Puerto Vallarta is a city and popular vacation resort on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.
Understand
Located on the Western Pacific coast of Mexico in the state of Jalisco, Puerto Vallarta's charm remains largely undiscovered. Along with its cobblestone streets, stunning beaches, plentiful marine life, lush Sierra Madre Mountains, exceptional restaurants, fine Gourmet Festival, new golf courses and vibrant culture, Puerto Vallarta is a vacationer's paradise that has maintained its unique Old Mexico charm despite the addition of these modern conveniences.
Around the Bay, beautiful beaches, lush jungles and sparkling waterfalls offer many opportunities for the adventurous, while five star resorts, world-class shopping and gourmet restaurants satisfy even the most sophisticated traveler. Stretching from the south end of Old Town to central downtown, a newly extended and refurbished boardwalk along the ocean, called the Malecon, passes by any number of shops, restaurants, and hotels, and often plays host to mimes, breakdancers, clowns and artists.
The residents of Puerto Vallarta are very friendly and generally willing to help with directions and other requests. Old Town Vallarta (or the Zona Romantica district) south of the River Cuale is more like a Mexican town and less like a tourist trap.
Get in
By plane
Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport (IATA: PVR) is located just to the North of Puerto Vallarta proper, and just south of Nuevo Vallarta. Most major US airlines serve the airport along with Aeromexico. It has been recently remodeled, though waits can still occur when more than two flights have landed.
Note that the arrival area is plagued by timeshare hucksters. They will offer to arrange a cab for you and try to rope you into a timeshare sales presentation. After you clear customs, walk quickly through the next room - the one housing the hucksters - continue walking past the rope-line. Now look for the official taxi kiosk out in the main airport atrium. You purchase your taxi trip here. All other offers of cab rides you will recieve between customs and the kiosk will be from timeshare hucksters. Ignore every one of them. I can't emphasize this enough. The bad experience of those taken in can ruin one's first hours in PVR, and that would be a shame.
If you've packed lightly you can take the city buses into town. Continue straight ahead as you exit the arrivals area and exit the doors in front of you. The bus stop is to your left, under the pedestrian overpass. Wait for a bus marked Centro (but NOT marked Pitillal or Bobadilla), wave it down, pay your five pesos, and enjoy the ride. You've just saved $20. You don't need exact change for the bus. Drivers will make change. But you will need some small change. Drivers won't break large bills.
By car
There are modern, well maintained toll roads all the way from the border, other roads are not as well maintained, but are still suitable for the drive.
By boat
There are many party boats that leave the coast from the Marina for day trips. Some stop at various beaches. You are even able to go horsebackriding up to a waterfall at one beach south of Puerto Vallarta.
By Bus
The main bus station is far to the north of town, a little north of the airport. A local bus or taxi is required to reach the main city. To catch a local bus into town, exit the bus station and keep walking across the parking area. Then walk to your right toward the corner. The city buses will stop here. Any bus you pick up here will take you downtown.
Get around
By taxi
Hotels may provide a price list for cabs (expect to pay about 50 pesos for short trips, and 200 for longer trips). Hotels will offer transport from airport to hotel. But that's expensive.
If you've booked with a travel agency, they will most likely provide you with transportation to and from the airport.
Be prepared for fast speeds, as the cab drivers have schedules to adhere to. Many of the cabs do not have working seatbelts or speedometers as well. Taxi drives tend to gather at the intersection close to the liquor outlet in the Centro District. They are friendly and you can negotiate trips outside of Puerto Vallarta at very reaasonable cost on slow days. They will wait for you while you dine or shop as well as photograph you and your mates. Include a small tip with the very reasonable fare.
By bus
Bus trips cost around 5 pesos, which is about 50 cents that you pay to the bus driver when you get in and every ride is good for as long as you have to stay on... the whole city if you'd like. Buses stop almost every five to ten blocks and at peak hours tend to get very full, so be ready for that. If you are a man, be ready to give up your seat to women if the bus becomes crowded. Bus drivers will make change, but won't break large bills.
The buses are quite handy to get to places like Pitillal (the rapidly growing suburb to the NE) and Ixtapa (including the nearby U of Guadalajara campus with its gallery and crocodile farm. They are also useful for travelling from the hotel zone and marina area to the downtown or old-town areas. Any bus marked Centro will pass through both. Buses marked Tunel will skip downtown and head directly to the old-town / zona romantica via the tunnel bypass.
You can visit Bucerias for 12 pesos, $1.20. You can also go to Punta Mita for 14 pesos, $1.40. Mismaloya buses charge around 10 pesos. There are also larger buses that can take you to Guadalajara, which is about a 6-hour trip.
You can catch buses for Mismaloya along Basilio Badillo on the corner just West of where you see them lined up.
The easiest way to catch a bus to Bucerias, Punta Mita or points in between is to catch a city bus to Wal-Mart/Sams. Walk along the main road to the northernmost bus shelters in front of Wal-Mart. The buses to Bucerias leave from here.
See
Beautiful Banderas Bay, one of the largest and deepest in the world, may be admired from many of the surrounding hills exuberant in lush vegetation. Located right at the mouth of the Bay, straddling both sides of the River Cuale lays a charming and picturesque little town with true Mexican spirit, Puerto Vallarta.
For those who just want to relax, Puerto Vallarta's many golden sand beaches offer one of the best ways to experience the beauty and magic of the Bay of Banderas. A section of the beach called The Blue Chairs is the focal point of the gay village.
To the North, the hills give way a little. Here you will find mile-long stretches of golden sand beaches, rich plantations of papaya and mango and, tucked back along tumbling rivers and streams, small villages where life seems to move at a different pace. There are many different ways to explore the Bay.
To the South, the hills cascade towards the sea creating a rich palette that mixes the vivid green foliage with the deep blues of the water. At their feet nestle secluded coves and small fishing villages, many of which are still accessible only by sea.
To the East, the jungle clad Sierra Madre Mountains, which quickly rise to over 8,000 feet, encircle and protect the town from the winds and regulate the semi-tropical and humid weather.
And, to the West, the Bay of Banderas is home to a wide variety of aquatic life. Humpback whales come here to mate every year from December to March, and sea turtles nest on the beaches from May to October. Schools of dolphins and giant manta rays also inhabit these waters. The Bay and the Marietas Islands offer an amazing kaleidoscope of tropical fish, attracting snorkelers, scuba divers and sport fishermen alike.
Do
Puerto Vallarta has many activities and excursions to keep you entertained. The adventurous can hike or mountain bike in the hills, explore the jungle and hidden trails on horseback, take a jeep safari, snorkel, scuba dive, charter a yacht or sailboat, or take a cruise on one of the many party boats.
Adventure/Sports
Golfing
Windsurfing
There are many rental shops along the beaches.
Snorkeling
The most popular snorkeling areas are Los Arcos underwater caves and Marietas Islands caverns.
Parasailing
You are able to parasail at pretty much every beach. The sky high trip usually last around 15 min.
Jet Skiing
Jet skis can be rented at most beaches by the hour.
Fishing
Banderas Bay is home to annual Puerto Vallarta International Fishing Tournament held since 1956. Fish types include sailfish, dorado, marlin, bonita and yellowfin tuna, roostertail, jack cravel, pargo, red snapper and more denizens of the deep, black, blue and striped marlin.
Horseback Riding
There are many ranches in town that offer horseback Riding into samll villages and through the forests. They can last from a few hours to a few days.
Canopy Tours
Get a birds eye view of the lush tropical forests on a wire and pulley.
Parks
Entertainment
November Festival
It usually occurs in the middle of November. It includes:
Art
Old Town Art Walk in El Centro-It occurs every other Wednesday at 6-10pm from the end of October to mid-April.
Theatre
Puerto Vallarta didn't have an English language theater scene until recently. Now you can up to four companies from the venue Theater Agustin Flores Contreras.
Music
You can also find blues, pop-rock and jazz.
Buy
Eat
The rich cultural diversity of Puerto Vallarta is reflected in the cuisine that its many restaurants have to offer. From the most casual taco stands, to tropical beachfront palapas, to upscale rooftop restaurants with panoramic views, there are literally hundreds of restaurants serving exactly what you are hungry for.
Budget
Mid-range
Splurge
Drink
Downtown:The Hot Spot for Nighlife-Located along the beachfront walk
Old Town:
It may seem strange but Steve's Sports Bar on Basillo Badillo has the best margaritas - and we've been testing.
Malecon:
Sleep
Accommodations around the Bay of Banderas range from well-known international hotel chains and luxury condominiums in the hotel zone, Marina Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta, and Punta Mita to moderately priced hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, apartments and condominiums in Old Town Vallarta. The south end of Old Town has a number of gay-friendly hotels.
Budget
Moderate
Mid-range
Splurge
Stay safe
Emergency Numbers
Crime
The most frequent crimes against visitors are usually pickpocketing, purse snatching, armed robbery and assault.
Precautions
Valuables
Travelers should always leave valuables in a safe place. Better yet, leave them at home if you can do without them.
Precautions
ATMs
Be cautious when using ATMs to withdraw cash
Precautions
Beach Activities
Water you have never been to can be dangerous. There is also a high crime rate on the beaches with the stolen property
Precautions
Cope
Note that not very many places take credit cards. Some larger hotel complexes, high end restaurants and shops did, but most did not. It was very much a cash only economy with ATMs available in convenient locations and a bank downtown where in-person withdrawals could be made.
Get out
Your exploring does not have to be limited just to the Bay, there are nearby archeological sites to visit as well. Close at hand, in the region of Ixtapa, studies have uncovered sites dating back to 400 B.C.
Mismaloya is a short drive outside town. It is famous for being the location for the movie "The Night of the Iguana" directed by John Houston. You can tour the location.
Chico's Paradise, a river valley with rock formations and picnic/restaurant areas is a short drive or bus ride outside town.
Puerto Vallarta is less than a 45 minute flight away from the inland city of Guadalajara and about an hour flight from Mexico City. A 30 minute drive up the coast lands you in Bucerias, a small coastal village.
Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas.
The 2005 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 177,830 making it the fifth-largest city in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The City of Puerto Vallarta is the government seat of the Municipality of Puerto Vallarta which comprises the city as well as population centers outside of the city extending from Boca de Tomatlán to the Nayarit border (the Ameca River). The municipality's population in the same census was 220,368.
The city is located at . The municipality has an area of 1,300.67 km² (502.19 sq mi). To the North it borders the SW part of the state of Nayarit. To the East it borders the municipality of Mascota and San Sebastián, and to the South it borders the municipalities of Talpa de Allende and Cabo Corriente.
Puerto Vallarta is named after Ignacio Vallarta, a former governor of the state of Jalisco. Some English language speakers call the city P.V. for short. When speaking, the name is often shortened to "Vallarta." In internet shorthand the city is often referred to as PVR, after the code for its international airport.
Climate
Puerto Vallarta enjoys a typical tropical climate, with near constant temperature and humidity year round and with a pronounced wet and dry seasonal variation.
The average daily high temperature is 86 deg F; average daily low temperature is 70 deg F; average daily humidity is 75%. The rainy season extends from mid June through Mid October, with most of the rain falling between July and September. August is the city's wettest month with an average of 14 days with significant precipitation. Even during the rainy season precipitation tends to be concentrated in large rainstorms with insignificant precipitation on most days. Occasional tropical storms will bring thunderstorms to the city in November, though the month is typically dry. February, March and April are the months with the least cloud cover.
Prevailing winds are from the SW, and most weather systems approaching Puerto Vallarta are consequently weakened as they pass over Cabo Corriente. Thus even during the rainy season Puerto Vallarta's weather tends to be mild compared to other areas along the Mexican Pacific coast.
Hurricanes seldom strike Puerto Vallarta. In 2002 Hurricane Kenna, a category 5 hurricane, made landfall about 100 miles NW of Puerto Vallarta, and the city suffered some damage from the resulting storm surge. In 1971 Hurricane Lily, a category 1 hurricane, caused serious flooding on the Isla Cuale, prompting the city to relocate all of its residents to the new Colonia Pa'lo Seco.
Geography, Geology and Ecology
Puerto Vallarta sits on a narrow coastal plane at the foot of the Sierras Cuale and San Sebastián, parts of the Sierra Madre Occidental. The plane widens to the North, reaching its widest point along the Ameca river. Three rivers flow from the Sierra through the area, from South to North, the Cuale, the Pitillal, and the Ameca. A number of arroyos also run from the Sierra to the coastal plane. Many of the valleys of these rivers and arroyos are inhabited. Also development has to some extent spread up the hillsides from the coastal plane.
The city proper comprises four main areas: the hotel zone along the shore to the North, Olas Altas - Col Zapata to the South of the Cuale river (named Zona Romantica recently in some tourist brochures), the Centro along the shore in between these two areas, and a number of residential areas to the East of the hotel zone. The oldest section of town is the area of Col. Centro near the church of Our Lade of Guadalupe, especially Hidalgo street.
Puerto Vallarta, like much of Mexico, is prone to earthquakes, though Puerto Vallarta tends to experience only peripheral effects of earthquakes centered further south. In 1995 an Earthquake located off the Colima coast shook the crown from the top of the cathedral. More recently regional earthquakes have cause minor damage in town, causing pools to leak, cracking plaster, etc.
Visibility in the water off of Puerto Vallarta is poor because of the number of rivers and streams that flow into the bay and because of the populated areas drained by these streams. Fertilizer and untreated waste are the principal causes of perennial algae and plankton blooms, so that even during the dry season water visibility is very low. The Mariettas Islands off of Punta Mita enjoy better visibility because of their distance from the main river drainages, but with increased development along the Punta Mita coast, it remains to be seen how water quality even there will hold out. As a consequence of poor visibility Puerto Vallarta is not a serious destination for scuba divers.
Recently jellyfish blooms in the fall have become an increasing problem, making many of the area beaches unsuitable for swimming. It's likely that the blooms are the result of increased algae levels and decreases in predator populations due to the ever declining quality of the water in the bay. While the city government has done a lot to improve sewage treatment, it has done little to enforce its usage and, and the worsening jellyfish bloom is probably a consequence of the resulting plankton blooms.
Economy
Puerto Vallarta is of course a resort destination, and so it's not surprising that nearly 50% of the workforce is employed in tourist related industries: hotels, restaurants, personal services, and transportation. The municipality does however continue to have strong agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors.
Industries
Agriculture is especially important in the Ameca valley to the NE of the city center. Principal crops there include flour corn, sweet corn, dry beans, fresh chile, watermelon and tobacco. Fruit growing operations are more dispersed, with banana farms in the Ameca valley, Mango orchards in the low hills, and avocado farms on some of the higher ground above the city.
There are also significant livestock operations located in the Ameca valley, and of course fishing in the Bay of Banderas is also a significant industry.
Industrial production includes food and beverage production (e.g. the Modelo plant near the airport), furniture production, and construction supplies. Thirty years of consistent development have given Puerto Vallarta a very strong construction sector which employs nearly 10% of the Puerto Vallarta workforce.
The commercial sector comprises nearly 17% of the workforce, including shipping, trucking, wholesale and retail operations (though the retail sector is probably understated because of the large underground economy in the sector).
Shipping traffic consists of cruise ships, which arrive almost daily, and occasional visits by U.S. Navy frigates. The Mexican Navy maintains a base at the port, as well as a well-known naval hospital in the city center, which is now a Naval Museum. Puerto Vallarta is not however very active as a commercial port. Most goods arrive in Puerto Vallarta by truck along the Compostela highway from Guadalajara.
Tourism Trends
The high season for international tourism in Puerto Vallrta extends from late November through March (or later depending on the timing of the College Spring Break period in the USA. The city is especially popular with US residents from the West Coast because of the number of convenient flights that exist between Puerto Vallarta and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. The air routes between Puerto Vallarta and Los Angeles and Puerto Vallarta and San Francisco are by far the most heavily travelled of all air routes into the city.
Vallarta is also a popular destination for Mexican tourists: a popular weekend destination for residents of Guadalajara (tapatíos), and a popular national destination for vacations such as Semana Santa (the week preceding Easter) and Christmas. Also in recent years Acapulco has experienced a rise in drug related violence and Puerto Vallarta has absorbed some of the Mexico City resort vacation business (Acapulco is a very common destination for tourists from Mexico City).
Puerto Vallarta has become a popular retirement destination for US and Canadian retirees. This trend has spawned a condominium development boom in the Conchas Chinas Hills on the South end of the city.
Also over the past decade, Puerto Vallarta has become a popular gay vacation destination, and consequently the Olas Altas area now boasts about a dozen clubs, several hotels, and numerous specialty shops catering to a gay clientele.
Rapid growth in tourist volume in Puerto Vallarta has given rise to rapid growth in hotel and rental apartment construction. This growth has spilled over from the city limits into Nuevo Vallarta in the neighboring state of Nayarit.
Poverty
Poverty remains a problem in Puerto Vallarta, fueled by the constant influx of persons seeking employment. Many areas of the city are still poorly served by roads and sewers. For example Colonia Ramblases is served by roads in generally poor condition only 10% of which are paved, and Ramblases has been a populated neighborhood since 1940s.
The Municipality of Puerto vallarta comprises about 45,000 regular dwellings. Of those 10% do not have a potable water supply (carrying their water from a public tap), 8% do not have connections to a sewer system or septic system (using instead crude septic pits or dumping sewage directly in to waterways), 4% do not have electricity.. One reason for this is the difficulty the city has enforcing building regulations.
While compared to Mexico as a whole employment levels are quite high, many of the jobs available in Puerto Vallarta are classed as inferior by the Secretariat for Social Development, and even jobs that are generally well paying tend to be seasonally so. E.g. waiters depend heavily on tips to supplement incomes that can be as low as the equivalent of $3.50 a day, and tip income decreases during the summer months when international tourist volumes decline and the shift toward domestic tourism means a lower level of tipping.
There have recently (2005 to 2007) been improvements like the new IMSS facilities in Col. Versalles, improvements to several recreation facilities, improved communal each access policies, etc. Still efforts seem to aim more at quick and visible infrastrucure improvements than at solving the more pressing and perduring problem of isufficient infrastructure for basic service.
One positive result of recent growth has been that in relative terms a smaller percentage of the population lives in older and poorly served neighborhoods. A growing number of residents live in housing projects and low income housing developments which provided with at least adequate basic services. So perhaps having stemmed growth of the problem with the new developments, the City will eventually be able to devote its resources to improving existing neighborhoods.
Popluation and Growth Rate for the Municipality of Puerto Vallarta
source: Cuaderno Estadistico Municipal
History
Puerto Vallarta's proximity to the Bay of Banderas, the agricultural valley of the Ameca River, and the important mining centers in the Sierra have given the town a more interesting past than most Mexican tourist destinations. Puerto Vallarta was a thriving Mexican village long before it became an international tourist destination.
Pre-Hispanic Times to the 19th Century
Little is known about the history of the area prior to the 19th century. There is archeological evidence of continuous human habitation from 580 B.C., and there is archeological evidence (from sites near Ixtapa and in Col. Lázaro Cardenas) that the area belonged to the Aztatlán culture which dominated Jalisco, Nayarit and Michoacán from aprox. 900-1200 A.D. Unfortunately the limited evidence and relative lack of interest in occidental Mexican archeology have meant that we still know very little about pre-historic life in the area.
Spanish missionary and conquistador documents chronicle skirmishes between the Spanish colonizers and the local peoples. In 1524, for example, a large battle between Hernán Cortés and an army of 10,000 to 20,000 Indians resulted in Cortés taking control of much of the Ameca valley. The valley was then named Banderas (flags) after the colorful standards carried by the natives.
Also the area appears on maps and in sailing logs as a bay of refuge for the Manila Galleon trade as well as for other coastal seafarers. As such it figures in some accounts of pirate operations and smuggling and pirate contravention efforts by the viceregal government. During the 17th and 18th centuries the Banderas Valley and its beaches along the Bay of Banderas served as supply points for ships seeking refuge in the bay. The area also served as a point where smuggled goods could be sent on to the Sierra towns near Mascota, evading the customs operations at San Blas, Nayarit.
El Carrizal and Las Peñas - 19th Century
During the nineteenth century the history of Puerto Vallarta, then called El Carrizal or Las Peñas, was linked to the history of the sierra towns of San Sebastian, Talpa de Allende and Mascota. While today these towns are considered quaint tourist destinations, during much of the 18th century, Mascota was Jalisco's second largest town, after Guadalajara. Mascota and its neighboring towns located in the high plateaus of the Sierra, developed as agricultural towns to support the growing mining operations in the Sierra. During the 18th century, as Mascota grew, Puerto Vallarta grew with it, transforming itself from a small fishing and pearl-diving village into a small beach-landing port serving the Sierra towns. At the time the main port serving Jalisco was located at San Blas, but the inconvenient overland route from San Blas to the Sierra towns made Puerto Vallarta a more convenient alternative for smaller shipments, not to mention smuggling operations which evaded the tax collectors at San Blas. Puerto Vallarta also became a vacation destination for residents of the Sierra Towns, and by the mid 19th century, the town already had its regularly returning population of vacationers. Most of the early settlers in Puerto Vallarta were families who had left the Sierra towns for one reason or another.
1859 saw an important turning point for the small village, then known as Las Peñas. That year the Union en Cuale mining company took possession of land extending from Los Arcos to the Pitillal river and extending back up into the Sierra for miles. The Union en Cuale company was owned in part by the Camarena brothers of Guadalajara who had developed a small trade in oil palm in Las Peñas. The purpose of the government's sale of the land to the company was to provide for shipping, fishing and agricultural support for the mining operations which were growing quite quickly in the Sierra.
The official founding story of Las Peñas and thus Puerto Vallarta claims that it was founded by Guadalupe Sánchez Torres, on December 12, 1851, as Las Peñas de Santa María de Guadalupe. Unfortunately the record of the Sr. Sanchez's purchase of property in Las Peñas dates the sale to 1859. Also even as early as 1850 the area was already peopled by fisherman, pearl divers, smugglers and foragers, all of whom had something of a permanent existence in the area. Given the existing historical documents it is simply impossible to date the first permanent settlement in the area,
There is however no doubt the development of Las Peñas into a self-sustaining village of any significant size happened in the 1860s as the mouth of the Cuale area was exploited to support the operations of the newly enfranchised Union en Cuale company. As such 1859 marks the beginning of Puerto Vallarta as a village. Twenty years later, by 1885, the village comprised about 250 homes and about 800 residents.
The Early Municipality - early 20th Century
In 1918, the village was elevated to municipality status and renamed after former state governor Ignacio Vallarta. During the early years of the 20th century most of Puerto Vallarta was owned by the Union en Cuale company controlled by the American Alfred Geist. Mr Geist sold land only in large plots at prices that were quite high for the time and otherwise leased the land on short term leases. To remedy this situation and to enable the new municipality to develop, the citizens petitioned the government for a land grant based on the new constitution's provisions. In 1921 the Local Agrarian Commission approved a grant of some 9,400 hectares (23,000 acres or 39 square miles), with the land to be expropriated from the Union en Cuale company. The grant was established as an ejido holding (a farming cooperative administered by the government). Legal squabbling over the size of the land grant, and the ejido status of the properties involved would stymie growth in Puerto Vallarta into the 1960s, as developers were reluctant to build anything too substantial on land for which one could not obtain clear title. (Ejido land is controlled by individuals who are given licenses to use it, but it could not be sold, subdivided or leased.)
During the Cristero War the municipality was twice taken over by Cristero forces (April 1927 and January 1928). After it was recaptured for a second time, the national government stationed a small garrison there under Major Angel Ocampo. The garrison was stationed near the mouth of the Cuale River and is responsible for planting many of the palms that now line the beaches on near the mouth of the Cuale River to help limit beach erosion during heavy rains in October 1928. One casualty of the skirmishes was local pastor Padre Ayala who was exiled to Guadalajara for his role in fomenting the local revolt. He would die there in 1943, though his remains would be returned 10 years later to be interred in the main parish church of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
As mining activities in the Sierra waned in the early years of the 20th century, Puerto Vallarta and the agricultural valley to the North of the city became important destinations for those leaving the Sierra towns and looking for a place to settle. Many of those who arrived had family members already living in Puerto Vallarta, and the pattern of migration that ensued turned the town into a collection of more or less extended families, giving it the cohesion of a typical sierra town.
Also from 1925 until 1935 the Montgomery Fruit Company operated in the area around Ixtapa. Friction with the state government over labor issues eventually led to the venture being abandoned, but for ten years it provided an important source of employment in the area.
The first airplane service arrived in 1932, with electrical service on a small scale arriving about the same time. The first suspension bridge over the Cuale went up in 1933. The city's first plumbing system was started in 1939. In 1942 Puerto Vallarta was finally connected by road to Compastela, Nay. Until then the only access to Puerto Vallarta was by sea, air, or by mule trails to the sierra towns. Also in 1942 in the New York based magazine Modern Mexico the first advertisement for a Puerto Vallarta vacation appeared, sponsored by the Air Transport Company of Jalisco. By 1945 the company was landing DC-3s in Puerto Vallarta (carrying 21 passengers).
By the 1950s Puerto Vallarta had started to attract Americans, mostly writers and artists in search of a retreat from the USA of the era of Eisenhower and McCarthy. Gringo Gulch began to develop as an expatriate neighborhood on the hill above the Centro. The city also attracted Mexican artists and writers who were willing to trade its scenic and bucolic advantages for the comforts of life in the larger cities.
In 1956 the Mascota mule trail was replaced by a packed dirt road. 24 hour electrical generation arrived in 1958. A new airport arrived in 1962 connecting Puerto Vallarta with Los Angeles, CA via Mazatlán, and the Mexican Aviation Company began offering package trips.
By the early 1960s the population had started to spread beyond the Centro and Gringo Gulch, and the Colonias of 5 Diciembre (north of the Centro) and Emiliano Zapata (south of the Cuale) began to grow.
The Modern Resort - 1960s to the Present
Four influences converged during the 1960s and early 1970s to launch Puerto Vallarta into it's trajectory toward becoming a major resort destination.
First the Mexican government finally resolved century old property disputes involving the status of communal land originally appropriated from the Union en Cuale mining company to be parceled out as farms. The communal (:es:ejido |ejido) status of the land had stifled development in the town for much of the 20th century. The transition to private ownership of much of the land within present city limits culminated in the appropriation of much of the land in 1973 and the establishment of the Vallarta Land Trust (:es:fideicomiso | Fideicomiso) to oversee selling the land and using the revenue to develop the city's infrastructure.
Second, the American director John Huston filmed his 1963 film Night of the Iguana in Mismaloya, a small town just south of Puerto Vallarta. During the filming, the paparazzi had a field day covering Elizabeth Taylor's scandalous affair with Richard Burton, as well as the constant tension between Huston and the film's four stars. The subsequent publicity helped to attract foreign investors in the 1970s, which resulted in the massive expansion of Puerto Vallarta to its current size. Today, there is a statue of Huston in the park on La Isla Rio Cuale in the center of the city. A nearby plaque dedicated on the 25th anniversary of the film's release honors Huston's contribution to the city's fame.
Third, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Mexican government invested in the development of highways, airport and utility infrastructure, making Puerto Vallarta easily accessible both by air and ground transportation for the first time.
Finally, in 1968 the municipality was elevated to the status of a City. The change in status reflected the renewed interest shown by the federal and state government in developing the city as an international resort destination.
Also significant was the August, visit of 1970 US President Richard Nixon who met with Mexican President Diaz Ordaz in Puerto Vallarta for treaty negotiations. The visit showcased Puerto Vallarta's recently developed airport and resort infrastructure, and thus contributed to the growing visibility of the city as a resort destination.
Prior to 1973, hotels in the city tended to be modest, and only two large sized luxury hotels existed (the Real and the Posada Vallarta). After 1973 Puerto Vallarta experienced rapid growth in the number of larger luxury hotels, culminating in 1980 with the opening of the Sheraton Bugambillas. In 1982 the Mexican Peso was devalued and Puerto Vallarta became a bargain destination for US tourists. Consequently the mid-80s saw a marked and rapid rise in the tourist volume. This in turn fueled more development, for example the Marina which was started in 1986. By the early 90s development of other destinations in Mexico like Ixtapa and Cancun caused a slump in travel to Puerto Vallarta.
It was also during the early 1980s that Puerto Vallarta experienced a marked increase in problems related to poverty. While the devaluation of the peso brought record numbers of tourists to the area, it also stifled investment and thus construction. So while more and more workers were arriving in Puerto Vallarta to try to cash in on the booming tourist trade, less and less was being done to accommodate them with housing and related infrastructure. So during the mid 1980s the city experienced a rapid growth in impromptu communities poorly served by even basic public services, and with a very low standard of living as the boom of the early 80s leveled out. During the late 1980s the city worked to alleviate the situation by developing housing and infrastructure, but even today the outlying areas of Puerto Vallarta suffer from poor provision of basic services (i.e. water, sewage, roads) as a legacy of the early 80s.
In 1993 Mexico's Agrarian Law was amended allowing for more secure foreign tenure of former ejido land. Those controlling ejido land were allowed to petition for regularization, a process that converted their controlling interest into fee simple ownership. This meant that the property could be sold, and it led to a boom in the development of private residences, mostly condominiums, and a new phase of Puerto Vallarta's expansion began, centered more on accommodating retirees, snow-birds, and those who visited the city enough to make purchasing a condominium or a time-share a cost-effective option.
Transportation
Lic. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport
The Díaz Ordaz Airport comprises a commercial international section and a general aviation section.
The commercial section has a single runway, 3,100 meters in length and 45 meters in breadth, capable of handling all current traffic without restrictions. The airfield is capable of handling 40 takeoffs or landings per hour. The airport has 11 active gates, three serviced directly from the terminal, and eight serviced remotely using shuttle buses.
As of 2006 the active airlines utilizing the commercial section were: Aerocalifornia, Aeromexico Alaska, America West, American Airlines, ATA, Aviacsa, Azteca, Continental, Magnicharters, and Mexicana.
The general aviation section handles small planes leaving for San Sebastian, Mascota, and other towns in the Sierra and along the Coast. It has 18 loading positions and shares the commercial airfield.
During the high season the airport handles approximately 300,000 passengers a month. During the low season it handles about half of that volume. During 2006 the airport handled a total of 2.8 million passengers. One fifth of those were domestic passengers and four fifths were international.
Buses
National bus lines connect Puerto Vallarta (via the Central Camionera near the Modelo plant north of town near the airport) with Guadalajara, Mazatlán, Manzanillo and points beyond. Bus lines include ETN and Primera Plus. Smaller bus lines connect Puerto Vallarta to small coastal and sierra towns.
Local Transportation
Puerto Vallarta is serviced by three municipal bus unions that provide coverage via combi and mid-size bus for most of the greater Puerto Vallarta area (e.g. Ixtapa, Mismaloya, Pitillal).
Landmarks, Sights, Activities
In Puerto Vallarta
Parish Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe - Col. Centro
Playa Los Muertos - Col. Emilio Zapata - the city's largest public beach
The Malecon - paved walkway along the seashore in Col. Centro - especially popular during the Sunday evening paseo.
Mercado Isla Cuale and Mercado Municipal Cuale - there are two large public markets in the Centro along the banks of the Cuale selling a variety of artisanal and souvenir goods, and the Isla Cuale has a number of souvenir vendor shops as well. The Isla Cuale is also famous for its cat population.
Plaza de Armas / Plaza los Arcos - the city's main plaza - site of public concerts both at the bandstand in the Plaza de Armas and on the stage in front of the arches across the street.
City Hall - a modern city hall laid out using a traditional courtyard plan. There is a tourist office in the SW corner, and on the landing of the main (West off the courtyard) stairwell there is a modest primitivist mural by local artist Manuel Lepe.
South of Puerto Vallarta
Los Arcos Marine Natural Area - offshore of Mismaloya 12km south of Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens - agaves and other native plants, orchids, restaurant, river swimming - 20 km South of Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta Zoological Gardens - with 350 animals, and located in a forrested setting in Mismaloya
Night of the Iguana Set - on the South side of Mismaloya bay
Yelapa - once a small electricity free fishing village, now a fully connected mainstream American and heavily visited beach community, accessible by boat from Puerto Vallarta and from Boca de Tomatlán
South Side beaches - a number of beaches along the South shore of the bay are accessible only by boat. The developed beaches include (east to west): Las Animas, Quimixto, Majahuitas and Yelapa. These and other smaller undeveloped beaches can be reached by launch from Boca de Tomatlán.
North of Puerto Vallarta
Ixtapa Archeological Zone - north of the town of Ixtapa along the banks of the Ameca River there is an archeological site with remains going back several thousand years. There has been talk of building a small museum to showcase the finds, but active excavation stopped in the early 90s, and nothing has been built yet. The digs have uncovered a number of residential and ceremonial sites, a wealth of pottery (incense burners, bowls, amphora, etc.) The site is the oldest explored in Western Jalisco.
North Coast Beach Towns - the north shore of the bay is lined with beach towns that offer good wading beaches and the usual tourist amenities. These include (east to west): Bucerias, Cruz de Huanacaxtle, Playa Manzanillo, Playa Destiladeras, Playa Pontoque, and Punta Mita. All can be reached by bus (departing from Parque Hidalgo's South Side and Wal-Mart).
Neighborhoods
Puerto Vallarta comprises numerous neighborhoods (colonias). Notable neighborhoods include (from South to North)
The city also includes numerous fraccionamientos, densely built residential blocks that provide cheap housing.
Additionally the municipality of Puerto Vallarta comprises a few other significant population centers (from South to North):
Trivia
The American movie Predator (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) was filmed in the jungle above the village of Mismaloya, south of Puerto Vallarta.
The Isla Cuale was originally a poor residential neighborhood. When hurricane Lily flooded it in 1971, the residents were moved to the new Colonia of Pa'lo Seco (which is an abbreviated form of para lo seco - "for dry ground").
Puerto Vallarta, Jal. and Seattle, WA were founded in the same year, 1851. In fact the official founding dates are only a month apart: Seattle's on 13 November 1851 and Puerto Vallarta's on 12 December 1851.
In 1958 a vacation package including two nights, six meals, taxis, round trip airfare between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta cost the equivalent of $24 US - roughly the price of a one way taxi ride from the airport in 2007.
After having filmed Night of the Iguana in Mismaloya in 1963, John Huston decided to build a vacation home in the vicinity, and built a home on remote Las Caletas beach.
John Huston's children Angelica and Danny are founders and supporters of the Puerto Vallarta film festival.
In Night of the Iguana children are shown selling iguana by the roadside. The Iguana was until an important food animal, popular in Jalisco, Michoacán and Colima. It has declined in popularity as it has declined in availability. Currently the species of iguana most sought after as food are endgangered because of habitat loss. Recipes include simple roast iguana, numerous stews including pozole and bírria. Typically the meat is blanched in saltwater prior to roasting or stewing to help mute its gamey flavor.
Gallery
Image:pvlosmuertossunset.jpg|Sunset on Los Muertos beach in Olas Altas, Col Zapata
Image:pvguadalupe.jpg|'Our Lady of Guadalupe' church, with some flowers from El Nido in the foreground.
Image:Puerto-Vallarta.jpg|Aerial view of marina, cruise ship docks and downtown Puerto Vallarta
Image:Puerto_vallarta_at_night.jpg|Puerto Vallarta at night
Image:Puerto Vallarta cathedral 1.jpg|Closer view of the church
Image:IMG 1682.jpg|A different angle of Our Lady of Guadalupe church
Image:Puerto Vallarta.jpg|The popular statue "El Caballito"
Image:PVR_paroquia_plaza.jpg|Parish Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe from the main plaza
Image:PVR_col_zapata.jpg|Typical cobbled street in Colonia Zapata
Image:PVR_cuale.jpg|Rio Cuale south fork looking upstream from the pedestrian bridge at the mouth
References
Notes
External links
