Fort of San Diego
NileGuide Expert Says:
Probably the top cultural venue in town, with temporal art exhibitions, classical concerts and promoting the excellent festival of the Nao. The museum is well worth a visit to find out about Acapulco's fascinating history as a port and the riches brought in by the Manila Galleon. Exhibits are labeled in appalling but decipherable English. Workshops for kids in the summer.User Rating:
Address:
Phone:
(744) 4823848NileGuide Expert tip:
Bring a bottle of water, come early and take your time to let everything sink in. Views are great all around so take a wander. Combine visit with the colorful Mask Museum which is round the corner. Good toilets, spacious, clean and cool.Description:
"La Fuerte," as it is referred to in town, is the main historical monument in Acapulco and the most important maritime fort along the Pacific coast. Acapulco´s first claim to fame was for being the port for the Nao de China (also known as the Manila Galleon) that brought splendid goods from the Orient, which were then transferred to Veracruz and sent to Europe. Here you will be greeted by the carriage of William of Holland which made its way from Veracruz in the 1840s, replicas of galleons, fine silks, treasure chests and plentiful models. Visitors will also find pre-conquest history, with faces and tools from La Sabana river area, Mezcala faces for the dead, a Mexica altar, information on wall paintings from nearby Pie de la Cuesta and a general insight into Guerrero state´s pre-Hispanic sites. Nautical fans will be in paradise with probes, hour glasses, sextants, compasses, hoists and marine astrolabes. These compete with military trappings, armor and shields, and delicate, ancient flags and standards. The displays are beautifully conceived, and attentive visitors will note how Mexican artists began to reproduce stylized decorations in their own crafts, with examples from Puebla´s talavera pottery, ceramics from Tonalá, Jalisco, and lacquered furniture from Uruapan and Pátzcuaro, Michoacán. Other influences extend from dress (such as the gaudy, frilly China Poblana costume) to the spread of produce like rice, mangos, pepper and cinnamon.