There are a variety of options for shopping in both Ixtapa & Zihuatanejo. The state of Guerrero is home to several craft traditions including bright whimsical ceramics, carved wood fish and wooden ceremonial masks. You can also find gifts, designer clothing, handmade jewelry and even leather huarache sandals.
Ixtapa
As you enter Ixtapa (from the airport or from Zihuatanejo), on the right side of Boulevard Ixtapa is the large Mercado de Artesania Turístico (handicraft market) with 150 permanent stands selling handicrafts, t-shirts, folk apparel and souvenirs (this is a result of a 1990 Guerrero State Law which removed vendors from the beach).
Looking down one of Ixtapa's shopping walkways
Further down on the right, across the street from the Hotel Zone, extends the shopping area which is loosely divided (it's unclear where one begins and the other ends) into "centros commerciales" or malls. They are clusters of pleasant colonial-style 1 and 2 story buildings on paths and patios lined with shops, cafes, restaurants and grocery mini-markets. The first is Los Patios; behind it in a self-contained terra-cotta-colored building is Plaza Ixpamar; then comes Las Fuentes; and finally La Puerta.
Zihuatanejo
Downtown Zihuatanejo has a colorful Municipal Market with a labyrinth of small stands, on the east side of town center on Calle Benito Juárez at Catalina Gonzalez. On the west edge of town along Calle 5 de Mayo (3 blocks from the beach) is another Mercado de Artesania Turístico craft and souvenir market, similar to the one in Ixtapa, but larger, 255 stands (good purchases include local hand-painted, fantasy-design Guerrero ceramics, huaraches "leather sandals", and much more).
Nearby, across from the Aeromexico office and facing the waterfront, at Paseo del Pescador 9, Casa Marina is a 2-story building containing several excellent shops, all belonging to the same family (offspring of Sra. Helene Krebs Posse). You'll also find shops spread out along Zihuatanejo's quiet streets.
 LOOT: Surf & Lifestyle Store
Café, art gallery, furniture and lifestyle products.
Zihuatanejo * Mex Tel: (755) 544-6038
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