The Ixtapa area was given to Anton Sanchez as an "encomienda", with nearby "Pochutla" and "Tamaloca" as part of this arrangement. With the disappearance of the native population, fields and forests were worked by Spaniards, leaving little in the way of the colonial system which was prevalent in other parts of Mexico. The Spanish raised chocolate, cotton, vanilla, and corn here; however, the main export was tropical woods such as cedar, oak, walnut, and others. Much of this was exported to Europe. Some gold was found here, mostly in an area in the "Sierra Madre del Sur" mountains in an area called "Real de Guadalupe" and areas north of the current municipality. During the colonial period, the Spanish galleons of Manila brought coconut trees to the area, which still flourish. They were the basis of the economy of the coast for some time. Few, if any, vestiges of the haciendas of the area remain, mostly because lasting constructions such as stone mansions or aqueducts were never built, as they were in other parts of Mexico. These haciendas were generally owned by foreigners, such as the Inguarán company of France or by creoles.