Sunday, December 21, 2008

Puerto Vallarta's History

During the first part of the 1800s, at the mouth of the Cuale River—then inhabited primarily 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. 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 processing the metal, was not to be found.

In 1851 Guadalupe Sánchez, a boatman from Cihuatlán who used to bring salt from San Blas or the Marías islands to Los Muertos beach, became weary of waiting for the muleteers to come and pick up the load. Sometimes it would take them days to reach this solitary spot. As he was still a young man of 19 and had just married, Guadalupe saw it fit to establish himself in this beautiful place he would call Las Peñas. This, in a few words, could very well be the story of the founding of what we now know as Puerto Vallarta.

At the bottom of the page is a link to more Vallarta history than you may want to know


Beach Plaza on Playa los Muertos 1950's

Areal view of Vallarta in the 1950's

Vallarta Malecon in the 1950's

Virtual Vallarta Article

0 comments:

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Jalisco Tourism

Jalisco is in west-central Mexico and its capital is Guadalajara. The Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range traverses the state, separating the Pacific coast from a high plateau region. The Sierra Madre region is largely volcanic, and earthquakes are frequent. The state's many lakes include Chapala, Mexico's largest.

Jalisco Tourism - Spanish
Artisans of Tonala
Sparks Mexico Web