Guerrero, Mexico · North America
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo sits on the route: 15 minutes from El Coacoyul.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo is a town located in Guerrero, Mexico. With a population of 67,408, it is an important destination in North America.
On a road trip, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo sits in Mexico, where you drive on the right. It's in the America/Mexico City time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo to your route.
Zihuatanejo (Spanish pronunciation: [siwataˈnexo]), and/or Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, is the fourth largest city in the Mexican state of Guerrero. It was known by 18th-century English mariners as Chequetan and/or Seguataneo. Politically the city belongs to the municipality of Zihuatanejo de Azueta in the western part ofRead more
Guerrero, but both are commonly referred to as Zihuatanejo. It is on the Pacific Coast, about 240 km (150 miles) northwest of Acapulco. Zihuatanejo belongs to a section of the Mexican Pacific Coast known as the Costa Grande. This town has been developed as a tourist attraction along with the modern tourist resort of Ixtapa, 5 km (3.1 mi) away. However, Zihuatanejo has kept its traditional town feel. The town is located on a well-protected bay which is popular with private boat owners during the winter months. In 2023, Zihuatanejo was designated a Pueblo Mágico by the Mexican government, recognizing its cultural and historical importance. In fact, the 2020, Zihuatanejo de Azueta population was 126,001 inhabitants (48.8% men and 51.2% women), a 6.59% increase from 2010.
The name Zihuatanejo has two possible origins. One origin might be from the Purépecha language meaning "water of the yellow mountain"; another possible origin might be from Nahuatl (Cihuatlan) meaning "place of women." Cihuatlan, or "place of women", refers to the western paradise of the Nahuatl universe, the home of the "goddess women". According to tradition, these women arose in the afternoon to lead the sun at dusk to the realm of the dead, Mictlan, to give a dim light to the dead. "De Azueta" is in honor of José Azueta, who died fighting a U.S. incursion into the country in Veracruz in 1914.
Zihuatanejo spent most of its history until recently as a fishing village. The federal government's decision to develop the nearby resort in the 1970s has had major implications for both the city and municipality of Zihuatanejo. The area is now the third most-visited area in Mexico, after Cancún and Puerto Vallarta, and the most popular for sports fishermen. Zihuatanejo's population jumped from 6,887 to 37,328 by the early 1990s. Recently, a new highway called the Autopista Siglo XXI was built to connect Zihuatanejo with Morelia, cutting the travel time from Mexico City to about six hours.
Zihuatanejo was notably mentioned in the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption, in which the protagonist Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) escapes from prison to Zihuatanejo, followed by his friend and fellow prisoner, Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding (played by Morgan Freeman) who later joins him. The actual filming location for the film's closing reunion scene was the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge on the island of Saint Croix in the US Virgin Islands.
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Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo is located in Guerrero, Mexico, North America. The coordinates are 17.6434 latitude, -101.5521 longitude.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo has a population of approximately 67,408 people, making it a town in Mexico.
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Essential numbers in Mexico
Green Angels (free tourist roadside assistance on federal highways): 078.
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Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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