Acapulco & Southern Pacific Mexico

Vivien Lougheed

HUNTER PUBLISHING, INC,

www.hunterpublishing.com

Ulysses Travel Publications

4176 Saint-Denis, Montréal, Québec

Canada H2W 2M5

514-843-9882, ext. 2232; fax 514-843-9448

Windsor Books

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This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated individuals and companies disclaim responsibility for any injury, harm, or illness that may occur to anyone through, or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was made to insure the accuracy of information in this book, but the publisher and author do not assume, and hereby disclaim, liability for any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or potential travel problems caused by this guide, even if such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other cause.

Maps by Kim André, © Hunter Publishing, Inc.

Introduction

History

Paleo-Indians

The Spanish

The Mexican Revolution

Government

Officials

Military Service

Economy

People & Culture

Cultural Groups

Traditional Arts

Dress

Music

Dance

The Land

Geology

Environmental Concerns

Parks

Climate

Tsunamis

Plant Life

Ecological Zones

Animal Life

On Land

Airborne

Birds

In the Ocean

National Emblems

National Anthem

Coat of Arms

National Flag

National Prayer

Travel Information

Facts at Your Fingertips

When to Go

National & Religious Holidays

Seasonal Considerations

What to Take

Required Documents

Traveling with Pets

Packing List

Health Concerns

Medical Insurance

Water

Common Ailments

Treatment Options

IAMAT Clinics

Money Matters

Banking/Exchange

Credit Cards

Planning Expenses

Taxes & Tipping

Measurements

Dangers & Annoyances

Airport Security

Common-Sense Precautions

Toilets

Tourist Assistance

Police & Other Agencies

Communications

Telephone

Mail

Mexican Newspapers

Internet

Culture Shock

Public Affection

Gay & Lesbian Travel

Special Needs Travelers

Human Rights

Food

Booking a Room

Getting Here

By Air

Overland by Bus

Overland by Car or RV

By Sea

Getting Around

Author's Top Picks

Acapulco & Southern Pacific Mexico

Acapulco

Getting Here & Around

History

Services

Sightseeing

Adventures on Foot

Golf

Tennis

Adventures on Water

Beaches

Cruises

Diving/Snorkeling

Adventures in Nature

Adventure in the Air

Adventures on Horseback

Adventures of the Brain

Outfitters/Tour Operators

Shopping

Places to Stay

Places to Eat

Nightlife

Heading to Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido

Getting Here & Around

History

Services

Adventures on Foot

Adventures on Water

Beaches

Adventures in Nature

Adventures of the Brain

Outfitters/Tour Operators

Places to Stay

Places to Eat

Nightlife

Puerto Angel/Zipolete

Getting Here & Around

History

Adventures on Water

Beaches

Places to Stay & Eat

Huatulco

Getting Here & Around

History

Adventures on Foot

Adventure on Water

Beaches

Diving

Adventures in Nature

Outfitters/Tour Operators

Places to Stay

Places to Eat

Oaxaca

Getting Here & Away

History

Services

Adventure in Culture

Monte Alban

Other Villages

Places to Stay

Places to Eat

Nightlife

Appendix

Recommended Reading

Glossary

THE CALENDAR

NUMBERS

CONVERSATION

TIME

DIRECTIONS

ACCOMMODATIONS

FOOD

Consulates

Introduction

The lure of isolated beaches rimmed with palm trees brought John Huston to Puerto Vallarta in the 1960s to film Night of the Iguana. His cast included Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. While working, the two fell in love. Richard bought Elizabeth a house similar to his own that was perched on the side of a hill overlooking Bandera Bay. The houses were across the road from each other. The couple then built a walkway between the two places so they could visit each other more discreetly. Elizabeth left Eddie Fisher, her husband at the time, and married Burton. Their story became one of the great love stories of that century.

This romance resulted in thousands of people swarming to the shores of Mexico's west coast in search of sun, sand, palm trees and love. Some even came looking for iguanas. The Mexicans soon realized the potential of tourism and, with the help of international companies, built a first-class infrastructure of hotels, shops and restaurants around the bay.

However, not all visitors wanted what had been built, so they moved up and down the coast to little villages where they could ride horses or donkeys, snorkel among the tropical fish, trek in the jungle looking for exotic birds and animals, watch cliff divers perform or just lay where it was quiet and sip on tequila.

In the jungles along the shore, Mexicans built viewing stations connected by cables where tourists could swing like monkeys while looking for exotic birds and strange amphibians. The usual adjustments took place. Some Mexicans and tourists didn't like the environmental effects caused by chasing around in motorboats looking for big fish, building hotels on the beach, and bungee jumping off bridges. Ecologically-sensitive practices were followed so that wildlife was protected. Garbage was picked up and pollution-control devices were put on vehicles. They left some of the jungle in its wild state and planted flowers in their gardens. More people came.

Today, the west coast of Mexico is as popular as ever. This is because it offers every possible recreational activity, suitable for almost any skill level and budget. The area has both economical and lush accommodations. The food is safe to eat and the bottled water, found in every hotel hallway, grocery store and café is safe to drink. The crime rate is low in tourist areas and the locals are friendly, though the usual pressures of tourism often show. But the best draw of all is that the price for a comparable vacation in any other tropical paradise is about twice what it is here.

The best time to visit the Pacific coast of Mexico is between November and May, when humidity and temperatures are down. This is when most North American and European countries are cold. It is also when the whales move south looking for warmer waters and when the migratory birds are passing by on their way to winter nesting grounds.

But Mexico also has lots to offer during the summer. The Sierra Madres butt up against the ocean, offering relief from the heat just a few hours away by car or public bus. At higher elevations, muscle-powered sports like hiking or cycling are possible any time of year. Museums in the state capitals offer endless intellectual stimulation and the live entertainment often found in towns and city plazas is enthralling. There are ruins to visit and architecture to admire, history to relive and exotic foods to taste.

Regardless of when you come or where you go along Mexico's west coast, you can enjoy any style of vacation, and your trip will be one that you will remember for a long time.

History

Anywhere I go I want to know who was there before me. I want to know their stories.

Paleo-Indians

The main pattern of Paleo-Indian settlement in the Americas (20,000-7,000 BC approx) is generally agreed upon, though dates and details keep changing and infighting among anthropologists and archeologists is intense. By about 20,000 BC, the last ice age was into a long decline. The ice pack that covered most of Canada and Northeastern United States receded, creating a corridor from Beringia (connecting Asia and North America) down into ice-free southern Alberta. From there the rest of the Americas was wide open, but the migrants kept moving south down the mountain chains. They stuck to the highlands because these areas supported the large herbivores that they ate: mammoth, mastodon, caribou, bison, horse, giant armadillo, giant sloth, guanaco (ancestor of the llama), llama and vicuña.

The dating of sites in the Americas shows the progression, first north to south, then east and west. These dates also show how long the process took. Sites like Monte Verde in southern Chile have been reliably dated to about 12,000-10,000 BC. Estimates are that in Mesoamerica, the occupied parts of pre-Columbian Mexico and Central America, the highlands may have been populated as early as 18,000 BC.

Archeologists also learn from the sites how the Paleo-Indians lived. In Monte Verde, wood and skin huts contained brazier pits. Mastodon and other large herbivore bones were found, along with the remains of seeds, nuts, berries and roots. Tools included stone hand axes, choppers and scrapers; some of these tools may have had wooden handles. The weapons were wooden lances and stones chosen or shaped so that they could be hurled from slings.

Once the Americas were occupied from top to bottom, population pressure and global warming resulted in movement into the lowlands, along the coastlines (which at that time were farther out to sea), and onto the Caribbean islands. Increasing temperatures changed the highlands in particular, leaving them less habitable. In Mesoamerica the grasslands turned to deserts, and the large herbivores disappeared, leaving smaller game like rabbit and deer.

Along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, grasslands turned into forests. Since Mesoamerica was, and still is, rich in edible plants - like mesquite, cactus and agave - people ate more grains, fruits and vegetables and less meat, though ducks and dogs were being domesticated as a meat supply. By 11,000 BC, people were eating wild corn, onions, amaranth, avocado, acorns, piñon nuts, chili peppers, maguey and prickly pear. By 8,000 BC, the Paleo-Indian period of Mesoamerica was coming to an end. Chasing game was giving way to clearing land, cultivating domestic plants, and raising domestic animals.

By 7,000 BC, the nomadic hunters were growing crops, especially squash, avocado and chili pepper. By 5,000 BC, maize - a small, wheat-like ancestor of corn - was being grown in the Tehuacan Valley of Southern Mexico. By 3,000 BC, pit house settlements were popular. A pit house was a tent-like wood, wattle and daubed-mud structure erected over a hole dug into the ground. By 2,300 BC, pottery replaced stone jars and bowls, village life was the norm, and population growth was exploding. One of the sites, found in 1947 at Tepexpan, confirmed many of these facts for archeologists.

As civilization grew, four classical groups formed in Mexico. They were the Teotihuacans, who lived in and around Mexico City; the Zapotecs, who lived in the Oaxaca and Tehuantepec areas; and the Olmecs and Totonacs, who lived in the Vera Cruz part of the country. The Maya lived mostly in Southern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala and as far south as Honduras and Nicaragua.

The Olmecs and Totonacs were most powerful around 1700 BC and had developed a unique artistic style in the carving of huge stone heads. In contrast to these stone heads, they also carved intricate jade figurines. However, their greatest contribution was the development of hieroglyphic writing and of the calendar that had dots for days and dashes representing months. The Olmecs disappeared around 600 BC. Archeo-logists have not decided what ultimately happened to the Olmecs. The present evidence shows that they could have disappeared because of starvation, invasion and assimilation, or genocide.

The Teotihuacans were so impressive to the Aztecs, who came later, that the Aztecs named the city as the place of the gods. The Teotihuacans had good town planning with all activities taking place in the main plaza that was marked by an impressive pyramid. From the plaza, a complex road system splayed out into the countyside, where the urban population worked the fields. Their trade was so extensive that evidence of their presence was found as far south as Guatemala.

While Teotihuacans grew, the Zapotecs to the south also gained power. Their city of Monte Alban grew to about 20,000 people, almost as big as the powerful Maya center of Tikal in Guatemala. The people of Monte Alban continued to flourish until about 700 AD, when they fell into decline. They are mainly known for their black pottery.

The Maya became the next prominent civilization, followed by the Toltecs who, like the Maya, disappeared due to drought around 1100 AD.

The Aztecs were a warring group who, by forming alliances with lesser groups, soon took control of central Mexico. Their empire eventually included over five million people. They had a hierarchy that was headed by a king and queen, followed by nobility and then the military. Those in commerce, farming and art belonged to the lower classes. The Aztec's religious ceremonies were complex and included human sacrifice to appease the gods.

Man in traditional dress

AZTEC Lore

The Aztecs believed that the sun and earth had died and been reborn four times. They also believed that the fifth cycle of birth and death would result in the final death.

All in all, Mexican civilizations developed organized religions, written language, monumental architecture, sophisticated art forms and an understanding of mathematics and astronomy. They also had an accurate calendar. But their main focus was, as with modern people, on war and trade. This resulted in the Toltecs from the north interbreeding with the Maya and, by 1200 AD, the Aztecs intermingling with southern tribes. The most famous leader of this group was Montezuma, who is credited with uniting most of the tribes of Mexico as far south as Oaxaca. He was also the leader who had to deal with the Spanish.

The Spanish

In 1511 a boat loaded with Spaniards traveling from South America to the Caribbean was marooned on the coast of the Yucatán. Among the shipwrecked survivors was Jeronimo de Alguilar who, rather than returning to South America, chose to live among the Maya and learn their language.

Six years later, Diego Velasquez decided that Mexico should be explored and exploited so he sent Francisco Fernández de Cordoba to start the process. Cordoba did some exploration and was soon followed by Hernan Cortez. After two years of exploration under the command of Cortez, thousands of Aztec people and all the Aztec chiefs had been executed, and thousands had succumbed to smallpox, typhoid and dysentery. Others who resisted Spanish intrusions were killed. The land was open for grabs. Cortez became the Marquis of Oaxaca, with 25,000 square miles/65,000 square km of land and 100,000 Indians to control.

By 1528 the first court with executive powers was established in Mexico and Antonio de Mendoza became the first viceroy of New Spain. Mendoza was succeeded in 1535 by Luis de Velasco, who ruled until 1564. This was the beginning of 300 years of Spanish dominance in Mexico, during which time the Indians became impoverished slaves and the Spanish became ruling landowners. The Spanish wanted a feudal system like they had at home - only in Mexico the Indians would be the serfs.

Under Spanish leadership agricultural practices were extended, mining was modernized and new crops (such as citrus fruits, wheat, sugarcane and olives) were introduced. Also, chickens, horses, mules and donkeys were brought into the country. The Spanish secured the caste system and placed themselves at the top of the heap. They ensured expansion by bringing in Catholicism and allowing the missionaries to go into the hinterland to secure more souls.

Independence

Exploitation of the masses caused discontent mostly among the miners in Mexico. Miners, who had the sympathy of most peasants, were drawn by an inspiring speech by Miguel Hidalgo, a Creole, in Guanajuato on September 16, 1810. They started the War of Independence that resulted in Hidalgo and his machete-wielding army meeting the Spanish royalists near Mexico City. Intimidated by the enemy, Hidalgo retreated to Guadalajara and then to the north. He and some of his men were captured, executed and had their heads hung on a granary wall as a warning to other would-be rebels. Today, September 16th is celebrated as Independence Day and Hidalgo is considered the hero, although true independence didn't come for a long time.

After Hidelgo's death, his loyal follower, José Maria Morelos, another Creole, became the leader of the areas now known as Guerrero and Oaxaca. His main goal was to establish independence for Mexico by forming a constitution and improving the economy. In November of 1813, and before he could