The
regional archaeological museum, or Museo Regional de la Costa Grande, contains hundreds of local artifacts as
well as extensive maps and information.
The museum is located on Plaza Olaf
Palme along the Paseo del Pescador (Fisherman's Walk) in downtown
Zihuatanejo, next to the bridge over flood control canal leading to Playa Madera.
Open from 10am to 6 pm, Tuesday thru
Sunday. Telephone: 755-554-7552.
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Pottery
and figurines from Tierras Prietas, circa 800-100 B.C.
Excavation of this site suggests tattooing and skull deformation
were in fashion
Figurines
from La
Soledad de Maciel, near Petatlan. The participation
of women is highlighted by their elaborate costumes in many
pieces dated from A.D. 200 to A.D. 700.
Zihuatanejo
was once known as Cihuatlan or "place of women" which
refers to the western paradise of the Nahuatl universe, home of
the "Goddess Women". Legends say the goddess women
rose in the afternoon to lead the sun to the dusk where the sun
entered Mictlan, the world of the dead, to give a dim light to the
dead.
Room 1 of the museum displays artifacts from
settlements established on the coasts of Jalisco, Nayarit, Colima
and Guerrero.
Room 2 houses ceramics and carvings from the
area of Cerro de la Madera, in Zihuatanejo, among others.
Room 3 features the TIerras Prietas site, the
cultivation of food plants and use of natural resources such as
the bajareque techique of walls made of interwoven bgranches
and clay.
Room 4 covers aspects of village life and cultural
exchange from 200 to 750 A.C.; the introduction of ball games and
new pottery techniques.
Room 5 - The Mexicas conquered the Costa Grande area between
1487 and 1503 AD. The province of Cihuatlan was established, and
tribute was paid to the conquerers by the local populations in shells,
chocolate, basketry and textiles.
Room 6 covers the search for a maritime route to the west
during the 16th and 17th centuries, during which time the ports
of Zihuatanejo and Acapulco were important points of reference for
Spanish and other navigators.
Man blowing a conch shell horn in the Mexia style.
The conquest
of the Costa Grande area was completed by the Mexia Indian tribe between
1487 and 1503.
This, combined with the following Spanish conquest,
was a great blow to local Indian culture.
This stone water filter was made about 300 years ago in what is now
Tecpan and weighs over 200 kilograms (440 pounds).
Water is
placed in the bowl and slowly seeps through the rock, leaving impurities
behind.
Pottery and figures from the La Soledad de Maciel archaeological site located near Petatlan .
This era was
marked by trade with the Teotihuacan culture and worship of Aztec
Gods
This
cannon, dated 1762, is from pirate William Draper's vessel which burned
and sank in Zihuatanejo Bay. It was discovered by local divers
and donated to the museum.
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This
cannon, dated 1762, is from pirate William Draper's vessel which burned
and sank in Zihuatanejo Bay. It was discovered by local divers
and donated to the museum.
Shell necklace
from