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Huatulco - Background
In the colonial era, Huánuco (“place of the beautiful wood”) first served as the major port for the lucrative Pacific Coast trade between New Spain and Peru for about 20 years. Later, Acapulco was used instead, and Huatulco fell prey to pirate attacks and looting by such figures as Francis Drake in 1579 and Thomas Cavendish in 1587.
Mexican citizens have long known about the Bahias de Huánuco (“wa tul ko”). As international visitors converged on Acapulco Bay, Mexican vacationers slipped away to Huatulco and relaxed on a secluded beach far from the crowds of the “developed” resorts. There are nine distinct bays - collectively the “Bays of Huatulco”. Each has its own charm.
As part of the Mexican’s government’s long term resort development project, both coasts were carefully examined for potential. As Acapilco had grown over the years, families from Distrito Federal had been quietly sneaking off to the remote and undeveloped shore of Oaxaca’s Golfo de Tehuntapec. Along a 22 mile stretch of pristine coastline, nine wide bays and several charming fishing villages were becoming known for their beauty and fresh seafood. The villages around the coves and inlets may look like 16th century Spanish colonial settlements, but most of the traditional style developments are no more than a few decades old. Spaniards did not typically build on the coasts anyway, choosing instead the cooler (and more defensible) interior highlands. Fonatur, the official Mexican tourist agency, planned the resort area hoping to attract visitors while maintaining a keen eye on preserving the region’s delicate ecological balances. Much of the area is protected habitat and strict building codes are in place. Most of the Oaxaca coast is protected. In Fact, just about 80% of Huatulco’s Sierra Madre mountain lowlands, or nearly 42,000 acres have been set aside as a nature preserve. Happily, the steel-and-glass highrises that line Acapulco Bay are absent, and there are more than 30 perfect beaches, many with natural boulders and protective shallow coral reefs. Huatulco is heralded a the Western Hemishpere’s “first eco-tourism resort”.
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