When was the canal built?

Canal La Boquita was built during the trienio of former Presidente Municipal Arq. Armando Federico Gonzáles from 1978 to 1980. A terrible development that obliterated a lovely mangrove estuary and lagoon. It would be illegal to do so today.

I never had the privilege of seeing Plaza Kioto before the arch but have seen pictures. I agree that the trees were better. It does make for a great landmark for giving people directions though.

The arch has been there since the late 70's or early 80's when Zihuatanejo became a "sister city" to Kioto, but there used o be some beautiful trees there including a couple of large tulipanes africanos with lovely bright red-orange flowers as well as some coconut palms. Before La Boquita canal was built, that entire area all the way to Soriana was a beautiful coconut grove. Now you'd have a hard time finding any of the original coconut palms, if any still exist.

As of today Zihuatanejo has had a cumulative total of 1,069 confirmed cases of Covid-19, 78 that resulted in fatalities, 14 that are currently active, and 910 that have recovered. The hospitals are almost back to normal, and almost all the locals I see are wearing facemasks. The biggest variable continues to be the tourists, and while many are wearing facemasks, too many still act like there's nothing at all going on.

While we are all certainly anxious to return to normalcy, I don't believe anyone here is letting their guard down but rather becoming accustomed to the new reality of always observing health safety protocols. It is becoming second nature.

The rain finally stopped, and it looks like we can expect several days of bright blue skies with plenty of sunshine! YAY!

Personally, I liked Plaza Kioto when it still had lots of trees. I've never seen anyone use the benches placed there or even walk on the sidewalk around it. I see it now as a monument to wastefulness by our local politicians. But we also see it as a beloved symbol of Zihuatanejo from one of its sister cities.