That was the question we put to readers on Facebook. We asked them to name something they remembered that no longer exists, and more than 400 comments followed. Together, they recalled an earlier map of Huatulco: bus stops beneath trees, dances where markets now stand, favorite places to eat, and the little train that circled the park.

“La Crucecita didn’t exist yet. The Adolfo López Mateos primary school stood where the Santa Cruz dock is now. There was only one taxi, and people traveled in passenger trucks.”— Fabiola

“Where Plaza Madero stands, the micros used to stop beneath a huge tree. U2 was mostly dirt, with just a few improvised houses.”— Alika

“I remember the guanacaste tree where Plaza Madero is now.”— Carolina

“The boulevard to Santa Cruz ended at the far end of Sector F.”— Harriet

“There was no parking or bathroom at Playa El Arrocito. You reached the beach by a steep path.”
— Pedro

“Before Magic Circus, we went dancing at a place across from the park that everyone called La Nacoteca. Workers from the hotels and the construction sites met there. It was beautiful, and we had such a good time.”— Sharin

“The fairs were set up in La Crucecita’s park, and the Independence Day celebrations took place at the sports court. The dancing and festivities happened right in the center.”— Lety

“La Tropicana was open around the clock. Upstairs was El Telefonito, where Doña Naty made the best chocolate milkshake.” — Calacas

“I remember sitting on those lovely benches with backs, eating a paleta from La Zamora after dinner at Pollo Chava or Don Arnoldo’s Fogón. Paradise.”— Socorro

“The little train—and the Barbie motorcycles and Jeeps you could rent in the park. I remember them from as far back as I can remember.”— Kyara

“Música por la Tierra!” — Estefanía

“There was a place where you could rent a movie and watch it in a little wooden room.”— Miguel

“I used Mare’s dial-up internet and went to its cybercafé above the shops behind Súper Santa Cruz.”— Raúl

“The first cinema was where the Megacable offices are now.”— Jesús

“There were no traffic lights, and there was just one policeman.” — Ritu

“La Fuente, Café Dublín, the internet cafés—and the iguana at the bar in Los Portales.”— Karen

“Santa Cruz had only Ve el Mar and Doña Celia. The church was just a palapa.”— Julie

“Doña Celia’s first palapa; her son Migue with the first Jet Ski in Huatulco; and Don Wilo’s pizzas on Cocotillo.”— Rubén

“The pizzas sold from a tricycle at the entrance to Residencial Chahué were delicious.” — Bernardo

Some places have changed names. Others have disappeared so completely that a comment was enough to make someone else say, I remember that too.

What do you remember?

Write to us at TheEyeMexico@gmail.com

Reader comments translated and lightly edited for length.