Acapulco << ah kah POOL koh >> (pop. 658,609) is a Mexican port and resort city. It is officially named Acapulco de Juárez << day HWAH rehz >>. Acapulco lies on a large, deep-water bay on the Pacific coast in the state of Guerrero. Acapulco’s beautiful scenery, warm climate, active night life, and water activities attract both Mexican and foreign visitors. Many cruise ships stop there.
People may have lived in the Acapulco region since about 3000 B.C., and possibly earlier. Some of the earliest known ceramics from Mesoamerica (Mexico and Central America) were discovered there.
Spaniards arrived at what is now Acapulco in the 1520’s. They officially founded the city in 1550. Acapulco served as the chief Pacific port for trade between Spanish colonies in Mexico and the Philippines for more than 200 years. In 1616, the Spaniards built Fort San Diego to defend the port from pirates. Clashes occurred at Acapulco during Mexico’s independence war (1810-1821); the Revolution of Ayutla (1854), an attempt to overthrow dictator Antonio López de Santa Anna; and the French occupation of Mexico in the 1860’s.
Acapulco became a prime resort destination for Hollywood actors and other wealthy travelers in the mid-1900’s. The city’s population grew rapidly during that time. Continued population growth and a dramatic increase in tourism led to serious pollution, especially in the bay. As a result of pollution and competition from other resorts, the city became less popular. In the late 1900’s, the federal, state, and local governments began a major effort to clean up the city. This effort and the completion of a highway from Acapulco to Mexico City have helped revive tourism.
In 2023, Hurricane Otis made landfall near Acapulco. At least 52 people were killed, and most of the city’s hotels were damaged. Otis was a Category 5 storm, the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity.
