Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Fall in love with Puerto Vallarta as you walk the historic district with a native English speaker and resident whose love of the city is evident through the fascinating insights you hear. Walk the cobblestone streets, typical of Spanish Colonial architecture while absorbing the sights, smells and sounds of daily life.
This is the oldest area of Vallarta, where a settlement first began as a small fishing village over 150 years ago. First it was the discovery of silver in the Sierra Madre Mountains that drew people here in the 1850’s, then it was the movie “The Night of the Iguana” with its famous actors and outrageous scandals! Today Puerto Vallarta is a world-famous tourist destination. But fear not, once on this walk, you will be taken back in time to a slower, friendlier, quieter way of life.
This walking tour will also introduce you to the old-world way of specialty shops and custom orders including a tailor who will create cotton and hand-painted clothes from your own designs. Hear the story behind the local Huichol Indians and their peyote-inspired folk art. Learn how to navigate through a sweet-laden candy shop known for its hot, caramelized nuts prepared in a copper pot right in front of your nose.
Get expert advice on buying Talavera pottery and how to get your shoes repaired where the priests have theirs custom made. Both the Aztecs and Spanish Conquistadors contributed to the Mexican culture with their calendars and spiritual beliefs seen in the local wood and milagro workshops. Visit a very different leather shop where the owner, who used to work for Hollywood film studios creating leather costumes for the popular westerns, is creating a collection of clothing worn through Mexican history.
The tour begins at the Los Arcos Amphitheater on the Malecón across from the central plaza while facing the expansive Banderas Bay, famous for the humpback whales that migrate here in the winter to birth their babies. Next, we cross to the plaza where 100 year-old rubber trees bespeak of an industry of long ago, newspapers, shoe shines and tuba drinks are sold and locals gather for daily gossip sessions.
We continue on the surrounding streets to learn about the historic colonial buildings, artisan workshops, the ecosystem surrounding the Rio Cuale, today’s educational system and the local cigar factory where they not only roast their own coffee and cacao beans to make their own chocolates but also sell locally distilled tequila and vanilla.
Hear the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church with its beautiful bells still rung by hand, the first mayor’s home of 1918 that is still in excellent shape today and the inspirations behind some of the famous Malecón bronze sculptures. Lastly, see the old black and white light signal erected in 1932 to help guide ships into Vallarta’s rocky harbor. Today it serves as an icon to earlier times.
If you are in Puerto Vallarta and would like to take one of my eight different Puerto Vallarta Walking Tours, contact me at sandra.learn.vallarta(at)gmail.com.
Sandra Cesca has lived in Puerto Vallarta for 11 years. She is a cultural tour guide with her own small business: Puerto Vallarta Walking Tours. She is also a cultural photographer and writer whose work can be found on Your Cultural Insider and Sandra Cesca Photography. Contact her: sandra.learn.vallarta(at)gmail.com.