Since its  discovery  by Spanish colonialists in 1512,  Acapulco has held a special place in the history of Mexico and in the hearts of Mexicans. 

Chinese porcelain Buddha - Fuerte de San Diego Museum, Acapulco

THE BEGINNING  -  Trade With The Orient 

Initially,  and for hundreds of years,  Acapulco served as the only port in the New World through which imported goods from China and the Philippines first passed,  before they were shipped on to Spain.  The annual Acapulco Fair drew traders and merchants from afar,  to peruse goods which arrived on the Nao de China vessels.  In later years,  Mexico's independence from Spain brought an end to that lucrative Orient-Acapulco trade route,  and Acapulco reverted to being a sleepy waterfront city with limited trade. 

CONNECTING TO MEXICO CITY  -  The Jet-Set Days  and  The Golden Years

In the late 1920s,  a highway was constructed linking Acapulco with Mexico City;  and news of Acapulco's beauty spread quickly.  The town,  in short time,  became a city;  and the city eventually became an international jet-set destination.  Stage and screen stars flocked to Acapulco as early as the 1930s to enjoy its beauty and relative isolation,  and those golden years carried into the 1960s.

One of Acapulco

TODAY's ACAPULCO 

As tourism expanded so did the number of attractions,  hotels,  and condominiums;  and with increased tourism came more people moving to Acapulco  -   in search of work or to live in this beautiful location.  It's estimated that approximately 900,000 people now live in or close to the City of Acapulco.  Although the rich and famous are still attracted to Acapulco and its natural beauty,  most visitors are drawn from metropolitan Mexico City.  The city is served by the modern Juan N. Álvarez International Airport,  which makes it an easy destination to reach,  and a toll highway connecting to Mexico City,  by which people arrive on one of Mexico's excellent first-class buses or in private personal vehicles.  A comment frequently overheard when foreign visitors speak of Acapulco is:  "It's so Mexican.";  and yes, Acapulco does in fact have the flavor of a traditional Mexican seaside destination  -  a place where the most heard and spoken language is Spanish and the Mexican Peso is the currency most used.

THE FUTURE 

Today,  tourism-related development and construction is ever-present in and around the city proper.  This expansion is especially noticeable in 'New Acapulco' (Nuevo Acapulco)  -  in the vicinity of the city's international airport (southeast of Acapulco Bay),  an area more commonly referred to as Zona Diamante (the Diamond Zone) where large plots of vacant land are becoming scarce and priceless.  In addition to the local building boom,  the federal government is slowly moving forward on the nearby La Parota hydroelectric project,  which will include the construction of a 530'-high dam on the Papagayo River and the creation of several exciting water-based activity opportunities.  Unfortunately,  La Parota is still in the design stage (as of early 2010) and isn't expected to be operational until 2021.  Northwest of Acapulco,  in the State of Guerrero's Costa Grande region,  the federal government is also moving forward on a project that,  in time,  will see thousands of new hotel rooms constructed,  the development of new attractions,  and more opportunities for travelers to explore and enjoy a relatively unknown part of the area  -  all within a two-hour drive of Acapulco.