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history:acapulco |
 When
the Spanish arrived in Acapulco it had been inhabited for almost 2000
years, first by the Nahua and later by the Aztecs. Named by the Nahua
tribe, Acapulco means "place of the giant reeds". Originally
a nomadic people, the Nahua eventually settled in Acapulco and began
an agricultural community. |
| The Aztecs had only recently arrived in Acapulco when
the Spanish took Bahia de Acapulco in 1521. The Spanish set up port
and shipbuilding facitilies and the harbor became the only port in the
New World authorized to receive Spanish galleons from the Philippines
and China,
which gave it an important role in the trade route between Europe and
the Orient. Items transported here included silk, ivory, spices, and
jade. Acapulco was also used as a jumping off point for further exploration
of the New World such as to Peru.
Fort de San Diego was eventually built to ward off the pirates who followed the treasure filled galleons. During the war for independence in 1812, Spanish loyalists were beseiged in this fort for four months before finally surrendering to the Mexican troops. After the war, the port fell into disrepair and was forgotten for the next 100 years. In 1927 a paved road was built linking Acapulco to Mexico City creating a small resort town for city dwellers to escape for the weekend. And, in the 1960s, after the construction of an international airport, Acapulco became the playground for the rich and famous. After massive renovations in the late 1990s, Acapulco has become a Mexican hotspot once again. |