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PV History History of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

During the first part of the 19th century, at the mouth of the Cuale River - at that moment in time, inhabited mostly by crocodiles - there were practically no human dwellers. Between the rugged sierra, the ocean and the powerful Ameca River, this beautiful piece of Mexican geography remained isolated from the rest of the world.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish View of the Capilla Guadalupe without it's Crown, 1954

Interesting photos: Historical Vallarta Photos Vallarta past versus present (comparisons)

The hubs of economic activity were up in the mountains, in the towns of Cuale, San Sebastián and Mascota, where silver mines abounded but where salt, an essential element for the metal processing, wasn't found, we'll return to that further on.

Today, visitors to Puerto Vallarta can enjoy a breathtaking view from any of the hills that surround the city.

Puerto Vallarta is located on the Pacific Coast in one of the largest bays in the world (member of "The Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club" [visit their website].

Banderas Bay measures 42 kilometers from north to south. The northernmost limit of the bay is at Punta Mita which is the end of the Sierra de Vallejo mountains and, to the south, the bay ends in Cabo Corrientes, part of the foothills of the Sierra del Cuale range.

Malecon in the 1950's Malecón boardwalk in the 1950's Puerto Vallarta

The bay has been known since the XVI Century when Spanish soldiers, during the expeditions to Baja California (or island of pearls, as they called it), landed on the bay’s beaches in order to supply their ships with water, firewood and fresh food. There are many chronicles from that time that mention the beauty of the coastline, the fertility of the land and the safe harbors that the bay offered ships.

During the XVI Century, safe harbors all along the Pacific Coast were a vital necessity so that ships returning from the Philippines would have a place to find refuge in case of attack by pirates.These harbors were also necessary during the long journeys, to and from the Orient so that ships could be repaired if necessary and crews could take on provisions.

One of the first to propose a settlement on Banderas Bay was Captain Pedro de Unamuno after the trip he made in 1587 from the Philippines. Famous navigators like Sebastian Vizcaino, Lopez de Vicuna and Gonzalo de Francia more than once landed on these beaches and also proposed the establishment of a colony, but their petitions never received any attention.

Main Plaza view from the hills Main Plaza view from the hills 1958

It is known that a shipyard was built on the bay in 1644 (probably where Mismaloya is located today) and two ships were built for Bernardo Bernal de Pinadero that would be used in the colonization of Baja California.

In document and in ships logs dating from the XVIII Centuries, constant references are made to whaling ships and fishing boast that harbored in the bay. At the time, Banderas Bay was also known as Humpback Bay (Bahia de los Jorobados) because of the number of humpback whales that were seen in the bay.

In the XIX Century, the site that is today Puerto Vallarta was used for the loading and unloading of supplies and materials for the mining companies that worked the mines in Cuale and San Sebastian. At that time the site was known as Las Peñas.

An early procession in honor of Virgin of Guadalupe An early procession in honor of Virgin of Guadalupe

In 1851, Don Guadalupe Sánchez Torres, originally from Cihuatlán, Jalisco, began to make regular deliveries of salt from San Blas or the Marías Islands in his small boat since the mines required large quantities for refining the silver.

Don Guadalupe and his men built a small lean-to from tree trunks and palm leaves so that they would have a place to rest that was out of the sun while the sale was being loaded onto donkeys for transport to the mines.

Toward the end of 1851, Don Guadalupe decided to bring his family to Las Peñas de Santa Maria de Guadalupe because he arrived early in the morning hours of December 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

With the arrival of new families, the village grew little by little and the local economy began to change. While some families brought in salt, others began working in agriculture or cattle raising.

The founder of Puerto Vallarta and his family Sánchez Torres Family 1915

In 1880, Las Peñas had a population of 1,500 inhabitants. New families from Cuale and San Sebastian came to settle in the port. Five years later, on July 14, 1885, the port was opened to national maritime traffic and officially given the name of Las Peñas.

On the 23rd of July, a Maritime Customs Office was established. The following year on October 31, 1886, the town was given official political and judicial standing when decree No. 210 was passed by the State Congress.

During the last decade of the XIX Century and the first of XX Century, Las Peñas gradually progressed thanks to the combined efforts of the people and the enthusiasm of Don Guadalupe.

Building-top view of Juárez and the Cathedral View over Juárez and the Cathedral 1951-1952 approx.

The discovery of silver in the United States of America brought the price of the metal down and old prosperity became affliction. The miners from the mountain townships left their recently acquired trade to go back to agriculture. They chose the fertile Ameca valley, so rich that it produced three corn harvests a year. In March 1914, the first post office was opened and in September of the same year a telegraph was installed.

On May 31, 1918, by Congressional decree No. 1889, Las Peñas was granted the title of municipality, as well as a new name: Puerto Vallarta, in memory of the illustrious lawyer and Governor of Jalisco, Don Ignacio L. Vallarta.

In 1925 when the Montgomery Fruit Company purchased some 70,000 acres in nearby Ixtapa, Vallarta began to boom thanks to the surplus of available jobs at the newly-opened banana plantations. They also built a railway to take the bananas from Ixtapa to El Salado estuary where they were loaded onto ships to carry them to the United States. This operation ended in 1935 when the Montgomery Fruit Company had to leave Mexico due to pressure placed on them by the new agrarian law that came into effect.

Other produce in the area such as corn, beans, tobacco and small coconuts used for their oil, were shipped inland to be sold in the national market.

Night-time view of the Malecón boardwalk 1950's Night-time view of the Malecón boardwalk 1950's

In the 1930s, a few national and foreign tourist began to visit Puerto Vallarta, returning year after year, spending their vacations enjoying the tranquility and great natural beauty of the port town. Slowly word began to spread and each year more tourists arrived.

In those years a new fountain of wealth was found in sharks. From the waters of Banderas Bay, the fins ended up on the tables of New York's Chinese restaurants. During the II WW, shark liver oil was given as a nutritional supplement for soldiers.

In 1951, hundred years after it's foundation, Puerto Vallarta celebrates in earnest. The marriage of Doña Margarita Mantecón, from a well-established Vallartan family, to a counselor of Mexican president Miguel Alemán ensured the splendor of the festivities.

From who-knows-where, three ships arrived in the bay to greet the town with a 21-gun salute. Furthermore, three planes landed at Los Muertos, packed with reporters and cameramen. A relic of the True Cross was brought to Vallarta as well on this occasion.

City view from the "El Cerro" City view from the "El Cerro" 1953-1954 approx.

On November 11, 1954, Mexicana de Aviación Airline inaugurated its flight Guadalajara - Puerto Vallarta. Aeronaves de México (Aeroméxico) had enjoyed a monopoly on the route to Acapulco, but Mexicana found in Puerto Vallarta a destination to compete with the famous bay in Guerrero. Visitors started coming in from other Mexican towns and from abroad. Among them, Guillermo Wulff, a Mexico City engineer - and famous movie director John Huston, who wrote:

When I first came here, almost thirty years ago, Vallarta was a fishing village of some 2000 souls. There was one road to the outside world - and it was impassable during the rainy season. I arrived in a small plane, and we had to buzz the cattle off a field outside town before setting down. (Huston, 1980. An Open Book)

Reinforced by intense advertising campains, Mexicana launched the Puerto Vallarta - Mazatlán - Los Angeles route in 1962. Thanks to its affiliation with Pan American Airlines, Mexicana's promotion was seen in its offices all over the world.

The road to Puerto Vallarta, 1950s The road to Puerto Vallarta, 1950s

Guillermo Wulff's arrival - coincidentially as a guest in Mexicana's first flight to Vallarta - marks the beginning of the second phase in the material construction of the town. It was he who introduced the cupola as an architectural element in several homes he built between Gringo Gulch and Mismaloya, where he obtained a very timely 90 year lease.

In Los Angeles I met a Puerto Vallarta architect and entrepreneur named Guillermo Wulff [...] I was thinking about locations for Iguana, and Guillermo urged me to go to Mismaloya. [...] and although Mismaloya was Indian land, Wulff said he had a lease on it and could build anything he wanted there. (John Huston, 1980. An Open Book).