Southern Pacific Coast Overview

The Southern Pacific Coast is a melange of natural beauty, indigenous culture, and colonial splendor, from coastal beaches and swamps to serrated inland hills, wooing backpackers, and families alike. On the water’s edge, the glitzy resorts of the north give way to surfers and hippies roughing it further south. Inland, indigenous villages dot the cities and hills, next to the Baroque stone of Mexico’s colonial past. Because the region’s Purépecha peoples survived by fishing, the Aztecs named the lands surrounding Lake Pátzcuaro Michoacán (Country of Fishermen). Michoacán’s fertile soil, abundant rain, and mild weather make for bountiful crops—potatoes, avocados, and strawberries are just a handful of the goods that make their way to markets across Mexico. The gentle hills inland give way to violent, tortuous cliffs on Michoacán’s wild coast. Hundreds of miles of remote beaches are inaccessible, except for the occasional secluded surf spots.

The state of Guerrero is home to Taxco, the first silver mining town in North America—a tangle of narrow cobblestone streets nestled into a quiet mountainside. During the colonial period, silver kept the state and most of New Spain swimming in the precious metal. Nowadays the state’s riches come primarily from tourist dollars flooding the coastal resorts. Former international vacation hot spot, Acapulco now attracts hordes of Mexican tourists ready to party hard come sundown. Sister cities Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo have now eclipsed their neighbor’s reputation, attracting droves of sun-worshipping foreigners.

Fractured into an assorted quilt of terrains by the rugged heights of the Sierra Madre del Sur, Oaxaca has inspired a violent possessiveness in its many different peoples. Zapotecs, Mixtecs, Aztecs, and Spaniards have all fought and died for the region. More than 200 indigenous tribes have occupied the valley over the past two millennia, and more than one million oaxaqueños still speak indigenous languages. Stunning indigenous ruins, exquisite colonial architecture, and savory local culinary dishes characterize inland Oaxaca state, while miles of unpolished coast and record-breaking pipelines attract surfers and hippies alike.