Santa Cruz Huatulco Mexico

Looking Down on Santa Cruz - Photo by: Huatulco Life

Original Story by Lance Schuler via the Examiner.com

About 310 miles south of Acapulco at the base of the Sierra Madres, lies what some have called “a little bit of heaven”. Santa Cruz Huatulco or simply Huatulco. If you ask anyone that has been there they would probably say that is was one of their favorite ports on their cruise and it’s certainly one of mine.


Jagged boulders, cliffs and small islands characterize this part of Mexico’s coastline. The area resembles a green carpet of jungle descending from the foothills of the mountains to the shore. Over 22 miles of shoreline stretched over 9 bays, numerous coves and inlets completes this picturesque hidden gem. At one point the Mexican government wanted to make Huatulco the Acapulco of the south but has been on the backburner since 2008. Let’s hope they never find the time to resume their quest.

Aztec merchants established a trade route through this region during pre-Hispanic times and the coastal settlement became a thriving port and shipyard.

About 310 miles south of Acapulco at the base of the Sierra Madres, lies what some have called “a little bit of heaven”. Santa Cruz Huatulco or simply Huatulco. If you ask anyone that has been there they would probably say that is was one of their favorite ports on their cruise and it’s certainly one of mine.

Jagged boulders, cliffs and small islands characterize this part of Mexico’s coastline. The area resembles a green carpet of jungle descending from the foothills of the mountains to the shore. Over 22 miles of shoreline stretched over 9 bays, numerous coves and inlets completes this picturesque hidden gem. At one point the Mexican government wanted to make Huatulco the Acapulco of the south but has been on the backburner since 2008. Let’s hope they never find the time to resume their quest.
Aztec merchants established a trade route through this region during pre-Hispanic times and the coastal settlement became a thriving port and shipyard.

Huatulco supposedly comes from a Nahuatl word, a language spoken by the Aztecs. They named the place when they invaded the region. The word means: "place where they worship wood", and the explanation for that name you´ll find in the following mysterious legend.

According to this legend, around 1500 years ago, an old white man with long hair and a long beard came from the sea with a huge wooden cross. He drove the cross deep into the sand of the beach of Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz means Holy Cross in English), so that it stood upright and and proclaimed: "I leave here the symbol for all your remedies. You must worship and respect it, for there will come a time when you will know the true God and Lord of Heaven and Earth". He stayed for a while with the Indians until one day he had to leave because "his presence was required in other places". During the centuries that passed the Indians worshipped the cross and never tried to move it, as the old man had indicated. They did use small splinters of the wood that had come off, in their medicinal brews, as a remedy for many diseases.

Some historians believe this old man must have been Saint Thomas, one of Christ´s apostles who crossed Asia to finally reach the Land of Anahuac, as this area was called back then. Another reference to Saint Thomas is a footprint left in a huge, round rock called "Piedra de Moros", near the village with the same name.

But by the late 16th century Acapulco had absorbed the galleon trade and pirate attacks brought about further decline. Attracted by the valuable cargo of the Chinese and Spanish ships sailing along the Mexican Coast, Huatulco had its share. In the year 1579 the English pirate Fransisco Drake plundered Huatulco, at the time only inhabited by a few Indians and even fewer Spanish soldiers. He took what little cattle and food they had. In 1587 his countryman and colleague Thomas Cavendish came also to plunder Huatulco. Finding nothing of value he burned down the town and ordered the huge wooden cross, standing on the beach, to be destroyed. To everybody´s surprise they couldn't even damage it, neither with axes nor with saws, even fire left it untouched. Finally he decided to tie his ship to the cross and sailed out to topple it, only to be left with broken ropes and the cross still intact. Just a few years later Cavendish died in a storm off the coast of Brazil. Maybe his fate seal by the mystery, like the Hope diamond with its’ wearers.

Being told this story, the bishop of Oaxaca sent some of his ministers down to Huatulco to take care of the cross and make sure it was duly worshipped. From then on Huatulco became a place visited by the faithful from many places to see the Holy Cross and take away a splinter of it. This went on until the base of the cross was so narrow that it was feared it would fall over. In 1612 it was sent to the city of Oaxaca where it was broken up into pieces and several smaller crosses were made from its wood. One cross was sent to the Vatican, another one remained in the cathedral of Oaxaca and a third cross was placed in the church of Santa Maria Huatulco. The Puebla Chapel is said to also have one of the crosses in its possession. Huatulco still celebrates the day of the Holy Cross every year on the 3rd of May.

Until recently Huatulco and other small villages along this stretch of coastline remained forgotten outposts and slumbered in the hot sun. Now Huatulco has become a favorite of many a cruise passenger.

If you’ve had an overactive port call in Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco or Mazatlan before arriving here, then this is the place to kick up your feet and relax. A perfect blend of sunshine, sand and scenery.

“Fair winds and following seas!”
Lance