Ixtapa Zihuatanejo – Costa Grande Guerrero

La Ropa Beach

Ixtapa Zihuatanejo one of the greatest places to visit in Mexico.

The name Zihuatanejo is from the Nahuatl “Cihuatlán”, meaning “place of women” because it was a matriarchal society.

Zihuatanejo: 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 Patzcuaro 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.

In 1523, a Spanish expedition under Juan Rodríguez Villafuerte arrived in Zihuatanejo, where he built the first shipyard of the New Spain and constructed several caravels and brigantines, with which he sailed on to Acapulco.

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.

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. Charlie Simpson, lead singer of Fightstar, is a big fan of the movie The Shawshank Redemption.

Zihuatanejo is the title of a song by the Swedish band Kongh. The epic 13:02 song is the album closer of their 2007 debut “Counting Heartbeats”.

The Mexican musical duo Rodrigo y Gabriela titled a song on their self-titled second studio album after Ixtapa.

In the episode of Chuck titled “Chuck versus the Third Dimension”, after Morgan tells Big Mike that Butterman, an ex-con, is leaving for Zihuatanejo, Big Mike replies that Zihuatanejo is Mexican for Philadelphia.

IXTAPA

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.

In 1968, the Bank of Mexico created a special fund for the creation of new tourist destinations on the country’s coastlines. The first two such destinations were Cancún, 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.

A couple of architects were selected to build this city, some still live in the first residential area called Villa las Garzas. Architects like Miguel Ángel Rojas and Concepción Rivera live and work in this town.

Ixtapa Mexico

Ixtapa Offers over five thousand hotel rooms and villas for you to choose from. One is likely to find the right property to accommodate ones needs. Many hotels and resorts offer All-Inclusive packages to bring additional benefits at a lower cost to their guests. Many of the large hoteliere chains have properties in Ixtapa, including Melia, NH, Holiday Inn, Park Royal, Hotel Ixtapa Palace Resort & Spa, and Club Med.

Cruises often stop at Ixtapa, the city has become a major cruise stop and a major attraction for its beaches.

The Resort of Ixtapa 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, Mexicana/Click, Interjet, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways.

Charter Lines: Apple Vacations, Champion Air, Funjet Vacations, MLT Vacations, Ryan International, Sunwing Vacations, Transglobal and others.

Bus Lines: Autovias, Costa Line, Estrella de Oro, La Linea Plus, Parhikuni, Primera Plus, Tap, Turistar/Futura, Via Plus.