Puerto Vallarta has a rich history dating back to 580 BC and has had many names of the years to follow. The bay of flags was one of the most important ones. There have been different indigenous Indians and missionaries in the area before Vallarta took the shape it has today. During one of the battles between the Spaniards Herman Cortez, the natives carried many flags in this losing battle. Hence the name BAY OF FLAGS stuck. Cortez took control of the area which is Nuevo Vallarta now and the bay of flags’ name stuck for a long time.
The logbooks of many ships show the coming and going to the bay of flags. There were merchants, smugglers, and pirates here for many years just for the fact of how safe the bay is in bad weather. This still holds true for the modern-day fishermen, sailors, and recreational vessels of today. Puerto Vallarta’s bay of flags is one of the safest in the world.
Puerto Vallarta has been an important town for many years. During the 18 century, this area helps smugglers evade the local folks trying to tax the residents of this area. The towns of Mascota, San Miguel, and San Sabastian were just a few of these cities. The towns are still here and are quite popular tourist destinations still to this day.
There were many different folks living here, Some fishermen, miners, agricultural farmers, and pearl divers. During this time Puerto Vallarta already had vacationers coming to the bay of flags which now is commonly known as Puerto Vallarta Jalisco.
By the time the mid-1800s rolled around Puerto Vallarta already had many homes and numerous residents living here in Vallarta. The governor during that time was named Ignacio Vallarta hence the name Puerto Vallarta came about. This is about the time Vallarta really started to take shape.
The local fishermen had really taken hold of this area. There were many farms and farmers here in the local area. The farms and farmers are still here today and can be seen on some of the tour trips that can be taken on day trips from Puerto Vallarta. You would be surprised by all the fruits and vegetables we grow in this area. There are also huge Pine trees and rice paddies to the south of us. One of my local favorites is called Cajon de Pena. Famous for fishing and all the local food that is grown there. A real step back in time. There are so many Palm trees to the north and south of us. I can only imagine back in the early days. Beautiful beaches, Palm trees, and the incredible Pacifico ocean kind of like we have today with the exception of all these fantastic hotels, restaurants, exclusive resorts, and interesting places to visit in the local area of Puerto Vallarta. As we fast forward.
The first airline service came to Puerto Vallarta around 1930 with limited service. Back in the day, the pilots would buzz the runway to clear the pigs, cows, and goats so the plane could land safely. A lot has changed since then and now we have more than 500 flights this month here now. It still has that small-town feel that we all love when visiting this charming town. The one characteristic that stands out about Puerto Vallarta is the people that live here. We are known as the friendliest place in the world. That’s still true today. Come down and find out for yourself.
By 1945 Puerto Vallarta has some small DC-3 landing here bring a few passengers. Only 20 people back then. This was the only way to arrive in Vallarta as there were the sea and a few trails that went to Puerto Vallarta.
Early in 1956 Puerto Vallarta was connected with Mascota a small town to the north of us via a road. Mascota is still a beautiful place to visit and like a step back in time. I have personally been there many times myself.
IN 1958 electricity was introduced to the area and Puerto Vallarta was off a running. It was not long before a few Americans were coming to Vallarta. Now we have more than two million people that visit from all over the world. This beautiful city I call home is one big melting pot for folks from all over the world.
When Puerto Vallarta started making some connections to others places it started getting very popular just from the sheer beauty of the nature and sea.
With the arrival of John Houston and a couple of movie stars, Vallarta became popular and started growing in the north and south.
They filmed the movie NIGHT OF THE IGUANA and everyone wanted to come to see where Liz Taylor and Richard Burton were spending their time in the tropics known as Puerto Vallarta.
The rest is pretty much history as we all say. There are over 50,000 ex-pats that live here and friends from all over the world. So many different restaurants, clubs, nightlife, beaches, water sports, mountains, churches, and jungles to see it would take a lifetime to see. I’ve been working on it for 35 years and still have not seen it all. Give me something to look forward to.
coming soon the history of Nuevo Vallarta , which is our sister city.
