existence became critically important during U.S.-Mexico negotiations over Gulf of Mexico oil rights.

Under international maritime law, a nation’s exclusive economic zone extends 200 nautical miles from its coastline - including islands. If Bermeja existed:

• Mexico’s economic zone would extend significantly further into the Gulf
• Rich oil deposits in the “Western Gap” area would fall under Mexican control
• Billions of dollars in petroleum rights were at stake

The 2000 Treaty

In 2000, the U.S. and Mexico signed a treaty dividing the disputed Gulf region. The agreement was negotiated without Bermeja’s inclusion, as the island could not be located.

This treaty was worth potentially billions of dollars to whichever nation controlled the area.

The Search

2009 Expedition

The Mexican Senate commissioned an extensive search using:

• Modern GPS navigation
• Depth-sounding equipment
• Satellite imagery analysis
• Underwater surveys

The expedition found nothing:

• No island at the documented coordinates
• No underwater seamount or reef
• No evidence an island had ever been there
• Water depth of approximately 4,000 feet at the location

UNAM Investigation

The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) conducted additional research:

• Analyzed historical cartographic sources
• Examined geological data
• Concluded the island did not currently exist
• Could not determine if it ever had existed

Theories

Natural Disappearance

Submersion The island could have:

• Sunk due to tectonic activity
• Been eroded by hurricanes over centuries
• Subsided as sea levels rose

However, no underwater evidence of a former island was found, and such dramatic submersion typically leaves geological traces.

Never Existed The island may have been:

• A cartographic error copied from map to map for centuries
• A misidentified sandbar or temporary formation
• A deliberate fiction by early mapmakers

Conspiracy Theories

CIA Destruction The most popular conspiracy theory suggests:

• The U.S. government secretly destroyed the island
• This was done to prevent Mexico from claiming oil rights
• The operation occurred before the 2000 treaty negotiations
• Evidence was eliminated underwater

While no evidence supports this theory, it became widely believed in Mexico given the enormous financial stakes.

Mexican Government Complicity Some theorists suggest:

• Mexican officials were bribed to ignore the island
• The treaty was negotiated knowing Bermeja existed
• Government expeditions were deliberately unsuccessful

Cartographic Error

The most mundane explanation:

• Early mapmakers made an error
• Subsequent cartographers copied the mistake
• No one verified the island’s existence for centuries
• The “island” was always fictional

Implications

For Mexico

If Bermeja existed and was somehow destroyed or hidden:

• Mexico may have lost billions in oil revenue
• International maritime law was manipulated
• A crime of unprecedented scale was committed

If it never existed:

• Centuries of maps were simply wrong
• No conspiracy is necessary
• Mexico never had claim to the disputed zone

For Cartography

Bermeja raises questions about:

• How errors propagate through maps over centuries
• The reliability of historical documentation
• How infrequently maritime features are verified

For Conspiracy Culture

The case demonstrates:

• How lack of evidence can fuel theories
• The role of financial motives in generating suspicion
• The difficulty of proving a negative

Current Status

As of today:

• Bermeja is removed from official Mexican maps
• The 2000 treaty stands, with the U.S. controlling the disputed zone
• No explanation has been officially accepted
• The Mexican Senate has declared the matter unresolved
• Conspiracy theories persist

The Mystery

Bermeja’s disappearance presents a genuine puzzle:

If it existed:

• Where did it go?
• Why is there no underwater evidence?
• Was its destruction possible and who would benefit?

If it never existed:

• How did it appear on maps for 500 years?
• Why did no one verify it sooner?
• Why were historical descriptions so specific?

An island worth billions of dollars, documented for centuries, has simply vanished - or perhaps was never there at all. In the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters, something that should be there isn’t. And no one can say why.

Bermeja may be the most valuable piece of real estate that doesn’t exist.