Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - On May 31, 2018, Puerto Vallarta will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its induction as a municipality and 50th of its elevation to the category of city - and it promises to be a gala affair!

But first, a little history...

During the first part of the 1800s, 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.

The village which was to become Puerto Vallarta was founded in 1851 by Guadalupe Sanchez, an enterprising boatman from Cihuatlán, who established a trading post on the banks of the Cuale River to supply salt to the mountain gold and silver mines, whose minerals were transported to this coast for shipping.

Sanchez originally called Puerto Vallarta "Las Peñas de Santa María de Guadalupe" to commemorate his arrival on December 12, the day of the Virgin of Guadalupe. In 1911, the people of Las Peñas asked the government of the state for the status of municipality, and finally on the 31 of May, 1918, the State Congress decreed to the formation of the municipality, changing the name to Puerto Vallarta to honor an important governor of the State of Jalisco, Don Ignacio Luis Vallarta.

Since then, every year in May, the people of Puerto Vallarta have gathered together in El Centro to celebrate the municipality's anniversary. But this year's celebration promises to be bigger and better than ever as Puerto Vallarta celebrates 100 years!

To commemorate this historical milestone, the municipal government and members of the private sector have organized a week-long celebration that includes: commemorative and cultural events, artistic and culinary exhibitions, concerts and dance performances, sporting events, parades, fireworks, and more from May 25-31, 2018, most all of which are free and open to the public. Click HERE to download the schedule of events in .pdf format.

For additional information, check out the Centennial celebrations calendar on the official website, PuertoVallartaAlCien.com. (Click on the dates for a list of each day's events.)