The word Zihuatanejo comes from the cihuatlan language, and translated into nahuatl, means "Place of Women", thus reinforcing the theory that this area was ruled by a matriarchate.
Ixtapa is a superb 2,270 ha. tourist development with first class hotels, restaurants that will seduce your palate and night clubs with great beats and plenty of atmosphere. Its rise began in the 1970's.
Zihuatanejo, on the otherhand, is an old fishing village where life is centered around the quay and the hopes rest in the bounty of the sea.