History of
Acapulco,
Mexico
The city of Acapulco dates
back earlier than 3000 BCE
and is believed to be the
earliest inhabited region in
all of Mexico. In
fact, pottery and figurine
artifacts discovered in
Acapulco's Puerto Marqués
coastal region are suspected
to be the oldest in all of
Mesoamerica. In fact,
cave paintings were
discovered in Pie de la
Cuesta (see map.)
These are indicative of
early fishing settlements
dating back to 1200 BCE.
Spanish Role in Acapulco
History
Acapulco was first visited
by the Spaniards in the
early 1500's. An
expedition ordered by
Cortez, but led by Francisco
Chico, landed in Acapulco on
December 13, 1521, Santa
Lucia's Day, which he
immediately named the bay.
A few years later, Rodriguez
Villafuerte led another
expedition to Acapulco's
coast where he claimed the
land in the name of the
Spanish Kings by placing a
cross in the sand, along
with a staff and banner of
Castille and Aragon.
By 1523, Acapulco became a
dependency of the Spanish
Crown by royal order and
received the name of Ciudad
de los Reyes, or City of the
Kings. In 1550, the
city of Acapulco was
declared a historical city
by royal decree of Carlos V,
King of Spain and the
Emperor of Germany.
From this point, the port of
Acapulco played an integral
part in Spanish trade.
For over 250 years, the "Manila-Acapulco
Galleon" trading
movement had ships sailing
from Acapulco to the
Philippines and became the
annual bargaining point
where traders would
negotiate for imported
silks, spices, porcelain,
lacquer ware and ivory.
History of Pirates in
Acapulco
This annual event soon
attracted Caribbean pirates
from England and the
Netherlands, including the
infamous pirate captain,
Francis Drake. In
1579, Drake attacked
Acapulco in an attempt to
seize the treasure of
imports but could not
overtake the Spanish
Galleons. One of these
ships was the Santa Ana,
which was later seized by
pirate Thomas Cavendish, off
the coast of Cabo San Lucas
in 1587.
In 1615, the Spaniards
rebuilt their Acapulco fort
after it was destroyed in a
Dutch fleet invasion.
The Spaniards christened the
new fort, Fort San Diego
upon its completion in 1617.
In 1776, the fort was
devastated once again by an
earthquake and was rebuilt
by 1783.
In 1810, the Mexican War of
Independence began, and by
its finish in 1821, the
Manila-Acapulco galleon
trade was put to a stop.
Historical
Facts About Acapulco
The main boulevard in
Acapulco is named after
Miguel Alemán Valdés.
Valdés was president of
Mexico from 1946 to 1952,
but more importantly, he is
credited as the primary
architect and visionary of
the city's development.
Hotel El Mirador was first
built in 1933 by Carlos
Barnard, and then included
only 12 rooms on the famous
cliffs of La Quebrada.
The restaurant,
"La Perla" was added to the
hotel in 1949.
Acapulco's first disco,
The Tequila a Go-Go, and
the first luxury hotel,
Villa Vera, were started
by "Mr. Acapulco," Teddy
Stauffer.
Actor, Johnny Weissmuller,
known for his roles as
Tarzan, was an Acapulco
frequent visitor.
Acapulco hosted yachting as
part of the 1968 Summer
Olympics.
Hurricane Pauline caused
incredible destruction to
Acapulco in 1997.
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