NCL Mexican Riviera Cruise Day 5: Puerto Vallarta

Day 5 we arrived at Puerto Vallarta. After we got off the ship and went out the marina area, we immediately saw Wal-Mart. Yes, they had a Wal-Mart there, as well as Costco and bunch of American retailer stores. The city was just like an American city full of shops, restaurants and malls. But on our tour we went into the mountain. It was a completely different world there. (Will write about the tour in my next post.) First let's look at some pictures and read about the history of Puerto Vallarta.



Tarascans, Chapalas, Huicholes and members of the Aztec confederation of tribes originally inhabited the area around Puerto Vallarta.  The first European visitor was Francisco Hernandez de San Buenaventura, a nephew of conqueror Heman Cortes.




In 1525, 20,000 Indians met the Spanish explorer and his party on the shore, each carrying a flag made of bird feathers.  In turn, the Spanish produced four banderas (banners), including one that depicted the Immaculate Conception.  This display supposedly subdued the Indians, who laid aside their feather flags while a Spanish priest prayed for their souls.



Banderas Bay takes its name from the event.  The bay wasn't developed until the 1850s when the Sanchez family used it as a port for silver mines.  The town was then called Puerto de Penas.  Fewer than 2,000 people, mostly farmers and fishermen, lived there.



In 1888, half of the town was destroyed by fire.  According to legend, the damage would have been less if most of the male population were not attending a cockfight.  In 1918, Puerto de Penas was renamed to honor Ignacio Luis Vallarta, governor of the state of Jalisco.



Only a few U.S. residents ventured to Puerto Vallarta until the 1950s.  That's when airplanes first began landing on a dirt airstrip outside of town.  By the 1960s the town was a hideaway for movie stars who enjoyed the charm and serenity of the area.



Hollywood really ignited interest in the city.  In 1963, director John Huston chose Puerto Vallarta as the film location for his adaptation of Tennessee Williams' Night of the Iguana, which starred Richard Burton, Deborah Kerr and Ava Garner.  Much of the filming was done in the deserted cove of Mismaloa.  The film gave Vallarta its reputation as a steamy romantic escape, and soon large numbers of travelers went to experience it for themselves.  In 1968, a road was built from Tepic to accommodate the flow of visitors.



By 1974, the boom in construction and population was on, and the area blossomed with more than 350,000 residents and about three million visitor each year.



This is a city with modern infrastructure and conveniences that has somehow managed to maintain its unique Old Mexico charm, unlike so many  of the other more glitzy resorts.  In many any areas of Puerto Vallarta you will feel like you are taking a step back in time.  A step back to a much simpler time, donkeys are still used for delivery in many parts of this unique city.



A modern marina and cruise ship port attract visitors on ships and yachts from all over the world.  The city's clean, friendly atmosphere, unique Old Mexico ambiance and incredibly diverse shopping possibilities attract International and Mexican tourists in droves.  There unique attractions lure many of these visitors to return over and over again.  Many of these tourists end up becoming full time residents or retiring in Puerto Vallarta.

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