02 March 2023 , 14:49
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A Mexican prison likened to America's Alcatraz penal fortress has been turned into a glam tourist attraction.
The cells and corridors of the infamous Islas Marias prison were once bustling with some of the country's worst killers, rapists and paedophiles.
Like the San Franciscan-island clink, it was almost impossible to escape thanks to the sharks that infested the waters surrounding it and it being marooned on an island five hours away from the shores of Mexico by boat.
Despite its remote location and the risky escape route, many tried and some are said to have crossed the waters without being chomped or drowning.
Many notorious criminals called Islas Marias their home, but the most well-known was serial killer Jose Ortiz Munoz, nicknamed El Sapo.
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His killing spree started at the age of nine, when he became jealous of a fellow pupil being the teacher's favourite and stabbed them with a compass.
The Islas Marias prison is located 70 miles off the coast of Nayarit in Mexico (AFP via Getty Images)In his career of slaughter, he went on to assault, rape and murder more than 120 people - including during a mass shooting when he mowed down more than 100 protesters during a demonstration.
In 1946 he was sent to the island to serve out a 30-year prison term.
Mexican urban legends say the killer was a hitman for the Mexican government.
He later converted to Christianity and stopped dealing in blood, turning his back on his savage ways, the legend says.
Jose Ortiz Munoz, or "El Sapo", slaughtered more than 100 people during a protest (Archivos Criminales Policia La Prensa)However, it wasn't long before he was murdered by other inmates at the world-famous jail, and he is still buried there today.
Islas Marias stopped operating as a prison just four years ago, but in that time it has been revamped into a glamorous holiday resort, with tourists now wandering the same halls El Sapo and his eventual killers did all those years ago.
Dreamed up by Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, it is hoped the new attraction will lure in curious visitors much like Alcatraz in the US.
Security fences around the prison (AFP via Getty Images)But the resort isn't just for true crime fans - Islas Marias is surrounded by largely unspoiled nature including forests and beaches.
"This is tourism for excursions, to explore, to live with nature," Lopez Obrador said in December.
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"To recreate history, it's something exceptional, extraordinary."
The project has seen the prison completely revamped to look almost unrecognisable, with guests able to stay in swanky mini-apartments that you'd never guess once hosted some of the prison's more mild-mannered inmates.
Abandoned belongings of relatives of the prisoners (AFP via Getty Images)Nature excursions are also available for visitors, from early morning hikes to tours of the salt mines where the jailbirds used to spend their days working away.
Weary travellers can then reflect on the day over dinner in one of the resort's new restaurants before heading back to a purpose-built villa for some shuteye.
Weirdly, the refurbished resort also features a tribute to Nelson Mandela.
"Mandela is an example that even behind prison walls, ideals and change can live on for those who want to change history," Mexico's government said.