history of puerto

Linguists and archeologists have only recently discovered the meaning of the word "Mexico". An ancient Mayan term, it refers to the moon goddess' navel and implies the essence of fertility. Oaxaca state, the pregnant belly of Mexico, bulges southward, pointing this rural gut of the North American Plate at the Southern Hemisphere. At a certain point here, a branch of the San Andreas Fault emerges from an offshore convergent tectonic plate zone as an underwater canyon. Like a geological umbilical cord, this snaking canyon funnels in any southern swell, magnifies it and feeds the wave energy onto 200 yards of sand. The result is the meanest beach break in the world -- the Mexican Pipeline.

So some years back coffee came to fame in a soon to be stimulant dependant society. This black gold was being grown on the slopes of Oaxaca. Blessed with the perfect coffee-producing conditions, Oaxacan coffee soon became known within Mexico, and later globally, as some of the richest coffee available. In 1928 the coffee growers of the Sierra Madre del Sur built a port to ship their precious cargo all over the world. What was once Punta Escondida (hidden point), a beautiful but obscure outcropping of rock on the Emerald coast, became Puerto Escondido (hidden port).

Though coffee was the major export, the ships left the Emerald Coast heavily laden with drums, turtle shells, alligator skins, and cocoa beans. Despite the new shipping activity, it remained what it always had been: a fishing village. And for the most part, it was still hidden.

In the 1960's, the Mexican government built the carratera costera (coastal highway). Shortly thereafter, travelers began making their way to Puerto Escondido. In the beginning these adventurers were primarily surfers, lured by tales of the Mexican Pipeline. Sport fishermen began traipsing in as well. Soon, entire families were visiting Puerto, all seeking-and finding-something different.

 

Surfing History:

Around 1959, a couple of surfers from Texas wandered into town and became the first to sample Puerto's power. Unequipped to handle the area's heavy, shallow, sensitive conditions on 10-foot logs, they continued in search of a more user-friendly destination. By the early '70s, random packs of Texans, Floridians and Californians were starting to find out what the area had to offer. The Gerry Lopez/Pipeline ideal hadn't yet caught on, and most travelers of the day were more interested in discovering the next Rincon, a wave you could play with rather than one that could kill you. Soon, however, the area became camp for groups of draft dodgers, drug dealers and other societal misfits who were tuned into the surf. Magazines quickly caught on and were exposing the new Pipeline by 1974, luring more travelers south of the border. Despite the influx, the many shortcomings -- from poor roads to shoddy accommodations to banditos to corrupt cops to drug traffic to mosquitoes, snakes, scorpions and stifling heat -- were more than enough to keep things unspoiled.

What visitors found, aside from the obvious faults, was the heaviest sand-bottom barrel in the world, one that could wreck bodies and boards with equal assurance. Prime surf season coincided with the rainy season -- May through October. During that time, the Tropics often deliver hurricanes and other southerly swells and the surf rarely drops below head high. In winter, west swells produce some of the best surf of the year, but in between there is nothing. The lineup, while continuously shifting and variable when it's small, turns into two distinct waves when a real swell hits. The right -- once called Carmelita's -- is a highly sensitive sandbar that breaks on a west or southwest swell and often closes out. Far Bar, to the south, is a demanding left that works best on a straight south. A pointbreak to the north is not world-class, but it offers fun, protected lefts to break the monotony of pounding barrels.

Early standouts at Puerto were inevitably Americans, as it wasn't until the '80s that locals got in on the act. Californians Casey Higdon and Tim Hinkle began trekking south of the border in the '70s, and both remain prominent fixtures in the lineup today. Many a traveling pro has made the journey, but for most, it was just another stop on their endless trip. Florida's Todd Morcom found what is considered the best Puerto tuberide ever caught on film in 1995, an impossibly deep right-hander that earned him "Barrel of the Year" honors at the Surfer Video Awards. Following the examples set by the pros, a band of locals has established themselves as world-class surfers, including Celestino Diaz, Omar Diaz, Carlos Nogales Escalante, Roberto Salinas, Rogelio Ramirez and David Rutherford.

Designated a tourist zone by the Mexican government, Puerto has endured unchecked development as its popularity with surfers and non-surfers alike flourished. The airport has received international status, the accommodations now comfortable and the food reliable. As a result of such unbridled growth, crowds have turned an already dangerous wave into a deadly one while the absence of local dunes has been detrimental to the sandbars. Coupled with a recent rash of earthquakes and floods, the Mexican Pipeline would seem to be losing its appeal. Then again, it's still the best barrel around, and that is what matters most. -- Jason Borte, March 2001