Playa Chuquiapan

Chuquiapan is a hamlet of about 366 people (2020 census) and just over a hundred homes in the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas, 11 metres above sea level. It sits right on Federal Highway 200, the coast road that climbs north-west from Playa Azul towards Manzanillo, some 45 km in a straight line west of the port city. Behind it rise low hills covered in dry tropical forest, among them El Bolsón (181 m), less than 3 km away, and El Huicón (452 m) further inland.

The beach that shares its name has fine sand and, unlike much of this exposed coast, usually gentle surf. People come to swim, paddle kayaks and try other water sports, and to camp; in the late afternoon the sun goes down straight ahead over the Pacific. There are no hotels registered in the hamlet itself: the nearest lodging is at Las Peñas, so most visitors either pass through or bring a tent.

Chuquiapan is also a starting point for a little-known stretch of shore. A few kilometres away, El Bejuco is a quiet beach framed by rock formations where people camp and eat fresh fish cooked by the sea. Almost 4 km north, La Soledad is a cove hidden between hills, reached only by dirt track, with no electricity or phone signal, wooden cabins built by local cooperatives and a yearly sand-sculpture festival. About 12 km down the coast towards Lázaro Cárdenas, Las Peñas has rocks that locals liken to a monkey, a crowned king and an Aztec emperor, waves for surfing and a camping area. It is hot all year, around 26 °C on average, with rain in summer.