Bahias de Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico

  ↑Do you know what Mesoamerican culture these symbols are from?  

Answer: Zapotec of 2,000 years ago

(Zapotec , indigenous people of Mexico, primarily in South Oaxaca and on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Little is known of the origin of the Zapotec. Unlike most native peoples of Middle America, they had no traditions or legends of migration, but believed themselves to have been born directly from rocks, trees, and jaguar.  They number approximately 350,000 today)

 Source: Highbeam Encyclopedia

   Huatulco(wah tool coe) is located on the Pacific Coast state of Oaxaca(wuh ha kah).  The official name is Bahias de Huatulco or The bays of Huatulco.  The city of Santa Maria Huatulco governs the  Bahias de Huatulco.  Bahias de Huatulco consists of 9 bays and 36 beaches.  The original inhabitants of Huatulco were the Zapotec people which built their civilization on the cliffs and hills of this coastal town.  Recently, ruins were discovered here and is being preserved by the government.  Bahias de Huatulco are at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains which line the skyline to the N and NW and the ocean to our S and SW.  We are known for our dual weather climate of tropical summer months and barren dry dessert like winter months.  Which makes for both water loving and non water loving plant varieties.  Read more on:

Indigenous people (you will be redirected to another site)

Indigenous Plants

Coffee Production

Gastronomy

Huatulco Industry

Simple Living in Mexico

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Based on referrals of specialists, Huatulco's history goes back more than 3 thousand years and from this theory is recognized at least 3 stages of change and transformation in this town: 1 .- Before the arrival of the Spaniards 2 .- The repopulation of the town of Huatulco in 1560, and 3 .- From the expropriation took place in 1984.
 
In the year 1985 with participation of the National Institute of Anthropology and History, INAH and the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism FONATUR, the project was carried out: Archaeological Salvage of Huatulco Bays, which was led by anthropologist Enrique Fernandez Dávila and was published in collaboration with the Ministry of Education-INAH-under the title: "Archeology of Huatulco, Oaxaca."

As a result of this study, 47 sites were identified within the coastal expropriated between Cuatunalco and Tangolunda Bay, including the airport area.

Various archaeological objects found in the northern part of the municipality within the territory not yet explored by INAH, indicated that there were also densely populated human settlements long before the arrival of the Spaniards.

In 1995-1996, work began to explore the archaeological site Bocana Copalita River, where it was discovered as a central element of a ball game with unique features.

The first known written reference that refers to Huatulco, says: "... When the Toltecs were exiled from their territory, a journey along the coast and across land, came to" California, "at sea now known as Cortez and called Huetlapayan because it means "red" (bright red). His arrival occurred in the year Tecpatl D. C., which corresponds to 387 of our era. Continued along the coast of Xalisco (now Mexico) and south passed through Huatulco and traveled through various lands, until they came to the province of Tochtepec. (Today Tututepec).
In 1522, Pedro de Alvarado conquered Huatulco, leaving first encomendero Antonio Gutierres
z Ahumada and later his place was occupied by Bernardino Lopez, who was the husband of a granddaughter Gutiérrez Ahumada. In the case of Puerto de Santa Cruz Huatulco-today-the first encomendero was a Spanish name Pedro Pantoja. Both; Gutiérrez Pantoja de Ahumada and came to Huatulco as soldiers Pedro de Alvarado.En 1579 or 1580, were prepared and geographic relations in that data collection, the calendar said: "... are descended from Chichimecas, and language that Mexico is corrupt and spoke in disguise. " And that: "... The Coatulco name means" place of snakes .... " "And that used to have the idol, whom they adored, called Coatl, which means" snake "...." At the time of the conquest of the tributaries were subjects Tututepec and gentlemen "... served in the wars that used to have with other towns and provinces."

In his Book of Tributes, Graca Manuel Martinez shows a kind of pattern, where one can see the head of an eagle holding a branch of a tree, with a flower at the tip and said that the name can be set as Cuauhtxohco (cuahuitl = tree ; cuauhtli = eagle; Xochitl = flower; and co = en) that the author translates as "inn eagle on a tree in bloom."

For its part, the Catholic priests of Burgoa Francisco Gay and Antonio, both scholars of the history of Oaxaca, the meaning associated to the cross and said that "where the tree is revered."

Other studies, differ from the above and opt for different meanings among which "instead of coyol" or "place of sorrel, and others.

Turning to the geographical links these relate well on the Port of Huatulco "... Call this port-language Mexican Petaca hill" because the population was located on a hill surrounded Vallecillo, like Petaca and it was time old head of a lift to people who called Tecoalontla first and second Copalitla where there is a river, and the third Zimatlan where there is another river ... "and that portion of the west, on the same coast, and used to have subjects the people of Cacalotepetl (cacaluta or hill cacalote) and Coyula. "... And only in that port and Copaplitla, that there are some newcomers, and sometimes go back and none of them is natural."

Very close to the Conquest, Huatulco became the largest port on the Pacific and New Spain in 1523, close to Puerto Angel would start the construction of boats. On July 25 of 1526, the ship "Santiago" arribaría the coast of Tehuantepec.
On January 8 of 1539, the Spanish crown granted to the people of Huatulco Titles primary and assigns the image of "Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Pure and Immaculate Conception, as Patron of the People of Huatulco.
From 1531 to 1580, Huatulco was the main port of the South Sea. In 1575, the competition begins maritime Acapulco and his closeness to the city of Mexico, causing the ruin of primero.En that time, were transported from the Port of Huatulco to the west coast of South America, all kinds of goods as well as tools and horses, as well as Spaniards in search of quick and easy wealth.

The most famous ship that departed the Port of Huatulco, were: San Vicente, San Lázaro, Todos Santos, San Pedro, Santa Cruz, Santispiritus, Nuestra Señora de la Concepción and San Juan de los Frailes, among many others.

In 1560, the town and the port of Huatulco were depopulated due to natural epidemics. Subsisted only asked the Spanish Royal Court, permission to bring Indians Miahuatlán and thus began the repopulation of the area from the Valley with natural, primarily from Miahuatlán.

On 13 April 1579 (Easter Monday), the English privateer Francis Drake arrived in Huatulco in his ship the Golden Hind. " After looting the people, Drake sailed the night of Holy Thursday: April 16th of 1579.

Another privateer Thomas Cavendish, arrived at the port of Huatulco on August 7, 1587, desecrated the church, the houses ransacked, burned the town of Huatulco and tried to destroy, without success, the famous Cruz de Huatulco.

Huatulco passed by, people like the Dutchman Joris Speilbergenen -1615 -. In early 1676, Thomas spent the filibuster Pacha English. In October 1685, landed at the port of Huatulco Captain Townley, who "... walked to a village, probably Santa Maria Huatulco, and went on his way to Puerto Angel."

From September to November 1687, the French Le Picard filibuster, he established his base of operations in Huatulco, did not find enough loot and sailed to Central America. In 1791, Captain Alejandro Malaspina spent against Huatulco, bound for Acapulco.

In 1697, pirates attacked the village of Santa Maria Huatulco, leaving him totally devastated. The people were scattered through the villages nearby and in 1700, met today to take up where the town is located, calling Pueblo Nuevo de Huatulco and refer to the old site and old town of Huatulco.

In 1718, the Spanish crown granted recognition and approval of new titles for founding the New Town and from this, there is discontent among the inhabitants of San Mateo Piñas, arguing that the land now occupied by the town of Huatulco, belonged Pineapples on why starting a legal opinion that won the San Mateo Piñas. The people of Huatulco are won and upheld the trial, which led to an armed conflict that lasted several years. Finally, the territory was huatulqueño decreased.
Under orders of the generalissimo Don José María Morelos y Pavón, Lt. Col. Vicente Guerrero visited Santa Cruz Huatulco and Puerto Escondido in 1812 and cleared the area of enemies.

In 1831, Vicente Guerrero is betrayed and arrested in Acapulco, shipped and delivered to a beach since it is known as "Beach Delivery" located in the Bay of Santa Cruz Huatulco.

In 1850 and being governor of Oaxaca, Benito Juárez came to Santa Cruz, Huatulco, to found the Villa Crespo and in 1855, dropped for a few hours the ship "California", which came from New Orleans to continue your route headed to Acapulco where he would meet with General Alvarez.

In the last decades of the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the coffee plantations were established in the upper town, founded mainly by German and English, while the area of Arenal Netherlands was occupied by the brothers of Atala et al or Syrian origin, who had bought part of the land there.

Since the late eighteenth century and since then the municipal authorities had under their control the management and allocation of land, more than once this generated serious conflicts to local governments, as in the case of land from Low Coyula that the mid-twentieth century, provoked a war with neighboring Pochutla armed, who were trying to keep high-yield arable land.

In the final phase of changes within the municipality of Santa Maria Huatulco, and after a local began in 1963 with the federal government in 1984, the federation expropriated 21 thousand hectares of land to develop the Coastal Bays of Huatulco Tourist Project . This initiative was implemented on May 29, 1984.

Dr. Gonzalo Vazquez Rosas
President of the Historical and Cultural Huatulco AC

Source: huatulco.gob.mx