Brief Puerto Vallarta History

Banderas Bay was first explored in the early 1500's by Francisco Hernández de Sanbuenaventura, a nephew of the famous Conquistador Hernan Cortez. He named the bay because he was received by 20,000 Indians bearing feather flags. "Banderas" is the Spanish word for "flags". The town itself which was founded in 1851, is situated in the southern part of Banderas Valley, facing west over the bay with the same name.

The town was named after Ignacio L. Vallarta in 1918 and declared an official city on May 31st, 1968.

The bay is located in the central region of the Pacific coast line of Mexico known as, "The Rivera". Puerto Vallarta is located in the Northwest corner of the state of Jalisco. It is a city with a population of approximately 350,000 residents which blend both tranquillity and enchantment of a small "Mexican Pueblo" . Today, visitors enjoy its unique architectural style, highlighted by cobblestone streets and white stucco houses topped with red tiled roofs. Wrought iron balconies, a common adornment, frequently spill over with tropical flowers.

Puerto Vallarta is located on the Pacific Coast on one of the largest bays in the world. It is the largest natural bay in Mexico, with 160Km of coastline and tropical beauty. Banderas Bay measures 42 kilometers from east to west and 33 kilometers from north to south. The northern most limit of the bay is at Punta Mita which is at the end of the Sierra de Vallejo mountains. To the south, the bay ends in Cabo Corrientes, part of the foothills of the Sierra del Cuale range.

The event that opened wide the doors to progress, popularity and fame was the filming of the movie "Night of the Iguana" by John Huston in 1963. Thousands of visitors came, anxious to see the places that appeared in the movie and hopeful of catching a glimpse of some of the movie stars. Many of the cast members erected vacation homes in PV. The area, now called Gringo Gulch, is the former home of Elizabeth Taylor. A pink passageway arches over the street which joins to the house where Richard Burton stayed.

From then on, thanks to the publicity the movie gave Vallarta, and also to the improved means of transportation and airport, the town grew by leaps and bounds.

Today Puerto Vallarta has hotels that range from small economical inns to magnificent luxury hotels. Important national and international airline companies provide services that connect Vallarta to the principal cities of the U.S. and Europe. Luxury cruise ships dock here on daily basis and a good highway connects the town to Tepic, Guadalajara and the rest of the country. The population growth has been notable. It has gone from 12,500 in 1964 to 350,000 or more in 1996. There is a large foreign colony, primarily Americans and Canadians, that live here on a permanent or semi-permanent basis and that are active participants in community life.

Puerto Vallarta is divided into three parts: the southern hotel zone; the central town or "Viejo Vallarta" (Old Vallarta) and the northern hotel zone. Viejo Vallarta is divided down its center by the Cuale River Island, a sliver of land in the middle of the river which is home to botanical gardens, excellent restaurants, open air shops and a museum. Also found in this section of town is the "Malecon," a treasured seaside walkway. Just off this central street, all types of businesses are found ranging from restaurants to art galleries, banks, jewelry shops, bars and discos. This is, as you might guess, the heart of Puerto Vallarta. Here you will find the most recognized symbols of Puerto Vallarta: the crown that tops the Church of Guadalupe, the sculptures of the little boy on the seahorse and the leaping dolphins, as well as the stone arches (Los Arcos) of the central plaza's open air theater.

Today Puerto Vallarta is world famous as a tourist destination and hosts over 2 million visitors annually.