Manzanillo is a city in the Mexican state of Colima. The city, located on the Pacific Ocean, contains Mexico’s busiest port that is responsible for handling Pacific cargo for the Mexico City area. It is the largest producing municipality for the business sector and tourism in the state of Colima.
The city is known as the “sailfish capital of the world”. Since 1957, it has hosted important national and international fishing competitions, such as the Dorsey Tournament, making it a very attractive fishing destination. Manzanillo has become one of the country’s most important ports and tourist resorts, and it’ s excellent hotels and restaurants continue to meet the demands of both national and international tourism.
HOW WAS MANZANILLO DISCOVERED?
Hernan Cortes and his minions, in search of Chinese treasure in the Pacific, were among the first to visit the area now known as Manzanillo. In 1522, Gonzalo de Sandoval, under orders from Cortes, dropped anchor in the Bay of Salagua (near the Barceló Karmina Palace), looking for safe harbors and good shipbuilding sites. In the year before he left, Sandoval granted an audience to local Indian chieftains in a small cove, which today carries the name “Playa La Audiencia”.
Manzanillo Bay was discovered in 1527 by navigator Álvaro de Saavedra, naming it “Bahia de Santiago de la Buena Esperanza” or “Santiago’s Bay of Good Hope”. It became a departure point for important expeditions. Cortes visited the bay twice to protect his galleons from Portuguese pirates.
In 1825 the port of Manzanillo opened. It was raised to the status of a city on June 15, 1873. The railroad to Colima was completed in 1889, and other amenities, such as electricity and potable water soon followed. In 1908. President Porfirio Días inaugurated the railway linkage with Guadalajara, and designated Manzanillo as an official port of entry.
