Zihuatanejo Mexico — The Shawshank Destination
My home, day, and life in Mexico
As I lay in my hammock watching the sunset paint the sky behind the green hills that surround the fishing village of Zihuatanejo, I realize just how lucky I am to be living here in this tropical gem.
The movie “The Shawshank Redemption” was what made this small village on Mexico’s Pacific coast known. The funny thing about that is that they only used the name Zihuatanejo (pronounced zeewhataneighho).
The scenes of the place were actually filmed in St. Croix, in the US Virgin Islands. There is a line in the film that says; “Zihuatanejo, that’s where I want to live the rest of my life, a warm place with no memory.” Since the film was released in 1994 hundreds of expats from the US, Canada, and Europe have come to do just that.
Today it has grown somewhat but still retains its small fishing village charm.
The boats go out to sea every evening and return around 6 am with their haul to sell on the beach. The still flapping red snapper, dorado, tuna, and grouper are displayed on tarps thrown on the sand for the early morning buyers.