The story of Don Fausto Nassim Joaquin Ibarra begins many years ago, when Quintana Roo was still a Federal territory, and the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto was the capital of the entity.
Born in the island of Cozumel on July 16, 1916, Don Nassim Joaquin inherited from his father Pedro Joaquin the gift for doing business and started at a very young age with an entrepreneurial vision that positioned him as the first host of American tourists on the island; event that took place back in 1949.
With great dedication, Don Nassim was a visionary that dabbled in many businesses. He opened the Playa Azul Hotel, concession that he obtained from the Governor of Quintana Roo in that time, Margarito Ramirez.
He was a partner of the regional air company TAMSA, owned a Mexicana de Aviacion concession, later he was founder and owner of Aerocozumel, he also built a shopping center that bears his name and he owned a number of gas stations across the state of Quintana Roo.
Rest in Peace Don Nassim Joaquin Ibarra, the “Tatich” of Cozumel (Image: Mexico News Network)
Several generations in the so-called “Island of the Swallows” know him as “Tatich” – which is a Maya word for Patriarch — because he has been a leader in Cozumel for decades, thanks to his entrepreneurial vision and political influence.
His name is part of the history of Quintana Roo, not only businesswise, but for the great influence he had on this land for decades.
His son Pedro Joaquin Coldwell was the first governor of Quintana Roo in 1981; in 2005 his daughter Addy Joaquin Coldwell ran for governor of the State; and this year another of his sons, Carlos Joaquin González, will be the head of the state government starting on September 25th.
On Friday June 17, 2016 Quintana Roo lost a great man, but its people inherit a great legacy, and he will always be an important role model to follow.
His funeral mass took place at 4 p.m. in the Corpus Christi Church and his remains were buried at Cementerio del Centro in the mausoleum of the Joaquin Family.
