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 (north
of Manzanillo Bay), 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 de la audiencia. A great part of
his fleet, which left to conquer the Phillipines, was constructed in Salagua.
MANZANILLO BAY was discovered in 1527 by navigator Alvaro de Saavedra, naming it
Santiago de la Buena, 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. Over the next 300 years, the Pacific Coast’s history is
filled with accounts of pirates from Portugal, England, France and even Spain
assaulting, looting and burning ships for their rich cargos.
IN 1825 the port of Manzanillo opened, so named because of the abundant groves of
manzanillo trees that were used extensively in the early days of shipbuilding.
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 Dias inaugurated the railway linkage
with Guadalajara, and designated Manzanillo as an official port of entry. It was
the state capital from February 20 to March 1, 1915, while Pancho Villa’s troops
were threatening to capture the city of Colima.
IN RECENT TIMES, the harbor was modernized and deepened, allowing access to all
major shipping lines around the world. As the largest port on the western coast of
Mexico, it can admit ships of more than 30,000 tons. The federal government has
built a coal-fueled power generating plant, which supplies electricity to a 5-state
area (although the city of Manzanillo has its own separate power plant.)
MANZANILLO HAS BEEN TOUTED as the "Sailfish Capital of the World," made famous by
the fishing tournaments held in November and February, with prizes worth thousands
of dollars. Then in the early ‘80s, Bo Derek and Dudley Moore starred in the popular
movie "10" , filmed at Las Hadas resort and La Audiencia beach. Other movies done
at or near Manzanillo include the made-for-TV mini-series, "Return to Eden," the
remake of "McHale’s Navy," and "I Still Know," (the sequel to "I Know What You Did
Last Summer.") released in 1999.
