Business in Paradise - December 2003

by Lee Kraft

An elder maid and her younger sister

Several hundred years of age difference between sisters is indeed uncommon, but surprisingly enough, the case exits right here in our own town... two - apparently quite unalike - communities, Palm Desert in California and Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo in Guerrero, have recently bonded as Sister Cities.

How did it come to pass, that two seemingly very distinct communities decided to enter a Sister City relationship?

First of all, according to Donna Gomez, Manager of the Palm Desert Visitors Bureau and Sister City committee coordinator, the towns are not all that different: “Zihuatanejo is a perfect choice because both communities are resort destinations. Important factors for choosing Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo were the size, the art & culture Zihuatanejo has to offer, the friendliness, the cooperation and willingness of the people, as well as the support of the current government officials and dignitaries.”

There still is, however, that small matter of age difference. Palm Desert celebrated it’s 30th birthday just a few weeks ago, on November 16th. When the city was incorporated in 1973, the population was approximately 4,000. Today the thriving city boasts 43,000 residents. Zihuatanejo, on the other hand, dates back to pre-hispanic times. Ceramic objects from 800 B.C. prove the existence of early settlements in the area and a tributary province with the name of Cihuatlán – which gave origin to the name Zihuatanejo – was established in the 15th century. Cihuatlan means “place of women”, deriving from the terms CIHUATL (woman) and TLAN (place, or port) and refers to the western paradise of the Cihuatetéc “Woman Goddess”. Hernán Cortes mentioned Cihuatlán in his fourth letter of achievement, signed on the 15th of October 1524.

But being different does not mean the two cities don’t harmonize. Or in the words of Nancy Jo McIntosh, the Palm Desert committee chair person: “The fact that we are different makes it more attractive and besides, we have much in common culturally, economically, and educationally. Our communities complement one another.”

While Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo has vast experience in international tourism promotion, marketing and communication, catering to wholesalers, charter operators and worldwide travel trade, Palm Desert receives visitors mostly from US markets; with the support of the Mexican resort surely a topic for interchange and cooperation. Palm Desert, on the other hand, has much to offer in the area of municipal infrastructure, maintenance, environmental issues, cultural events and education. It is listed as one of the cities with the highest per capita income in the USA and over 100 golf courses in the Coachella Valley are palpable proof of the living standard the residents enjoy.

In order to finalize the Sister City agreement, on October 31st a delegation of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo residents and officials, headed by mayor Amador Campos, traveled to Palm Desert and participated in a series of events during a 4 day stay. The signing ceremony of the agreement took place in the City Hall on the 3rd. of November and was the culmination of three years of constant communication and studies.

According to the Mexican delegation, the kindness, friendship and courtesies received from the Palm Desert committee and officials were overwhelming. “Not only did we enjoy the stay in this beautiful community, we made excellent new friends and inspected a mobile medical facility for children”, said Dr. Esmir Balanzar, Director of Zihuatanejo Municipal Health Care. Leticia Gómez, proprietress of the Lizardi School and Debrah Mione, a teacher at the same school, presented an exhibition of children’s drawings and photographs related to the Day of the Dead. Margo Chipman, although not part of the delegation, contributed a video of some of Zihuatanejo’s schools, which was highly praised by the Palm Desert dignitaries. Carmen Elena Huras, President of environmental organization EcoIxtapa, coordinated the Mexican delegation and established a close working relationship with Deborah McGarrey of the Palm Desert Municipal Waste Management. During the signing ceremony at the City Hall, both mayors, Amador Campos from Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Jean Benson from Palm Desert, applauded the sister-ship of the two communities with the following statement: “We are looking forward to a long and productive friendship.”

For both cities the formalizing of the relationship on November 3rd was a significant day that represents these two communities reaching out to each other. It commemorates the willingness to create friendships across borders between neighboring countries. Now, that the signing ceremony and celebration is over, the residents of Palm Desert and Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo look forward to the follow up on the commitments and to a constant communication between the two communities, in order to establish that durable and productive relationship referred to by Jean Benson and Amador Campos.

On a humorous side note: When informed of the freshly signed Sister City agreement between Palm Desert and Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, a somewhat surprised city official of the Mexican town of Cuernavaca complained: “We are a much bigger and more famous community and have been trying without success to accomplish a sister city agreement with a town in the area of Palm Desert.” Good luck Cuernavaca! Maybe you need to move your town to the ocean, have golden beaches, warm sea breezes, plenty of palm trees and a beautiful bay, or become known as a resort “Twice as Pleasing” in order to make yourself attractive to a prosperous desert community in California.

For more information on Palm Desert: www.palm-desert.org ; www.cityofpalmdesert.org and www.golfcartparade.com