Puerto Escondido - Mexico

Puerto Escondido is a small port and tourist center in the municipality of San Pedro Mixtepec Distrito 22 in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Prior to the 1930s, there was no real town here. The bay had been used as a port to ship coffee intermittently, but there was no permanent settlement here due to the lack of potable water. The name Puerto Escondido has roots in a legend of a woman who escaped her captives and hid here. The Nahuatl word for this area was Zicatela, meaning place of large thorns. Today, it refers to the areas most famous beach. Today Puerto Escondido is one of the most important tourist attractions on the Oaxaca coast. It caters to a more downscale and eclectic clientele than neighboring Huatulco, mostly surfers, backpackers and Mexican families. The main attraction is the beaches, from Zicatela Beach, which hosts major surfing competitions to beaches with gentle waves. Just south of the town is a large lagoon area popular for fishing and birdwatching. ( source Wikipedia )