On October 21, 2026, the Port of Manzanillo marks 201 years since it was first authorized for coastal and foreign trade. The 1825 decree marked a stage in its commercial opening, while definitive authorization followed on May 1, 1848. Both dates appear in the historical background to Decree 51 of the Congress of Colima, published in December 2024.
That opening was interrupted. According to a historical account available through Orden Jurídico Nacional, Mexico’s national legal information portal, Manzanillo was restricted to coastal trade in 1837, and that activity was also ordered closed in 1842.
According to the historical background published by the Congress of Colima, land clearing began in April 1825 on the sites where facilities for customs and maritime enforcement were built.
The decree of October 21, 1825, authorized Manzanillo for coastal and foreign trade, but set different timelines: coastal trade would take effect upon promulgation, while foreign trade would begin within six months.
The definitive authorization of 1848, issued by President Manuel de la Peña y Peña, permitted domestic and foreign trade and provided for the establishment of a maritime customs office in Manzanillo.
The Administración del Sistema Portuario Nacional Manzanillo (ASIPONA), the port administration, explains that the port was originally located on the site now occupied by Plaza Juárez, known as the former Playón. It mainly handled bulk cargo, particularly agricultural and livestock products.
The port administration also identifies the construction of the San Pedrito inner harbor, in the lagoon of the same name, as a stage in its modernization. Subsequent expansions added berths and space for different commercial operations.
Between January and September 2026, the Port of Manzanillo handled 3,154,778 TEU, up 9.5% from the same period in 2025, according to the statistical report published by ASIPONA Manzanillo. A TEU, or twenty-foot equivalent unit, is the standard unit used to measure container traffic.
201 years after its first commercial authorization, Manzanillo holds a central place in Mexico’s port activity: the port administration identifies it as the country’s leading port for containerized cargo traffic.
