You can hop on the bus down the street in front of the OXXO market, located at the roundabout of Paseo de la Boquita. Or go to Naranjos Ave in the middle of the Centro Market, where many of the buses drive through. Just look for the sign on the front of the bus that says, “Zihuatanejo” and “Petatlán”, or you will hear the guy standing at the doorway of the bus yelling “PETA. PETA” as he drives through. Cost is 30 pesos per person. The buses are fairly comfortable and you shouldn’t have to wait more than 15 minutes for a bus to pass by.

We jumped on the bus at 10:30am, and 45minutes later we were dropped off at the “Centro” stop in Petatlán. If you are ever in need of a random car door, floor mats for your vehicle, or an extra steering wheel, then take the bus towards Petatlán. There are a handful of roadside shops with car parts for sale. Otherwise it’s an easy ride with some nice views of Mexico.

We were dropped off the bus on the side of Highway 200, and it first appeared that there was nothing in Petatlán. There was a mini-mart, a furniture store, and that was pretty much it. Oh, and a military truck with 20 guys in army fatigues packed into the back. An older woman, who looked somewhat official, pointed us to about 50 steps, so we reluctantly hiked to the top. From the peak of the steps we continued walking about 4 blocks and finally came upon a fun little town. The first thing you see are the gold and silver and steel shops everywhere. If you are looking for some jewelry made of I assume gold or silver, or steel, then this is the place.

Petatlán was inhabited about a 1,000 years ago, and founded almost 500 years ago. The town is most famous for the massive church near the city center, the Church of the Father of Jesus de Petatlán. Many miracles are said to have occurred at this church. Even on a random Friday afternoon there were a hundred people in the church. It has a very nice gift shop located just outside the church for tourists.

We spent about 3 hours walking around. We bought a few beers, lunch, and some souvenirs before heading back to Zihua. Also, if you are interested in visiting Xihuacan, the archeological site, it’s only located about 5 miles from Petatlán. It was a lovely little Friday Field Trip.