When Hurricane Paulina swept inland in October 1997, one of the hardest-hit locales was Acapulco. The all-important tourism industry was devastated for about two weeks, while the suffering experienced by the people who serviced that industry—people who lived inland in makeshift squatter housing built on hillsides, riversides, and other marginal land—lasted for months thereafter. Landslides, floods, and 290-kilometer-per-hour (180 mph) winds left 400,000 people homeless and 400 dead in Acapulco alone.
Andares is a retail-led mixed-use project comprising a linear, 197-store shopping center; nine apartment towers; two office buildings; and plans for a luxury hotel. Located in Zapopan, a northwest suburb of Guadalajara—Mexico’s second-largest city—Andares is one of the largest shopping centers in western Mexico and represents the largest private investment in the country in 2009. Developed by Desarrolladora Mexicana de Inmuebles, S.A., the $320 million development mixes luxury retail with residences and office space amid more than two hectares (5 ac) of open spaces, plazas, water mirrors, and gardens.
