The first inhabitants of the area that is now Acapulco, Mexico were the Nahuas, a tribe of people that preceded the Aztecs. In 1521 the Spaniard Francisco Chico arrived and named it Santa Lucía. The city became a key trading port between Asia and America, which soon attracted infamous pirates such as Sir Francis Drake, Sir Thomas Cavendish, and Sir Henry Morgan. To defend the lucrative port, the Spaniards built Fuerte de San Diego, which repelled pirates until an earthquake destroyed the fort in 1776. Following the timeline, the city was razed in 1810 during the War of Independence but became a prominent port again during the gold rush in Panama.

Acapulco became a popular tourist destination for Europeans after 1920. In the 1950s, after successful efforts to build the city's infrastructure including numerous resort hotels, Acapulco became a vacation destination for the rich and famous of Hollywood and across the world.  In the 1960s it seemed everyone in Hollywood was vacationing in Acapulco: Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Leslie Caron, Cary Grant, Lana Turner, John Wayne, Errol Flynn, Bridgitte Bardot, Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylortoo many names to list. World leaders, artists, and writers were also frequent visitors, including John, Robert, and Edward Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Reverend Billy Graham, Salvadore Dalí, Tennessee Williams, and John Huston. In the 1970s, a greater range of accommodations were built to make it more affordable for vacationers. And in the 1990s, a road was built from Mexico City, enabling vacationers from all over Mexico to enjoy this beautiful resort city.