Zihuatanejo, Mexico is a small fishing village. Originally, the town was very tiny and unnoticed, but after being mentioned as a quiet paradise in The Shawshank Redemption, curious tourists flocked to see if the town was that great. Now the town is a booming resort community, in no small part to The Shawshank Redemption.
The scene in the film was actually shot at Sandy Point, in St. Croix, USVI.
The Shawshank Redemption[]
One day after getting released from a particularly miserable, two-month stay in solitary confinement, Andy becomes distraught with his situation, angry that the warden has threatened to cut off the library from the inmates and burn the books if he stops helping him with his criminal activities. Andy meets up with Red during free time in the exercise yard and they both sit in the shade alongside a wall. Andy tells Red of the guilt he has been keeping in over the decades, insistent that he loved his wife, but didn't know how to show it properly, therefore driving her away and eventually causing her murder. Andy says that he would like to get away from it all and go to his dream home: Zihuatanejo. Andy says that the Mexicans say that the Pacific Ocean has no memory, and that is where he would like to go. Andy describes in detail how he would like to open up a resort for tourists and fix up an old fishing boat, which he will use to take his guests out on the ocean in the evenings. A concerned Red angrily dismisses Andy's wishes, saying that he can't be doing this to himself. Andy then says that if Red ever gets out, to find a hayfield near Buxton with a big rock wall, and there is something buried for him underneath rock that doesn't belong (black volcanic glass).
Red becomes worried about Andy, because he is "talking funny". Later, it is revealed that Andy, did in fact, escape and Red finally understands what Andy meant. While the days go by, Red thinks about how much he misses his friend, but reminds himself that some birds aren't meant to be caged, and he thinks about Andy driving to Zihuantanejo in his own convertible car, always making him laugh. One day, Red gets a blank postcard marked Fort Hancock, Texas. Red looks this up on a map in the library and deduces that that is where Andy crossed, as it is right on the border. After being paroled, Red remembers Andy's instructions, whereupon he heads to Zihuantanejo, breaking his parole. Later, Zihuantanejo is seen when Red and Andy meet up at the end of the film and embrace.