BTC Isla: A Growing Bitcoin Circular Economy & Community

Written by Keith Meola, Revised by Frank Corva

Situated 8 miles off the coast of Cancun surrounded by pristine turquoise waters is a small island called Isla Mujeres.

And when I say small, I mean small. It measures just 5 miles long by 0.5 miles wide.

The sliver of landmass has a lot going on, though. On it, you can find a lake, a bay, different beaches with unique waves, and various distinct areas.

There’s the calmer residential center, the active and more touristy “downtown”, and the tranquil and posh Southern tip, to describe a few.

12,600 people live on the island, and several hundred merchants and businesses operate there.

Of these businesses, 16 accept bitcoin.

At the beginning of 2024, this number was zero. So, how have so many people on the island been orange-pilled in such a short period of time?

A passionate Bitcoiner named Isabella (Isa) Santos, that's who. And she started doing this work at block height #829,750 (mined February 9, 2024). This is when BTC Isla was born.

BTC Isla

Isa started the work as a passion project. BTC Isla was slow to initially get off the ground, but, Isa began to pick up steam by the end of 2024. And now she is charging ahead with the help of visiting Bitcoiners.

The first visitor arrived in the Summer of 2024 and the number of visitors has been steadily increasing since then.

Within the first month of this year, 6 Bitcoiners from 4 countries have visited the island to see what is happening and partake in the movement. Those who have visited have split their time between attending meetups or volunteering and partaking in efforts to spread Bitcoin adoption. And Isa intends to welcome many more Bitcoiners to the island this year.

She also plans to continue to work tirelessly to not only onboard more merchants but to educate the freshly orange-pilled about how Bitcoin works and why it's so important.

One of the bitcoin-accepting merchants on the island

Bitcoin Education

Education is at the core of BTC Isla. In Isa's mind, Bitcoin education is necessary to truly empower the population.

It is one thing to accept bitcoin as a form of payment. It's another for people to truly understand what Bitcoin is and what it can do for them.

Isa teaches Bitcoin classes which are free to attend.

At the moment they are held at the Mayakita restaurant, which is also the usual spot for the Bitcoin meetups. Isa teaches the classes in Spanish using the Mi Primer Bitcoin curriculum.

This curriculum is an open-source diploma-based educational program created by the organization Mi Primer Bitcoin in El Salvador. Through their coursework, students are taught the essential knowledge to gain financial literacy and understand Bitcoin.

As of the time of writing, one cohort has already graduated and the second one is on its way!

BTC Isla class

Merchant Adoption

Adoption on the island is picking up steam in 2025. As mentioned, 16 merchants on the island currently accept bitcoin as payment.

And Isa is working to increase that number with the help of locals. Expats living on the island as well as students and graduated students help with adoption.

Thanks to the efforts of Isa and her team, it's now possible to visit the island and use bitcoin exclusively to pay for goods and services!

The majority of the merchants who accept bitcoin are food and drink vendors, but it is possible to pay for accommodation, transportation, and even some tours and shopping with bitcoin.

Visitors at a meetup

As I wrote, the number of visitors to the island is exploding in 2025. I recently had the opportunity and pleasure to visit the island and spent 2 weeks there observing and taking part In the project. I will be writing about my experiences on the island and with BTC Isla!

Gaining Attention

Big and exciting things are happening on the small island of Isla Mujeres.

What started as a solo passion project to “orange pill a whole island” is quickly gaining new members and it's attracting attention both on the island and around the globe.

Word is quickly spreading that something is brewing off the coast of Cancun.

Post-class picture, that's me in the white shirt

BTC Isla can be followed at the following handles:

• btcisla.xyz
• Twitter/X
• Nostr
• Youtube