Mexico says it has transferred the inmates from the infamous Isla Marias prison, the last island penal colony in a hemisphere once dotted with remote island jails like the one depicted in the movie "Papillon."

About 584 of the prisoners have been moved to mainland jails in the northern border state of Coahuila.

The federal government said Monday that the inmates and 88 visitors — 16 of whom lived there — were flown out aboard 21 flights starting Friday.

Families were allowed to live with some of the mostly low-risk inmates at the five camps scattered throughout the main island.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said four-island archipelago will be turned into a cultural and environmental education center.