Acapulco
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This article is about the city in Mexico; there is also a town called Acapulco in Peru and it is also the nickname of a sand beach not far from Sounine (Tunisia).Acapulco (Officially:
Acapulco de Juárez) is a city and major
sea port in the state of
Guerrero on the Pacific coast of
Mexico, 300 km (190 miles) southwest from
Mexico City, at . Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay. Many consider it to be one of the best harbours on the
Pacific coast of Mexico, and it is a port of call for shipping and cruising lines running between
Panama and
San Francisco, California,
USA. In 2003 the estimated population was 638,000 people.
The town is built on a narrow strip of low ground, scarcely half a mile wide, between the shore line and the lofty mountains that encircle the bay. There is great natural beauty in the surroundings, mountains render the access to the town, though not difficult to access particularly since the construction of a 2-km-long tunnel to the waterfront from the hinterland in the
1990s. An earlier effort to admit the cooling sea breezes by cutting through the mountains a passage called the Abra de San Nicolas had some beneficial effect.
Acapulco has been well known as a traveler's crossroads for at least a millennium. Its name is a
Nahuatl word, meaning "plain of dense reeds".
The earliest local remains, stone metates and pottery utensils, were left in the
3rd millennium BC. Much later, sophisticated artisans fashioned curvaceous female figurines. Some hypothesize that there was early Polynesian or Asian influences in Pacific Mexico as early as 1500 years before the arrival
Christopher Columbus.
Other artifacts resemble those found in highland Mexico. Although influenced by
Tarascan,
Mixtec,
Zapotec, and
Aztec civilizations, sometimes paying tribute to them and frequented by their traders, Acapulco never came under their direct control, but instead remained subject to local caciques until the
Spanish conquest.
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A 1628 Spanish relief map of Acapulco Bay |
After conquering the Aztecs,
Hernán Cortés sent expeditions south to build ships and find a route to
China. The first explorers sailed from
Zacatula, near present-day
Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, on the coast 400 km (250 miles) north-west of Acapulco. By a royal decree dated
April 25,
1528, "Acapulco and her land ... where the ships of the south will be built...." passed directly into the hands of the Spanish Crown. Voyages of discovery set sail from Acapulco for
Peru, the
Sea of Cortez, and to
Asia. None returned across the Pacific, however, until Augustinian priest
Andrés de Urdaneta discovered the northern Pacific tradewinds, which propelled him and his ship, loaded with Chinese treasure, to Acapulco in 1565.
For more than 200 years after that, a special yearly trading ship, known to the English as the
Manila Galleon, set sail from Acapulco for the
Manila and the Orient. Its return started an annual merchant fair in Acapulco where traders bargained for the Galleon's cargo of silks, porcelain, ivory, and lacquer ware. This trade connection, which persisted up to Mexican independence, was instrumental in placing the
Philippines on the east side of the
International Date Line until the end of 1844.
Acapulco's yearly treasure soon attracted marauders, too. In 1579,
Francis Drake attacked but failed to capture the Galleon, but in 1587, off
Cabo San Lucas,
Thomas Cavendish seized the
Santa Anna. The cash alone, 1.2 million
gold pesos, severely depressed the
London bullion market.
After a
Dutch fleet invaded Acapulco in 1615, the Spanish rebuilt their fort, which they christened
Fort San Diego in 1617. Destroyed by an
earthquake in 1776, the fort was rebuilt by 1783. The
War of Independence (1820"21) stopped the Manila Galleon forever, sending Acapulco into a century-long slumber.
The town suffered considerably from
earthquakes in July and August 1909.
There are exports of hides,
wood, and fruit, and the adjacent district of
Tabares produces
cotton,
tobacco,
cacao,
sugarcane, Indian corn, beans, and
coffee.
The
1968 Summer Olympics yachting (now
sailing)
regatta took place in Acapulco.
Acapulco was devastated by
Hurricane Pauline in October
1997.
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View of the Pacific Ocean from an Acapulco hotel |
For many years Acapulco has been a popular resort for holiday makers. The city has had its star-spangled times, prompting none other than "Old Blue Eyes"
Frank Sinatra to give the place a mention in his all time classic "
Come Fly With Me". Modern Acapulco has a great appeal. The vast majority of the tourists are Mexicans, but many other foreign nationals make appearances in the numerous bars and clubs dotted around the bay.
In recent years, Acapulco has made some ground on Cancun for
spring break's most popular resort destinations. Acapulco offers a relatively unknown experience and a larger, international student crowd than Cancun. Approximately 5 million people visit Acapulco every year. Apart from just the beach, Acapulco's best known island Roqueta, is a great resource which is typically reached by transparent-bottom motor boats (enabling clear view of the bottom sea).
The port city grew greatly in the 20th century. Acapulco is served by
General Juan N. Álvarez International Airport, and by Teniente Jose Azueta International Transatlantic port.
Since 1934 the La Quebrada Cliff Divers perform their impressive jumps into the shallow stream of water of dangerous tides that forms in the bottom part of La Quebrada.
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Satellite picture from Google Local*
Beaches at Acapulco.
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Acapulco hotels, Online hotel reservations, city guide, map, attractions, events, nightlife.
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Acapulco Attractions Acapulco attractions, weather, tourist information
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Spring Break*
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