Zihuatanejo (), and/or Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, is the fourth largest city in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It was known by 18th-century English mariners as Chequetan and/or Seguataneo. Politically the city belongs to the municipality of Zihuatanejo de Azueta in the western part of Guerrero, but both are commonly referred to as Zihuatanejo. It is on the Pacific Coast, about northwest of Acapulco. Zihuatanejo belongs to a section of the Mexican Pacific Coast known as the Costa Grande. This town has been developed as a tourist attraction along with the modern tourist resort of Ixtapa, away. However, Zihuatanejo has kept its traditional town feel. The town is located on a well-protected bay which is popular with private boat owners during the winter months. In 2023, Zihuatanejo was designated a Pueblo Mágico by the Mexican government, recognizing its cultural and historical importance. In fact, the 2020, Zihuatanejo de Azueta population was 126,001 inhabitants (48.8% men and 51.2% women), a 6.59% increase from 2010.
The name Zihuatanejo has two possible origins. One origin might be from the Purépecha language meaning "water of the yellow mountain"; another possible origin might be from Nahuatl (Cihuatlan) meaning "place of women." Cihuatlan, or "place of women", refers to the western paradise of the Nahuatl universe, the home of the "goddess women". According to tradition, these women arose in the afternoon to lead the sun at dusk to the realm of the dead, Mictlan, to give a dim light to the dead. "De Azueta" is in honor of José Azueta, who died fighting a U.S. incursion into the country in Veracruz in 1914. Zihuatanejo's population jumped from 6,887 to 37,328 by the early 1990s.
Cuitlatepan was conquered by the Aztecs under Ahuizotl in 1497. It was renamed Xihuacan and turned into a tributary province.
Colonial era
The Spanish arrived in the 1520s. The first Spaniard to arrive here is said to have been Gonzalo de Umbria, sent by Hernán Cortés to explore the area to see if there was any gold. The conquest caused the native peoples to mostly abandon the area, and it is not known where they went. Those left to provide tribute were known in the Mexican highlands for their cotton shawls and decorated conch shells. In the second half of the 16th century, the original Spanish shipyards at Zacatula burned. Unable to reconstruct them, new ones were built at Zihuatanejo. The surrounding haciendas occasionally used the bay as a port to ship wood and minerals. The bay was visited during the colonial period by many pirates. It was a rare phenomenon that subsided after the sharks dispersed.
On 20 February 2009, a group of men in a pickup truck threw explosive devices at the installations of the Secretariat of Public Security of the municipality of Zihuatanejo, resulting in five persons injured. The attack occurred at 7:45 pm near the municipal docks. At the time of the attack, the 56th Infantry Battalion had been stationed in Zihuatanejo, mostly to interdict the traffic in arms, drugs and stolen vehicles. The grenade attack on the security headquarters was followed by a highway ambush that killed four policemen.
Town and its bay
Town center
thumb|Part of Paseo del Pescador or boardwalk
The fishing town and resort of Zihuatanejo spreads out around the Bay of Zihuatanejo and inland toward the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains. Since the 1970s, it has been developed in conjunction with nearby Ixtapa, but conserving its traditional Mexican feel. The town also has a long-standing community of Swiss and Italian immigrants.
The heart of Zihuatanejo is the waterfront walkway Paseo del Pescador (Fisherman's Path), also called the malecón. It is lined with restaurants offering seafood and many other dishes, as well as a variety of stores selling rugs, arts and crafts and souvenirs, and a small shell market. In the evening, this area fills with people socializing. The gallery of Restaurant Coconuts has a collection of Works done by Guerrero native Nicolás de Jesús.
Another festival is the Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival which is held in March; it is a week-long event held at multiple locations every night, with a children's show as well as a free public show at the main plaza. The Zihua Guitar Fest brings guitarists from all over the world such as Canadian artist Adrian Raso, Los Angeles’ artist Omar Torrez, South Africa's Margaret's Daughter, Nashville's Eric McFadden and Texas-based Los Pistoleros to name a few. This festival prides itself in drawing tourism to the area which helps support the many small family-owned businesses. This festival began in 2004 and has been a big hit for locals as well as tourists.
Port
thumb|Fish market area
The port is mainly used by fishermen who arrive to the docks every morning with their catch, Yearly, on the first weekend of May, Zihuatanejo hosts the International Sailfish Tournament. The event brings hundreds of fishermen and boats into town in the hopes of winning one of the many prizes offered for largest sailfish, marlin and dorado.
Cruises
thumb|[[Norwegian Star docked in Zihuatanejo, 2008.]]
Cruises often stop at Zihuatanejo, the city having become a major cruise stop and a major attraction for its beaches. The city is also famous for its catamaran tours, most popular and known is Picante Cruises, operating in both Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa bay where snorkeling, spinnaker flying, and sunset cruises are offered.
Archeological Museum of the Costa Grande
thumb|left|Archeological museum
The Museo Arqueológico de la Costa Grande (Archeological Museum of the Costa Grande) is located at the southern end of the municipal beach and the Paseo de los Pescadores. It has six rooms that document the history, archeology, and culture of this part of the Guerrero coast. Many of the artifacts are from as far away as the Olmec and Toltec civilizations, as both explored this area. Room one of the museum displays artifacts from settlements established on the coasts of Jalisco, Nayarit, Colima and Guerrero. Room two houses ceramics and carvings from the area of Cerro de la Madera, in Zihuatanejo, among others. Room three features the Tierras Prietas site, the cultivation of food plants and use of natural resources such as the bajareque technique of walls made of interwoven branches and clay. Room 4 covers aspects of village life and cultural exchange from 200 to 750 A.C.; the introduction of ball games and new pottery techniques. Room five contains pieces from the Aztec period from 1487 to the 1520s, when the province of Cihuatlan was established, and tribute was paid to the Aztecs by the local population in shells, chocolate, basketry and textiles. Room six covers the colonial period and search for a maritime route to the west during the 16th and 17th centuries. During this time the ports of Zihuatanejo and Acapulco were important points of reference for Spanish and other navigators.
The ring of beaches of Zihuatanejo Bay begins with the Municipal Beach which is in front of the town center and next to the port. From there, there is a cement and sand walkway that leads to Playa Madera (Wood Beach). This beach contains a number of bay-view restaurants, bungalows, condominiums and hotels, as well as a walkway that extends the length of the beach. Part of the beach is covered in pebbles. and considered the best for swimming as there is little wave action.
Playa Las Gatas (Cats Beach) is on the opposite side of the bay from town, It is located at the entrance to the bay at a place called Punta del Rey (King's Point). This leaves the area open to ocean breezes. Wave action is stronger, but not as strong as those beaches that face the open ocean as there is a coral reef and a man-made stone barrier in front of it. and an area of .
The most important economic activity for the municipality is tourism, with the major attractions being the beaches. Most international visitors come between November and December and most Mexican tourists come in December, April, July and August. Seventy-one percent of the municipality's population is engaged in the commercial and tourism sector of the economy. Total length of these beaches in about . There is also one small archeological site named Tierras Prietas.
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Transportation
Zihuatanejo can be reached by air, bus and highway and has its own airport, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International. Flights are available from Mexico City, several provincial cities, and various places in the United States and Canada.
Airlines: Aeromexico, Interjet, Air Canada (seasonal), Alaska Airlines, American Airlines (seasonal), Delta Air Lines (seasonal), Sun Country Airlines (seasonal), United Airlines, WestJet.
Charter Lines: Apple Vacations, Champion Air, Funjet Vacations, MLT Vacations, Ryan International, Sunwing Vacations, and others.
Bus Lines: Autovias, Costa Line, Estrella de Oro, Estrella Blanca, La Linea Plus, Parhikuni, Primera Plus and Tap.
Sister cities
- Collingwood, Ontario, Canada
- Tauranga, New Zealand
- Palm Desert, Riverside County, California, United States
- Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California, United States
- Bensenville, DuPage County, Illinois, United States
- McAllen, Hidalgo County, Texas, United States
See also
- Arturo Durazo Moreno
- Barra de Potosí in Petatlan
- Isla Ixtapa
- Ixtapa
- Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport