The Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial) granted the designation of origin of this fruit to the government of Chiapas.^[3] Along with the Manilita mango, it is a descendant of the Philippine mango cultivar introduced from the Philippines to Mexico before 1779 through the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade. It was crossed with other mango varieties, resulting in the Ataúlfo. Regardless, Ataúlfo remains a Philippine-type mango, characterized by being polyembryonic (as opposed to the Indian-type which is monoembryonic).^[5]

In 2003, the Mexican government, through the Official Gazette, published Comunicado No. 14 – 2003 titled "Abstract of the application for the declaration (protection) of the Appellation of Origin: Mango Ataúlfo del Soconusco Chiapas", a declaration that the term "Mango Ataúlfo del Soconusco Chiapas" is an appellation of origin for a specific kind of mango fruit produced in several regions of Chiapas, Mexico^[6] where the Ataúlfo mango was first grown.^[3]

The fruit grows in warm, moist climates with summer rains, but monsoon temperatures must not decline to 5 °C.^{[citation needed]} The proper temperature for this type of mango is 28 °C with rainfall between 1090–3000 mm annually, from April to October.^{[citation needed]}

The Ataúlfo mangoes originate in the Mexican states of Michoacan, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Veracruz and Chiapas, and are sold between March and September.^[2] Ataúlfo production was concentrated in the Soconusco coastal region. Overall, producer organizations estimated that there were 18,000 hectares of Ataúlfo mangoes in production in the state.^[7]

There are several pests that influence the growth and production of the mangoes including fruit flies and mango seed weevil.^[8]

Ataúlfo mangoes gained popularity in the United States beginning in the late 1990s,^[9] though they have been a major crop in Mexico for decades.^[3][1] As of 2009, they were the second-most popular variety of mango sold in the U.S., behind the Tommy Atkins.^[10] As of 2018, they represented a little less than 20% of all mangoes imported into the U.S.^[11]

Until 2014, Mexican Ataúlfo mangoes had not been sold in significant numbers in Europe because shipping them by air was prohibitively expensive.^[12] In December 2014, shipments by sea began via one United Kingdom importer using timed pre-ripe harvesting combined with faster sea-shipping that enabled full mango ripening while in transit.^[12] European customers are willing to pay significantly more than North American customers, if the mangos are of high quality and are sold ready-to-eat.^[13]

• Manilita mango
• Carabao (parent)
• Manila-Acapulco galleon trade