The name of this king was Rey Calzonzin a King Tarasco form the high Mountains of Michoacan who traveled to Zihuatanejo (land of darked skinned women)with many of his wives.

He built this artificial pool to protect these women from the Sharks (tiburon Gata) who were abundant in these waters at that time...

Actually, I believe Calzonzin or Caltzontzín isn't a formal name itself (apart from being a town in Michoacán and a last name from the same region) but is a title that means "king" or "rey" in the Purépecha language, and the original word is "cazonzi".

He built this artificial pool to protect these women from the Sharks (tiburon Gata) who were abundant in these waters at that time...

Is it me or the rock reef in Las Gatas is shown in the map?

I always thought it was man-made. And if so, Who did it?

I'm sure you're aware there have been people living in this region for thousands of years, long before any Europeans or their descendents passed this way.

Local legend has it that the Purépecha royalty who used to vacation here regularly from the region of Lake Pátzcuaro built the breakwater for their women and children to enjoy the sheltered beach.

I always thought it was man-made. And if so, Who did it?

I believe several of the cannons were also recovered by Oliverio and one may remain at the museum (others allegedly adorn homes of some former politicians). I remember seeing one back in the early 70's that used to sit where Casa Arcadia now is but it is reported to have rusted apart from lack of care and exposure to the salty air.

I believe the anchor still sits at the Maciel property in Las Gatas.

http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/naval/p/anson.htm

But there seems to be a time discrepancy here. The Admiralty map is dated 1745. Anson's adventures pirating the Acapulco / Manila ship were around 1743. By 1745 Anson was back around the British Isles. If this map was attributed to him or his command, than there would have been a British expedition still in the area, because charting and sounding harbours like that is a detailed job.

The plot thickens. here's another reference saying that it was done in 1765.
There must have been a follow up expedition or it was drawn and published later....

http://www.geographicus.com/P/AntiqueMap/Seguataneo-anson-1765

This is interesting too:

This map was drawn by the British Admiral George Anson just before his historic capture of the Spanish treasure galleon Nuestra Senora de Covadonga. During Anson's circumnavigation of the globe he and his crew, charmed by the beautiful beaches and tropical climate, wintered and resupplied in Zihuatanejo before daring the Pacific and making history. Local legends claim that Anson planted the region's first coconut groves. It is further said that some of Anson's crew mutinied; burning several ships, and married locally, settling in Zihuatanejo while Anson and remaining crew sailed westward. The unusual Zihuatanejo family name 'Verboonen' is said to derive from one of these unions. Though Anson makes no official record of mutinies at Zihuatanejo, he did lose some six hundred men and several ships – could some of them be here?

So it's possible that the drinking coconuts that we get on La Ropa are descended from trees that Anson introduced!!! I love it!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Anson's_voyage_around_the_world

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Anson,_1st_Baron_Anson

Some old postcards:

Playa La Ropa - 1955

Playa Las Gatas - 1955

Zihuatanejo - 1960

Adm. George Anson map or chart of "Seguataneo" from 1745.