PUERTO VALLARTA RETROSPECTIVE

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I have been feeling nostalgic of late. I don’t know if this is because the years are passing more and more quickly or because I am appreciating more and more the life we live. Whatever the reason, I thought it would be fun to create a blog posting sharing the changes through photographs that we have seen and experienced in Puerto Vallarta since our arrival here twenty three years ago. It was Puerto Vallarta's 101st anniversary yesterday so sharing this post today is my belated best wishes to our hometown even if I'm a day late. When my husband and I started thinking about moving to Puerto Vallarta to live full time we had no idea what a change it would be from our life in California. My husband and I are both native-born Southern Californians and we only knew Mexico from driving excursions through this amazing country. I loved it all. The beauty of the country, the generosity and friendliness of the people, the culture and history, and of course, the food! When we finally decided to make the move to live full time in Mexico we had no realistic idea of what to expect. But we soon found out. It was challenging. It was exciting. It was an adventure. It was beyond anything I had imagined. And looking back with hindsight it provided me the necessary “ingredients” to create my blog, MEXICO AND BEYOND: LAURA'S PHOTO JOURNEY, at the suggestion of my husband. I have created this blog posting as a retrospect of Puerto Vallarta through vintage photographs which are mostly in black and white which I found on the web and from photographs we have taken over the years. Here is my visual recollection of Puerto Vallarta in the past and Puerto Vallarta in the present and I hope you enjoy. LOS MUERTOS BEACH Los Muertos Beach (Beach of the Dead) sometime in the 1950's How did Los Muertos Beach get its name? There are a number of versions, but I think this sounds the most reasonable: The beach was a sacred cemetery of the local Indians. This was first noticed when residents started building by the beach and started digging up bones in ceramic pots, a local Indian tribal custom when they buried their dead. The most recent evidence provided by Archaeologist Dr. Joseph Bode Mountjoy Harris of the University of North Carolina also supports this theory. Los Muertos Beach in Puerto Vallarta as seen today. Los Muertos Beach is the most popular beach in Puerto Vallarta. Up until the 1960s it was the favorite place for Vallarta families and their Sunday picnics. They would gather in the shade of palm frond lean-tos and eat the tacos they had brought from home in straw baskets, or the tacos that they bought on the beach, adorned with a little bit of shredded cabbage and seasoned liberally with red hot sauce. Visitors can enjoy the local culture at Los Muertos Beach and also hang out here as do the expats.  It's a lively place, full of tradition, and a great place to have a refreshment by the edge of the sea and watch the famous sunsets. Sunsets come in all colors, but they are all spectacular at Los Muertos Beach. THE MALECON (BOARDWALK) A vintage photo of the Malecon "boardwalk" in Puerto Vallarta before it was redesigned in 2011 and became a pedestrian only promenade. Malecon is a word used in Spanish-speaking countries, and especially in nations of Latin America, for a stone-built embankment or esplanade along a waterfront where people can walk and enjoy the scenery. While many areas in Puerto Vallarta can be easily enjoyed on foot walking the Malecon stands out as a must-do activity in Puerto Vallarta. Day or night, alone or in a group, at a leisurely pace or even jogging, the Malecon is a social gathering place for visitors and locals alike. A spectacular collection of bronze sculptures, many of which were commissioned to local artists, adorn the length of Puerto Vallarta's remodeled Malecon. A handful of local artists have been granted special permits to build sand and stone sculptures on the beach adjacent to the Malecon. And while it is not expected, a small tip is certainly appreciated by the artists, particularly when you take photos of their creations. In addition, other artists transform themselves into motionless human sculptures along the Puerto Vallarta Malecon to every one's delight. I cannot image the effort involved in "getting dressed" for the day and how these "living statues" deal with the hot tropical Puerto Vallarta sun while dressed.  A "Pancho Villa" living statue on the Puerto Vallarta Malecon. Bravo senor! An "Angel with sword" statue on the Puerto Vallarta Malecon.  Bravo, senor! The following link will magically take you to my previous blog posting for: THE SCULPTURES OF THE MALECON THE ZOCALO AND THE LADY OF GUADALUPE CHURCH The Lady of Guadalupe Church on the zocalo (main plaza) of Puerto Vallarta before she received her crown. Check out the attire of the locals way back then with ladies in dresses and men in full-length pants.  Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, officially known as La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, has been called "one of the most endearing" of Puerto Vallarta's landmarks and I certainly agree. The church tower at the Puerto Vallarta zocalo is topped with a wrought-iron crown hoisted by angels designed to resemble one worn by Empress Carlota of Mexico. The gazebo on the Zocalo (main plaza) of Puerto Vallarta has always been a place to meet and celebrate. The remodeled and updated gazebo in Puerto Vallarta where music and dancing on the zocalo have always gone hand in hand. If you look closely at this photo you can see the Church of Guadalupe looking down on the main plaza of Puerto Vallarta and its gazebo. THE PUERTO VALLARTA PIER The first Los Muertos Pier was built in the early 1960s and was constructed as a launch point for the cast and crew from the film "Night of the Iguana" which was directed by John Huston and featured Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, and Deborah Kerr with Elizabeth Taylor in attendance to keep Sr. Burton "company." The ramshackle wooden pier was built to make transportation of the cinematography equipment easier. After almost 30 years a concrete pier was built with the help of local residents and government funding. This updated structure served its purpose, but was not a tourist attraction and became an eye sore. Lo and behold the magnificent new Los Muertos Pier which was designed by architect Jose de Jesus Torres Vega, winner of the Biannual Architecture Prize. It sits in place of the old pier on Los Muertos Beach and was built as a part of the renewal project of the whole downtown area of Puerto Vallarta including the new Malecon boardwalk which was completed in 2011. The pier resembles a large sail with sweeping line extensions. There is over 2,000 square feet of space that extends 320 feet into the ocean. It includes pedestrian walkways, seating, a waterfront promenade, colorful lighting, and a landing dock that can berth up to six medium size boats including water taxis, fishing charters, and private vessels. The new Los Muertos Pier is functional, modern, a great tourist attraction, and a spot for locals and visitors to enjoy. The following are some other miscellaneous vintage photos of Puerto Vallarta I found while researching this blog posting which I wanted to share because I think they are wonderful. Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor of Hollywood fame had a home in Puerto Vallarta and were instrumental in Puerto Vallarta becoming a booming seaside vacation destination from the sleepy fishing village it had been. During the course of filming, and for many years to follow, Burton had a beautiful casita in the village. It could be found in the “Gringo Gulch” neighborhood of Puerto Vallarta and afforded spectacular views of the downtown area and Banderas Bay itself. It may come as no surprise, however, that Burton's Casa Kimberly (which is now an upscale hotel option when visiting Puerto Vallarta) was just across the street from Elizabeth's Puerto Vallarta house and was the perfect solution for their desire to be close. It was Burton who commissioned the now famous "Lovers Arch" which connects the two homes and can still be seen today so that he and Elizabeth could maintain their own homes while visiting each other as much as they wished to. The above vintage photos are of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor which were taken in Puerto Vallarta. This vintage photo of crossing the Rio Cuale (River Cuale) was no easy feat before the modern pedestrian bridge or the two swing bridges were built. The new modern pedestrian bridge allows families and friends to mix and mingle  and enjoy the river which empties into the sea.  It also connects "Old Town" to the Zocalo (the main plaza) and is a great form of exercise! Th two swing bridges that cross the Rio Cuale to the Isla Cuale have recently been reinforced, but they can be a challenge and somewhat awkward if you have to hang onto the safety fencing for balance as I do! A stationary contemporary and colorful pedestrian bridge was built in 2012 which connects the Isla Cuale to the upper "Gringo Gulch" neighborhood which was the hillside residential area named after the foreigners who lived there including Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor of Hollywood fame. This wonderful structure is situated just a few steps from the Vallarta Cultural Center and offers spectacular views of the mountains, the river, and a peak of the Pacific Ocean and is definitely my kind of bridge! A vintage photo of ships delivering people and/or goods to Puerto Vallarta in front of Los Muertos Beach in 1957.  Please note the palapa thatched roof and the libations ready to quench a seaman's thirst. Quite a change from the old ships are the huge cruise ships which stop for the day in Puerto Vallarta on the other side of the bay which we can see and photograph from our south of Puerto Vallarta location. Some of these ships can appear as large or larger than the condominium towers you see in this photo. Yikes! The Malecon (Boardwalk) in Puerto Vallarta was and still is the main focal point of Puerto Vallarta. Check out the vehicles! The gazebo in the zocalo of Puerto Vallarta is still a happening place. Donkey/burro delivery and transport in Puerto Vallarta as seen in bygone years can still occasionally be seen today. Some local donkeys (burros in Spanish) as seen today in the Emiliano Zapato barrio in Puerto Vallarta. Photo of the Guadalupe Sanchez Torres family in Puerto Vallarta A little Puerto Vallarta history to go with the above photo image: In 1851 Don Guadalupe Sanchez Torres, originally from Cihuatlan, Jalisco, began to make regular deliveries of salt from San Blas or the Marias Islands in his small boat since the local 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 out of the sun while the salt was being loaded onto donkeys for transport to the mines. Toward the end of 1851 Don Guadalupe decided to bring his family to Puerto Vallarta (formerly known as Las Penas de Santa Maria de Guadalupe). With the arrival of new families the village grew little by little and its economy began to change. While some families brought in salt, others began to devote themselves to agriculture or cattle raising. Quite the humble beginning for what we now call Puerto Vallarta. Horses and old "horseless" vehicles learning to get along in Puerto Vallarta. The following four photographs were on display yesterday in Puerto Vallarta in honor of Puerto Vallarta's 101st anniversary.  Of course I had to take photos of the old photos to share with my blog amigos. I like to think I am not the only one who enjoys old photographic memories. Working with oxen to plow the fields around Puerto Vallarta is not often seen in today's modern era. Planting the fields to grow produce as needed for the hungry citizens of Puerto Vallarta. Communal transportation in Puerto Vallarta back before old American school buses were imported for local needs. Bringing home the catch of the day to help feed the family! I sincerely hope you have enjoyed my retrospect of Puerto Vallarta. I certainly have enjoyed putting it together and learning more about the history of this beautiful town. Until next time, I will leave you with a "vintage" photo of myself along with my current "blogging photo" taken on the Rio Cuale bridge. Gracias for joining me and I hope to see you again soon.  Laura