Puerto Escondido | |
|---|---|
City | |
 View of Puerto Escondido from the air | |
  Puerto Escondido | |
| Coordinates: 15°51′43″N 97°04′18″W / 15.86194°N 97.07167°W | |
| Country |  Mexico |
| State | Oaxaca |
| Municipality | San Pedro Mixtepec |
| Area | |
| • City | 12.06 km2 (4.66 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 60 m (200 ft) |
| Population (2020 census)[1] | |
| • City | 29,903 |
| • Density | 2,500/km2 (6,400/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| Website | Official website |
Puerto Escondido (English: "Hidden Port") is a small port and tourist center in the municipality of San Pedro Mixtepec Distrito 22 in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Prior to the 1930s, there was no town. The bay had been used as a port intermittently to ship coffee, but there was no permanent settlement due to the lack of potable water. The name "Puerto Escondido" had roots in the legend of a woman who escaped her captors and hid here. The Nahuatl word for this area was Zicatela, meaning “place of large thorns".[2] Today, it refers to the area's most famous beach.[3]
Puerto Escondido is one of the most important tourist attractions on the Oaxacan coast. It caters to a more downscale and eclectic clientele than neighboring Huatulco, mostly surfers, backpackers and Mexican families.[4] The main attractions are the beaches: Zicatela Beach hosts major surfing competitions, while other beaches have gentle waves.[5] A large lagoon area to the west of the town is popular for fishing and birdwatching.[3]
- ^ Citypopulation.de Population of Puerto Escondido
- ^ "Puerto Escondido". Archived from the original on 2013-12-25. Retrieved 2014-07-12.
- ^ a b Díez, Daniel (1990). "Puerto Escondido, una puerta a la mar del sur. (Oaxaca)" [Puerto Escondido, a port of the south sea] (in Spanish). Mexico Desconocido. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
- ^ Zap, Tom. "Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca". Retrieved 2009-10-25.
- ^ Anderson, Geri. "Puerto Escondido: Mexico's hidden Oaxacan beach". MexConnect. Retrieved 2009-10-25.