Zihuatanejo History

Zihuatanejo circa 1970

The name Zihuatanejo stems from the Nahuatl Cihuatlan, meaning “the place of women”. In pre-Colombian times, the Tarascan leader Calzonzin settled in the area and constructed the rock barrier on Playa Las Gatas (named for the harmless whiskered cat sharks found there) to provide a sheltered swimming area and harbor for the women and children, and that barrier continues to protect the beach to this day. With the arrival of the Spanish, the name Cihuatlan was transformed first into Ciguatan and then into Ciguatanejo. Zihuatanejo’s current name form has only been in use for the past couple of centuries.

Las Gatas circa 1970

Over the years, Zihuatanejo was a often a stopping point and haven for Spanish fleets traveling to and from the Philippines, as well as for pirates and privateers. It is said that Playa La Ropa (meaning literally “Clothing Beach”) obtained its name from a cargo of clothing and textiles that washed ashore from a trading ship from the Orient. Nevertheless, Zihuatanejo was known largely as a fishing village through the late 1800s, and in the 1920s the export of fine woods from the area began to augment the local economy and attract more people to the region.

Through the 60s and a large part of the 70s, Zihuatanejo continued to be a sleepy fishing village, frequented by a very small number of tourists who were looking for, and found here, the uncut jewel of the true Mexican atmosphere rather than the glitter of the larger resorts that were rapidly developing in the rest of the country.

In 1968 the Federal Tourist Agency Fonatur began developing it’s project for what today is Ixtapa in what formerly was a large coconut plantation. It lies some 6 kilometers to the north of town and is separated from it by a hill. Despite Ixtapa’s proximity, Zihuatanejo has retained much of its original flavor. Since its first hotel was constructed in 1971, Ixtapa now offers approximately 4,000 units of accommodation, as opposed to slightly over 1,000 in Zihuatanejo itself.

The first time we ever made a trip out to Troncones Beach (this was in 1969), at approximately km 30 along what is now the coastal Federal Highway 200 moving northward, it took somewhat longer to get there from town back then — about an hour just to the turnoff — and then you had to carry a machete along with you in order to be sure of getting through the undergrowth and vines that tangled the track that led down to the beach itself.

Before the advent and growth of Ixtapa, a small airstrip was located back of town, near the water control canal (which didn’t then exist), between Zihuatanejo proper and the neighboring town, Agua de Correa, and it served as a link between Zihuatanejo and the interior of the country. Those were the days when, if driving, it took 6 or 8 hours to get here from Acapulco, and most of the bridges along the highway were non-existent –  river fords, back then, were the way to go and of course we never dreamed of driving here during the rainy season. Those were also the days when, upon arriving at Agua de Correa from Acapulco along the coastal road, we always felt great, great t relief — Agua de Correa was the  last town before hitting Zihuatanejo. It was the sign that we were only 15 minutes away from and our cherished beach destination itself!

Old Centro Zihuatanejo

Downtown Zihuatanejo in the late 60s and early 70s, was, for the most part, an unpaved collection of a few blocks of basic one or two story buildings along the bay shore and the road leading into town. The main landmarks in town at that time were the pier, the basketball court and the open-air movie theater situated on Cuauhtemoc Street.

Old La Noria

Footbridge 1972

Anyone who visited Zihuatanejo prior to 1999 will have seen the old wooden footbridge that forever gave direct access to the people of the La Noria and Puerto Mio to the downtown area, who otherwise would have had to walk around the whole stretch of backwater.

Built of wooden planks on crude stilt poles sunk into the entrance to the backwater that is said to one day be converted into a Marina, the footbridge, back in the 60s and 70s, was always surrounded by fishermen pulling in their catches and repairing their nets. A particular memory of crossing this bridge during those years was to see very large catches of hammerhead sharks stacked beside it.

In the spring of 1999, this wonderful bridge was replaced with a modern concrete overpass allowing small boats to pass underneath.

Playa Madera

Playa Madera 1970

Madera Beach, separated from Playa Municipal (Town Beach) and Playa la Ropa on either side by rocks and crags, earned its name from a lumber yard that once was stationed there, milling tropical hardwood lumber for export.

In the attached gallery of photos, Playa Madera 1972 is shown in several shots, when Madera Beach was actually “on the outskirts” of town rather than being surrounded by buildings and commerce as it is now. Back then, access was gained from town by walking along a rough and dusty footpath over the small hill. Hotel Irma existed and a couple of the first bungalow rentals were also in existence, but still, it was a solitary beach somewhat removed from town. At the time we were here then, going to La Ropa was almost too hard and far to reach… there was almost nothing there except for a couple of simple enrramadas (palm thatched sunshades), stretches of long, solitary, white-sanded beach and a long, dusty unpaved gravel track to traverse to get there.

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We’d love to be able to post more photos of this and any earlier era of the town. If you’d like to contribute a photo of your past visits and experiences (any any little anecdote you want to go along with them) please send in your photo(s) with appropriate captions, including year taken and photo credit information.

The Museo Arqueologico de la Costa Grande (Archaeological Museum), located near the flood control canal on Playa Municipal, holds information on the history and development of the region.