Acapulco is a city and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico.  It is a port call for shipping and cruise lines that run between Panama and San Francisco.  The city of Acapulco is the largest city, it is also Mexico’s largest beach and balneario resorted city.  The city is best known as one of Mexico’s oldest and most well known beach resorts, which came into prominence in the 1950’s as a getaway for Hollywood stars and millionaires.  It is still famous today for it’s nightlife and still attracts many vacationers, a lot of those are from Mexico itself.  The resort itself is divided into two: The north end of the bay is the “traditional” area, where the famous in the mid 20th century vacationed; and the south end is dominated by high end luxury resorts.  As of the 2005 census the urbanized population was 616,394 people.  


History


The first inhabitants of what is now Acapulco were the Nahuas, a tribe of people that preceded the Aztecs.  In 1521, the spaniard Francisco Chico arrived and named it Santa Lucia.  The city became a key trading port between Asia and America, which soon attracted famous pirates to it.  To defend the lucrative port the Spaniards built Fuerte de San Diego, which helped repel the pirates.  Acapulco became a famous tourist destination for Europeans after 1920. In the 1950’s after successful efforts to build the city’s infrastructure including numerous resort hotels, Acapulco became a vacation destination for the rich and famous of Hollywood and across the world.  In the 1960’s and 1970’s, a greater range of accommodations were built to make it more affordable for vacationers.  And in the 1990’s, a road was built from Mexico City enabling vacationers from all over Mexico to enjoy this beautiful city.  


Tourism


The temperature in Acapulco can vary but stays consistently over 80 degrees.  It features a tropical wet and dry climate.  Acapulco is one of the most exciting cities in the world.  It is famous for it’s explosive nightlife, postcard beaches, unlimited water sports, first class hotels, gourmet restaurants, and the breathtaking physical beauty of Acapulco Bay.  You will find large nightclubs that are state of the art. Acapulco’s warm water bay and pristine beaches are irresistable.  The fishing in Acapulco particularly the Sailfish is legendary. It makes news when someone doesn’t catch a fish when they go.  The snorkeling and scuba diving are first rate, there is also nothing as exciting as jumping on a jet ski and riding across the Acapulco Bay.  The original Acapulco is located on the northern end of the bay. This is where the boardwalk and main square are.  This area is filled with modern, Mexican style hotels, discotheques and restaurants.  This side of the bay is known as “Tradicinoal” or “Nautica”.  The south end of the bay holds the newer construction including high rise hotels.  This area includes Punta Diamante, Puerto Marques and stretches from the airport to the Papagayo river which separates it from the older section of town.  Acapulco has a reputation for a high energy party town.  It is known to be the place that you can have dinner at midnight, dance until dawn and relax on the beach during the day.  Acapulco’s tourists come from all over but the majority now come from Mexico itself.  Most of the visitors are from central Mexico especially Mexico City. This provides a unique opportunity when traveling to be able to visit a beautiful location and really experience the wonderful Mexican culture. It will make it a vacation that you will never forget.