The Acapulco Destination Marketing Office is pleased to announce that the recently discovered archeological zone of Tehuacalco is officially open to the public in 2009. Just 50 minutes from Acapulco, Tehuacalco includes the remains of a ball court, residential space and holy temple dating back to the year 750 B.C. With the support of the government of the state of Guerrero and the Secretary of Tourism, the site was discovered as part of extensive research of pre-Hispanic culture in the region aimed to further identify the history of the state of Guerrero.
To mark the occasion, government officials including Zeferino Torreblanca, Governor of the State of Guerrero and Rodolfo Elizono, Secretary of Tourism for Mexico participated in the official opening ceremony in late December 2008. Also in attendance was Ernesto Rodriguez, Secretary of Tourism for Guerrero and Laura Pescador, National Coordinator of Archaeology at INAH, the National Institute of Anthropology and History, the organization that has worked with the government to research, explore, conserve and promote the site since 2006.
“This project represents the joint efforts between the federal and local government to support research of pre-Hispanic civilizations and to promote the cultural identity of the State of Guerrero and the country of Mexico as a whole,” said Rodolfo Elizondo, Secretary of Tourism for Mexico. “This is a great opportunity to attract tourism in this part of Mexico. The State of Guerrero has an enormous amount of cultural and historic wealth.”
The archeological zone of Tehuacalco is located in Chilpancingo in the southern region of the state called El Yopitzingo, where the Yope civilization once resided. Believed to be a ceremonial center, the name Tehuacalco has three different meanings in the ancient Nahuatl tongue: a place of the stone box, place of the priests’ houses and place of the sacred water house.
Acapulco continues to diversify itself from other tourist destinations throughout Mexico by going beyond the sun and sand to offer travelers an opportunity to experience the culture of the destination and its surrounding region. Serving as a central point along the Jaguar Route, a new tourism adventure that highlights the history and attractions of the state of Guerrero, Acapulco’s location enables visitors to the destination to experience Guerrero’s rich history and culture without the inconvenience of long and arduous travel times.
Also announced by Governor Torreblanca at the opening of Tehuacalco were plans to open Cerro del Huixteco, an eco-tourism park in Taxco, in 2009 as well as another archeological site currently under research in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo called La Soledad de Maciel.
The pre-Hispanic settlement of Tehuacalco is the most recent addition to the many cultural offerings accessible to visitors of Acapulco. Additional offerings include the San Diego Fort, Archeological Zone of Palma Sola (petroglyphics), Diego Rivera’s Wall and The Mask Musuem within the city of Acapulco, as well as the easy day trip to Taxco de Alarcon, where visitors can purchase silver crafts and more.
