Mexico's Navy Will Manage Tourism in Converted Island Prison

Mexico City (AP) -- A small archipelago off Mexico’s Pacific coast that had been home to an island prison colony is finalizing preparations to receive tourists.

Getting to Islas Marias, however, is currently a challenge for even the sturdiest tourist: a 4-hour boat ride in often choppy waters. But Mexico's government plans to make things easier, putting the country's navy in charge of tours in the latest new function assigned to Mexico's armed forces under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.