The original Mexican Riviera — where the La Quebrada cliff divers have leaped 35 metres into a 4-metre inlet of Pacific surf since 1934 (timing their dive to the wave cycle so the water is deep enough at the moment of impact), the Costera Miguel Alemán promenade defined Mexico's first international resort aesthetic in the 1950s when John Wayne, Ernie Hemingway, Elizabeth Taylor, and Frank Sinatra all owned property in the bay, and the zócalo's traditional mercados and the Fort San Diego (1616) — now a top-tier naval history museum — anchor a much older colonial port than the resort years suggest
Acapulco (800,000 city; Guerrero state's largest city) is a Pacific bay city divided by its timeline: the colonial and indigenous city (Fort San Diego, the historic fishing village of La Quebrada, the zócalo mercados) predates its 20th-century incarnation as Mexico's first international jet-set resort (1950s–1970s, when Hollywood and political elites built clifftop villas), which in turn predates the mass-market development of the Zona Diamante (2000s). **Note:** Guerrero state (including Acapulco) has carried a US State Department Level 3 'Reconsider Travel' advisory since approximately 2017…
Acapulco Bay was the Pacific terminus of the Manila Galleon trade route (1565–1815) — the most profitable trade route in world history for 250 years. Spanish galleons loaded Mexican silver in Acapulco, sailed to Manila, traded for Chinese silk, porcelain, and spices, and returned to Acapulco for the silver. The Fort San Diego (first construction 1616, rebuilt after earthquake 1776) defended the harbour against English and Dutch privateers (Sir Francis Drake had raided the Pacific coast; Thomas Cavendish sacked Mazatlán). The Manila Galleon Acapulco fair (the Feria de Nao) was one of the most…