Puerto Vallarta

As you probably concluded by my Photo of Day posts here and here, I was recently in the beautiful resort town of Puerto Vallarta on Mexico's Pacific coast.

Left: At far left with friends (from left) Pete, Brent, and Jeffrey – Puerto Vallarta, Sunday, February 2, 2020.

My friend Brent and I flew down to Mexico early Sunday morning, February 2 and stayed for four days with our mutual friends Pete and Jeffrey, and Pete's parents Gary and Ruth, in a condominium in the Molina Del Agua complex, located in the Old Town of Puerto Vallarta. Throughout the duration of our stay the weather was unseasonable crappy – overcast, rainy and cool. But we definitely made the most of our time in this beautiful place.

Hopefully the photos I share in this post (and future posts) will attest to that!

Above: The vacation crew with our digs, the Molina Del Agua, behind us.

Above: A depiction of Kauyumari, a mythical spirit of the Huichol or Wixáritari indigenous people of what is now modern-day western Mexico.

Few details are known about the history of the fertile valley of the Ameca River, the area around modern-day Puerto Vallarta, prior to the nineteenth century. According to Wikipedia, “there is archaeological evidence to suggest continuous human habitation from 580 BC, and similar evidence (from sites near Ixtapa and in Col. Lázaro Cárdenas) that the area belonged to the Aztatlán culture which dominated the areas now known as the Mexican states of Jalisco, Nayarit and Michoacán from c. 900–1200.”

Wikipedia also notes that:

Spanish missionary and conquistador documents chronicle skirmishes between the Spanish colonizers and the local peoples. In 1524, for example, a large battle between Hernán Cortés and an army of 10,000 to 20,000 Indians resulted in Cortés taking control of much of the Ameca valley. The valley was then named Banderas (flags) after the colorful standards carried by the natives.

Above and below: The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, known locally as La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe.

Notes VallartaToday.com:

The tower of the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe has become the worldwide symbol of the charm of Puerto Vallarta. Not far from the sea and at the foot of the mountain that shelters the village, [the tower rises above] the church's red roof and golden cupola and the surrounding cobblestone streets and bougainvillea patches of green. The chimes of the [tower's] clock indicate the pulse of Vallarta life; while the ringing of the church's bells marks ceremonies of both celebration and solemnity, and brings crowds that in the December festivities [ensure that] the surrounding streets become true human rivers.

NEXT: Part II

Images: Michael J. Bayly.