The Battle of Zihuatanejo

Approaching the mouth of Zihuatanejo Bay, the tourist cruise ships follow the same wave-worn path that the English pirate Francis Drake ventured centuries ago.

Zihuatanejo, nestled on the Pacific coast of the Mexican state of Guerrero, has come a long way from the pristine bay European plunderers penetrated. Today it projects the duality of overdevelopment and underdevelopment. Lush villas shroud some hills while shantytowns cling to others. In this municipality, 400 cases of dengue have been tallied up this year so far. Once-unimaginable traffic jams congest the city center, and commercial chain stores increasingly compete with small businesses. A half-finished rock jetty blocks the outflow of the dirty wastewater that flows into the bay. Although the National Ecology Institute has blamed the jetty for the huge increase in pollution and residents demand that it be dismantled, it still stands as a monument of defiance to the popular will.”*

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