History of Puerto Vallarta, the safest and most friendly city in Mexico

by Rodolfo Nicolas Gonzalez Tourism

Puerto Vallarta (also known as PVR) is a city located in the state of Jalisco, 196km from Guadalajara (Capital of the State). Together with Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, it forms the Metropolitan Area of PVR, thus being the second most populated of both states. It is currently one of the main tourist destinations in Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta, formerly called Las Peñas, was founded on December 12, 1851, by Guadalupe Sánchez Torres, his wife Ambrosia Carrillo and some friends such as Cenobio Joya, Apolonio de Robles, Cleofas Peña and Martín Andrade, who gave it the name of Las Peñas de Santa María de Guadalupe for being that day dedicated to the Virgin. On June 5, 1918 it received the name of Puerto Vallarta, in honor of Ignacio Luis Vallarta, former governor of the state of Jalisco.

Between 1980 and 1990 the population of this beautiful port grew along with the number of national and foreign tourists, due to this the construction of the Marina Vallarta began, the development would finally include a school, condominiums, a shopping center and large properties hotel. The works began in 1986 and by 1990 the Marina was in full swing. The project was basically finished by 1993, ahead of schedule. On May 31, 1996, the Puerto Vallarta Mixed Tourism Fund was created to promote the destination internationally. The collective efforts of the fund, hotels and restaurants, free agents, tour operators and stewards of the environment turned things around and Puerto Vallarta began to gain a position among world-class beach destinations.

Unlike Cancun, Ixtapa and the other destinations of the National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism, its tourism development was not planned. It is currently the second most important economic zone in the state of Jalisco and one of the main tourist destinations in Mexico and the fourth most important beach center.

It is always a good thing to travel! And even better is to enjoy all the things to do that Puerto Vallarta has to offer! Do not think it twice! Visit us, the most friendly and the safest city in Mexico!.