In the almost 30 years I have lived in Zihuatanejo, a beautiful port town in the southwestern state of Guerrero, I have always been fascinated by a building known as the Parthenon, located high on the hills above the town.
Patterned after the Greek Acropolis Parthenon in Athens, the Greek capital, it was a majestic Hellenistic structure. Today, the Parthenon of Zihuatanejo is a ruined structure, much like that of its Greek counterpart.
Over the years, I was lured by friends to visit it several times, sometimes able to enter without a guard in place but usually stopped by military personnel or a caretaker, who, for a “fee,” would allow us to look around. The late Dennis Johnson, a former expat and Canadian publisher, accompanied me on one of my visits, and the following is a combination of his notes and my research. The history is dark.
A troubled past
Built during the 1980s by Mexico City’s wickedly excessive Chief of Police, Arturo Durazo Moreno (otherwise known as “El Negro” Durazo), the Parthenon is a testament to the corruption of the man.
It began when Durazo’s boyhood friend, José López Portillo, became the president of Mexico in 1976. As one of Mexico’s most corrupt presidents, López Portillo turned to loyal Durazo for his security and appointed him to be his chief of Police, knowing that he had been under investigation in the US for almost a year for drug trafficking.
During Durazo’s six-year tenure (from 1976 to 1982), he turned the police force into a racketeering organization and built his empire of corruption. He extorted money at every turn and lived a lavish lifestyle. He made a fortune from the bribes paid by the rank-and-file police officers under his command, and he used them as his construction labor force to build the Parthenon in Zihuatanejo, one of Guerrero’s most visited beaches. But that was not all. Canadian writer Jessica Devnani wrote, “he used it as his own personal playhouse with extravagant parties fueled with drugs, prostitutes and other sinful activities”.
Although Durazo was lauded for his work in lowering the crime rate in Mexico City and was even honored with a prestigious award in the Soviet Union for doing so, his methods were discovered to be beyond brutal when the tortured bodies of 12 Colombians suspected of bank robbery turned up in a river. An investigation into his practices began, ultimately revealing his elaborate pyramid scheme of bribes and payoffs.
Durazo’s fortune changed once again, this time not for the better, with the arrival of a new presidential administration, Miguel de la Madrid, whose campaign theme was “Moral Renewal.”
Durazo fled the country, and an international search ensued. After charging him in absentia with racketeering, Mexican and U.S. authorities tracked him down in Costa Rica in 1984 and brought him back to trial in Mexico. Durazo was charged with a long range of offenses, from corruption to extortion, tax evasion, drug kickbacks and possession of illegal weapons. He was given 25 years in prison; though he was released after less than eight, in 1992 due to ill health and good conduct. He lived out his final days in Acapulco, redeeming himself a bit by working with recovering alcoholics. He died of cancer in 2000.
Before his death, Durazo’s chief bodyguard, José González, wrote a runaway bestseller in 1980 about his evil boss, entitled “Lo Negro Del Durazo”. A movie quickly followed. Never allowing himself to be out-maneuvered, Durazo won a defamation lawsuit against his former aide from behind prison bars.
A return to former glory
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The restoration of Mexico’s version has been completely revitalized into a breathtakingly beautiful monument, thanks to the former administration of mayor Jorge Sánchez Alec and the city of Zihuatanejo.
Today, the Parthenon reflects its appearance in all its former glory. The once-chained tigers and the disco used for wild parties are gone, and the swimming pool has been removed. The gates have been refurbished, weeds have been pulled, and gardens have been tended to. Statues and murals have been replaced and repainted, and rooms that were once bedrooms complete with hanging beds will now be used as special events rooms, functions and exhibitions, five halls in all, according to Tourism Director Jesús Gallegos Galván.
There will be concerts and other cultural events but, says Gallegos, no private events such as weddings and no alcohol will be served. General seating will hold up to 500 people. There will be a small fee — 100 pesos for outside tourists, 50 pesos for locals and free for handicapped and older adults. Students will be charged just 20 pesos.
There will also be a small café where you can purchase coffee and other beverages and relax. At the same time, you admire a view that is as spectacular as the bay of Zihuatanejo itself.
The inauguration, which happened recently on November 6 to much fanfare, was presided over by Guerrero state Governor Evelyn Salgado Pineda and Zihuantanejo’s current mayor, Lizette Tapia. Following this, the first major cultural event of the year, known as Tropifashion, was held on November 29 of this year and is sure to set the stage for an exciting year ahead for other cultural events.
The writer divides her time between Canada and Zihuatanejo.
