Zihuatanejo ([siwata'nexo]) is the fourth-largest city in the state of Guerrero, Mexico. Politically it belongs to the municipality of Zihuatanejo de Azueta in the western part of Guerrero, on the Pacific Coast, about 240 km (approximately 145 miles) northwest of Acapulco. The modern tourist resort of Ixtapa is 5 km away.
Zihuatanejo is the seat of government for the municipality and the principal community in the region. Ixtapa is a government-planned tourist resort that was begun in the early 1970s and constructed on what was once a coconut plantation and mangrove estuary. Zihuatanejo reported a population of 62,367 in the 2005 Mexican census, whereas the population of Ixtapa was 6,406 persons. The municipality of Zihuatanejo de Azueta had a population of 104,609 and encompasses an area of 1,921.5 km² (741.89 sq mi) (source: National Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Data Processing, INEGI).
Zihuatanejo
The name Zihuatanejo is from the Nahuatl "Cihuatlán", meaning "place of women" because it was a matriarchal society. In pre-Columbian times, a Tarascan leader with a title of Caltzontzin (that means: He who governs countless houses) frequented the area from the modern day Lake Pátzcuaro region. Legend has it that he constructed the rock barrier on Playa Las Gatas (named for the harmless whiskered sharks that used to be found there) to provide a sheltered swimming area and harbor for the women and children, though the town's official historian says this is a myth. Nevertheless, that barrier, whether man-made or natural, continues to protect the beach to this day. With the arrival of the Spanish, the name Cihuatlan was transformed first into Cihuatlán and then into Ciguatanejo. Zihuatanejo’s current name form has only been in use for the past couple of centuries.
The Spanish Conquistadores believed Cihuatlán to be a land to the northwest with beautiful Amazon women, gold, and precious gems, and perhaps another name for the Seven Cities of Cibola.
The Creation of Ixtapa
In 1968, the Bank of Mexico created a special fund for the creation of new tourist destinations on the Mexican coast. The first two such destinations were Cancun, in the state of Quintana Roo, and Ixtapa, next to the town of Zihuatanejo. The development of Ixtapa was supported by a loan from the World Bank.
The master plan for Ixtapa was developed by architects Enrique and Agustín Landa Verdugo, who also participated in the choice of the site. Their project defined the tourist destination's street layout and zoning. The project is organized in super-blocks with irregular shapes, with the high-speed streets separating these blocks, and cul-de-sacs within them.
Air transportation
Zihuatanejo can be reached by sky, bus and highway and has its own airport, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International. Flights are available from Mexico City and various places in the United States and Canada.
In popular culture
- In both the movie The Shawshank Redemption and the Stephen King novella it came from, the main character Andy Dufresne dreams about one day being able to own a small hotel on the beach in Zihuatanejo. Red's (Morgan Freeman) famous phrase "Zi...what?" has become popular with the people that visit this place.
- Zihuatanejo is the title of a song by Fightstar. It is a B-side on the single Floods, released on March 3rd, 2008.
- In the television show How I Met Your Mother during the 21st episode of the second season, Marshall is afraid to get married because of a terrible haircut he received. His solution is to "go find that rock by the tree and go live with the guys in Zihuatanejo." His friend replies, "but those guys are criminals." Marshall responds, "Only Red! Andy was falsely accused!"
Sister cities
See also
References
External links
Coordinates: 17°38′12″N, 101°33′5″W
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