Zócalo (El)

NileGuide Expert tip:

The Cafe Astoria here is a great place to have a strong and bracing black Acapulco coffee, or even a breakfast (prices are fair) while you watch the square's goings on.

Description:

• The Zócalo was the heart of Spanish Acapulco, founded on December 13, 1521, when Fernando Chico sailed into Acapulco Bay, and remains the most traditional section of the entire city. The busy neighborhood's vital center is a pretty tree-lined plaza between the Church of Nuestra Senora de la Soledad and the bay front avenue, La Costera. The church, built only in 1930, is unusual in Mexico: onion-shaped twin towers covered in blue and yellow tiles resemble those of a Russian Orthodox church.
  
  The plaza's arcades contain restaurants and ice cream stores and if you explore the surrounding side streets you will find decent prices for souvenirs. The cruise ship terminal is within walking distance of the Zócalo and the sidewalks are frequently packed with passengers enjoying a day in port. Walk up the hill behind the church to La Quebrada and watch the cliff divers.
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