The Municipality
The town of Zihuatanejo is the seat of the municipality of Zihuatanejo de Azueta and as such is the governmental authority for approximately 416 communities, with a total population of 104,609 as of 2005, and an area of 1,921.5 km2 (741.9 sq mi). There are small indigenous communities in the municipality which speak Nahuatl and Tlapaneco. Population increase for the period of 1995-2000 was 1.85 percent, with a population density of just under fifty people per square km. The greatest population increase was seen in the 1980s when the municipality jumped from 25,751 to 63,366 residents. The municipality borders the municipalities of Coyuca de Catalán, Coahuayutla, Petatlán and La Unión, as well as the Pacific Ocean. Altitude varies from between 0 and 1,000 meters (0 and 3,281 feet) above sea level. Much of the municipality (70%) is rugged terrain with the rest being semi-flat or flat. Major peaks here are the Sierra de la Cuchara and the Cumbre de la Peatada. Major rivers here include the Verde and the Ixtapa. There are also a number of small streams such as the Real, Pantla, Zapote and Lagunillas.
The climate is warm and mostly moist, with an average temperature of 26 °C (78.8 °F). The rainy season is from June to September. Land wildlife mostly consists of small mammals, bats, and lizards. The bay contains fish such as red snapper, bass other fish and sea turtles. Because of the climate’s temperature and humidity, the beaches of Zihuatanejo are apt for the incubation of various sea turtles eggs such as the leatherback, hawksbill and Olive Ridley. The annual program for the collection and protection of turtle eggs starts at the beginning of June and lasts until the end of December. 31 December is celebrated with a massive baby turtle release along the coasts north and south of Zihuatanejo bay. The program consists of twenty one incubation corrals, along thirty two km of beaches. These corrals protect the dozens of turtle eggs collected each day during this time period by government staff and trained volunteers. After birth, they are kept here until they grow large enough to avoid most natural predators and increase their chances of survival.
The most important economic activity for the municipality is tourism, with the major attractions being the beaches. Most international visitors come between November and December and most Mexican tourists come in December, April, July and August. Seventy one percent of the municipality's population is engaged in the commercial and tourism sector of the economy. Outside of Zihuatanejo Bay, some of most important beaches include Quieta Beach, Majahua Beach, Playa Larga and others. Prior to the 1970s, economic activity was based on fishing and agriculture. At that time, the federal government decided to make a planned resort at Ixtapa, just north of the municipal seat of Zihuatanejo, constructed on what was once a coconut plantation and mangrove estuary. It is a complete tourist center with a hotel strip three km long, white sands, shopping centers, restaurants, nightclubs, golf courses, residences.
To the south of Zihuatanejo Bay, there are a number of beaches and a lagoon on the way to the regional airport. Playa Larga (Long Beach), Playa Blanca (White Beach) and Las Pozas (The Wells) are parts of the same long stretch of white sand that runs from Zihuatanejo Bay, past the airport and down to Barra de Potosí. Total length of these beaches in about fifteen km. Swimming is strongly not encouraged off any of these beaches as they face open ocean and have heavy undertows riptides and current. Behind the beaches are coconut groves, small huts and mango trees. Cacti grow on the hillsides, sometimes down to the beach itself. Actitivies that are recommended for this area include whale watching from December to February and dolphin watching all year round, both of which can be done from the beach. There is horseback riding on the beaches and into the adjoining hills. The beach is dotted with open-air restaurants with roofs thatched with palm fronds, tree branches and flower. Volleyball net and soccer posts are set up in front of many of the restaurants as well.
On the southern end of these beaches is the village of Barra de Potosí. There is a lagoon here, called Laguna de Potosí as islets called Morros de Potosí. The lagoon area has a large mangrove estuary filled with bird wildlife. Birdwatching and kayaking are popular here. The lagoon opens to the ocean and the beaches contain many “enramadas,” palm-thatched shelters. Many of these enramadas are decorated with colorful paper or plastic cutouts, especially during the Christmas season. The Morros de Potosí are offshore and is a popular place for snorketling, with seaglls and pelicans nesting on the rocks.
Inland there are a couple of attractions. La Vainilla is an ecological park located 8 km from the town of Zihuatanejo on the hilly terrain of the foothills of the Sierra Madre. It covers approximately 344 hectares, and contains 428 species of plants. These are distributed in three plant communities; bosque tropical subcaducifolio (semi-evergreen seasonal forest), bosque tropical caducifolio (deciduous seasonal forest) and bosque en galleria (gallery forest), with the first type most prevalent. There is also one small archeological site named Tierras Prietas.
Aside from tourism, fishing continues to be a way of life for a large number of families, bringing in seafood such as shark, clams, oysters, red snapper, bass and mugil. The increasing popularity of the area as a sportfishing destination has given new impetus to their livelihood, and traditional fishing is being supplemented with fish farms. The fish caught and produced mainly goes to local, regional and state markets. As in the past, much of the forest area here is still exploited for timber. Timber area covers 13,835 hectares (34,190 acres) of the municipality and woods obtained include pine, cedar, mahogany and oak. There is also some livestock-raising, mostly in the south of the municipality, and coffee-growing in the north. Crops are planted on only seven percent of the territory, but include corn, beans, sorghum and sesame seed.
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