Acapulco
| Acapulco | ||
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| City and municipality | ||
| Acapulco de Juárez | ||
Acapulco panoramic collage. Top, from left to right: Acapulco Bay from Chapel of Peace, Petroglyphs in Palma Sola, Nuestra Señora de la Soledad Cathedral, Mural by Diego Rivera in Dolores Olmedo House, San Diego Fort, La Quebrada, La Condesa Beach, Acapulco Dorado and Acapulco Diamante.
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 Acapulco
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| Coordinates: 16°51′49″N 99°52′57″W / 16.86361°N 99.88250°WCoordinates: 16°51′49″N 99°52′57″W / 16.86361°N 99.88250°W | ||
| Country | Mexico | |
| State | Guerrero | |
| Founded | 1520s | |
| Government | ||
| • Municipal president | Luis Walton (2012–15) | |
| Area | ||
| • Municipality | 1,880.60 km2 (726.10 sq mi) | |
| • Urban | 85 km2 (33 sq mi) | |
| • Metro | 3,538.5 km2 (1,366.2 sq mi) | |
| Elevation (of seat) | 30 m (100 ft) | |
| Population (2012) | ||
| • Municipality | 687,608 | |
| • Density | 370/km2 (950/sq mi) | |
| • Metro | 1,021,000 | |
| Demonym(s) | Acapulqueño (a) Porteño (a) |
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| Time zone | CST (UTC−6) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC−5) | |
| Postal code | 39300-39937 | |
| Area code(s) | 744 | |
| Website | Official website (Spanish) | |
Acapulco de Juárez (Spanish: [akaˈpulko de ˈxwaɾes]), commonly called Acapulco, is a city, municipality and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, 380 kilometres (240 mi) south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico's history. It is a port of call for shipping and cruise lines running between Panama and San Francisco, California, United States. The city of Acapulco is the largest in the state, far larger than the state capital Chilpancingo. Acapulco is also Mexico's largest beach and balneario resort city.
The city is best known as one of Mexico's oldest and most well-known beach resorts, which came into prominence in the 1950s as a getaway for Hollywood stars and millionaires. Acapulco is still famous and still attracts many tourists, although most are now from Mexico itself. The resort area is divided into two: The north end of the bay is the "traditional" area, where the famous in the mid-20th century vacationed, and the south end is dominated by newer luxury high-rise hotels.
The name "Acapulco" comes from Nahuatl language Aca-pōl-co, and means "where the reeds were destroyed or washed away". The "de Juárez" was added to the official name in 1885 to honor Benito Juárez, former President of Mexico (1806–1872). The seal for the city shows broken reeds or cane. The island and municipality of Capul, in the Philippines, derives its name from Acapulco; Capul was the western end of the trans-Pacific sailing route from Acapulco to what was then a Spanish colony.
By the 8th century around the Acapulco Bay area, there was a small culture which would first be dominated by the Olmecs, then by a number of others during the pre-Hispanic period and before it ended in the 1520s. At Acapulco Bay itself, there were two Olmec sites, one by Playa Larga and the other on a hill known as El Guitarrón. Olmec influence caused the small spread-out villages here to coalesce into larger entities and build ceremonial centers.
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