Sign in Using FacebookAcapulco Guide » More About Acapulco: Interesting Facts
Interesting Facts
- The zoo on Isla Roqueta is the world's only zoo located on an island.
- The birthplace of the Mexican resort industry, Acapulco also holds bragging rights to a number of vacation staples such as cliff-diving, tequila poppers, the swim-up pool bar, and hotel rooms with private swimming pools.
- Thanks to its agreeable climate and beautiful beaches, Acapulco is known as Perla del Pacifico – the "pearl of the Pacific."
- Acapulco, one of the top tourist spots in all of Latin America, is surrounded on three sides by the towering Sierra Madre del Sur mountains which extend down to the shoreline.
- Acapulco's name comes from the Nahua Indian (the predecessors of the Aztecs) words for "place of dense reeds." The name the Chinese gave Acapulco was "Ye Pa Ti", or the "Place with Beautiful Waters."
- In 1933 Acapulco's first resort hotel, the Mirador, was built at La Quebrada. In 1934 Acapulco's famous cliff divers began performing in the gorges next to the hotel. Trained divers plunge 130 feet into a narrow cove with just 11 feet depth of water, which is safe only when a wave has just come in. At night, the last divers carry torches.
- Argh matey! Pirates, including Sir Francis Drake, preyed on the beautiful bay in Acapulco, a vital trading port for Europe from the 1500s until the late 1800s. In fact, the Fort of San Diego, now a modern museum, was originally built to defend the city from pirate attacks.
- Acapulco has an ancient history. Artifacts found within the city limits date back to 2500 BC.
- The Spanish monarchy officially laid claim to Acapulco in 1528.
- Acapulco has tropical weather year-round. Lows during the coldest months – January through March – dip only to around 73 degrees Fahrenheit. Highs year round average 88 degrees. They observe Central Standard Time.
