Twin resorts on Guerrero's Pacific Coast, Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo are geographically close, but different in character.
 

Ixtapa was a project carried out about 30 years ago, by FONATUR , the Mexican government's tourism development agency.
 

The other way around, Zihuatanejo, was a little fishing village long before Ixtapa was not even a remote idea in no one's mind.
While Ixtapa is full on high rise Hotels and Resorts, with luxurious facilities, Zihuatanejo offers it's still remaining relaxed fishermen village feel, with it's old traditions and habits.
 

Because of all the artifacts found in Zihuatanejo's vecinity, all studies point to Zihuatanejo was inhabited at least 3000 B.C.
Conquerors from Spain, began sailing Zihuatanejo's Bay around 1527
The name of Zihuatanejo, has a history
 

Its said that an officer of HERNAN CORTES, the "New Spain Conqueror", was sent to our small village to find out how was it like and the importance of our activities. This officer was told by the inhabitants that the name was "Cihuatlan", which in Nahuatl language means "Place of women" - this is a clear reference to the current matriarchal regime at that age -.
Nevertheless, this man did not liked our town or our women because when reporting to Hernan Cortes his trip to the area, he told Cortes that Cihuatlan would rather be called "Cihuatlanejo", adding a diminutive suffix considering the village with not much importance. This gave as a result, the present name: Zihuatanejo.
 

Ixtapa was built as one of the master projects of FONATUR, that determined that Bahia del Palmar was the place where all the actual first class hotels would be built.