Huatulco Once

Nhuari (Indian) word  which means “place where people worship the cross” is the root word of Huatulco

Until the area was tagged for development in the 1980’s, this stretch of coast 300 miles (480 km) southeast of Acapulco was cut off from the interior of Mexico by steep mountains. As a result, the original settlers of several indigenous Indian tribes, including the Zapotecs, Mixtecs, and Aztecs, traded goods by sea, traveling between the bays in small boats.

Legend has it that a white, bearded man brought a cross to Santa Cruz many years before the Spanish conquest. The story goes that he converted the Indians to Christianity and then disappeared. When the Spanish arrived in the 1500s, they established a trading post, and for a time it was more important than Acapulco. British pirates attacked in the late 1500s, and Thomas Cavendish burned the port. The cross, however, remained undamaged by ax or fire. Numerous miracles have since been attributed to the relic.

After Mexican Independence, Huatulco was largely ignored. Until the 1980s, only about 1,000 farmers and fishermen resided in the small village of Santa Cruz, Huatulco. The only visitors were die-hard surfers who wandered over from Puerto Escondido. Spurred by the success of Cancun, however, government officials recognized great potential for tourism in Huatulco’s nine pristine bays. A road linking the cost to the interior was built in 1984. Water, sewage, electric and phone lines were also installed. The influx of construction workers and service employees swelled the local population to about 8,000.

Located in the state of Oaxaca, the port is at the very southern tip of the Mexican Rivera and covers a 22-mile stretch of coastline carved into nine beautiful bays. The Sierra Madre Mountain provide a backdrop to 30 crescent shaped beaches. Because  of the hilly terrain, many of these are only available by boat. The first year 60,000 tourists came to visit, primarily locals and those staying at Club Med. The goal is to build 20,000 hotel rooms by 2018. The bays of Huatulco are main attractions and the catalyst for tourism. The closest attraction to the pier is the marine at Santa Cruz where several splendid shops have opened. Also, the town square in the village of La Crucesita is worth visiting.

During my 1st visit to Huatulco, I had 60 pieces of shrimp in thick butter sauce, pinacolada, and fajitas with Jennifer Santiago . I almost attended mass that day. However, the mass was celebrated in Latin which I can’t really comprehend. No habla espanyol :(

Huatulco days were Nov 25 and Dec13 in 2010 and in 2011, Jan 6 and  24.