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Welcome to Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is located on the shores of Bahia de Banderas. It is one of the oldest resort cities in Mexico and certainly one of the more popular places to visit.

Interesting facts about Puerto Vallarta include the following:

• Practically no human dwellers lived between the mouth of the Cuale River and the Ameca River during the first part of the 19th century. Mostly crocodiles lived there.
• The principal towns then were San Sabastian and Mascota, which were silver mining towns at the time.
• The Bahia de Banderas is one of the largest bays in the world, measuring 42 kilometers from Punta Mita to Mismaloya.
• Bahia de Banderas was known to Spanish soldiers in the 16th century, who landed on the bay's beaches for water.
• A shipyard was built on the bay in 1644, and it was probably located where Mismaloya is located today.
• Toward the end of 1851, Don Guadalupe Sanchez Torres decided to bring his family to Las Penas de Santa Maria de Guadalupe, the predecessor of Purerto Vallarta. Don Guadalupe is credited with supplying mines with salt for refining silver.
• In 1880, Las Penas had a population of 1,500 inhabitants.
• In 1885, Las Penas was officially given it name and the port opened to national maritime traffic. Don Guadalupe's enthusiasm for the area and the combined efforts of the others living there helped the area grow.
• The discovery of silver in the United States brought the price of silver down, which caused the economy in Las Penas to shift from mining to agriculture.
• In 1914, the first post office opened. In 1918, Las Penas was granted the title of municipality and a new name - Puerto Vallarta.
• In 1925, the Montgomery Fruit Company purchased 70,000 acres in Ixtapa and lasted for about 10 years, when the company had to leave du to the new agrarian law.
• Tourism started in the 1930's along with a new industry - shark hunting. Shark fins turned up on New York Chinese Food restaurants, and shark oil was a nutritional supplement for soldiers during world war II.
• On November 11, 1954, Mexicana de Viacion inaugurated its Guadalajara - Puerto Vallarta flight. In 1962, Mexicana Airlines launched the Puerto Vallarta - Mazatlan - Los Angeles flight.
• With the filming of The Night of the Iguana in 1963, Puerto Vallarta was becoming known by Hollywood stars and celebrities.
• In 1968, Puerto Vallarta ascended to the category of being a city and was granted fund to build a bridge over the Ameca River.
• In 1970, the President of Mexico expropriated 1,026 hectacres to be part of the residential and tourist development on the lands surrounding Bandera's Bay in Nayarit and Jalisco. Construction of hotels commenced in 1973.
• Between 1980 and 1990, the population of Puerto Vallarta doubled from 57,000 to 112,000 residents. Demand for hotels and other buildings was too great for the small Puerto Vallarta footprint. Thus started the development of lands to the north, with the Marina Vallarta being the first of many developments to follow.
• On May 31, 1996, the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Fund came into being. It handles the funds raised through a 2% tax on hotel room occupation. These funds were used to promote travel to Puerto Vallarta at national and international levels.
• The subsequent development along Bahia de Banderas has increased tourism to the area and earned membership within the Club des Baies plus Belles de Monde (The World's Most Beautiful Bays Club).

Now, Puerto Vallarta continues to be a bustling city centrally located in a mass of new development bringing tourists from Canada, the United States and other countries of the world.

Please let us know if you have something you feel should be included in our Welcome to Puerto Vallarta page and we will include it.