Zihuatanejo

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Downtown Zihuatanejo | Playa Madera | La Noria & the Footbridge | Playa Las Gatas

Looking toward road to La Ropa, 1969

This is a small collection of personal photos of Zihuatanejo in the late 60's and early 70's.

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 email me the photo(s) with appropriate captions, including year taken and photo credit information.

The name Zihuatanejo stems from the Nahuatl "Cihuatlan", meaning "the place of women". In pre-Columbian times, the Tarascan leader "Calzonzin" settled in the area and constructed the rock barrier on Playa Las Gatas (named for the harmless whiskered 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.

Zihua's Pier and Playa Principal in 1969.
El muelle y Playa Principal en 1969

Over the years, Zihuatanejo was a often a stopping point and haven for Spanish fleets, pirates and privateers. It was known largely as a fishing village through the late 1800’s, and in the 1920’s the export of fine woods from the area began to augment the local economy and attract more people to the region.

Through the 60’s and a large part of the 70’s, 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 it’s original flavor. Since it’s 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.

Zihuatanejo, circa 1970

Here's a photo of the road to Troncones in 1969. It took a little longer to get there from town back then than it does now, and you had to carry a machete along with you in order to be sure to get through...