Puerto Vallarta’s anniversary program moved from civic ceremony to open sky Sunday as the Mexican Air Force brought the Águilas Aztecas over the Malecón. The acrobatic display followed a week of public events, road changes, and a static aircraft exhibition near the airport. The flyover gave the city’s double anniversary its biggest visual moment, while also placing the waterfront under a tighter security and logistics plan than a normal holiday crowd.
Aztec Eagles fly over the Malecón
The Águilas Aztecas aerobatic squadron of the Mexican Air Force flew over Puerto Vallarta’s Malecón on Sunday afternoon as the city marked its 108th anniversary as a municipality and 58th anniversary as a city.
The display was scheduled for 5.30 p.m. at the Letras del Malecón as part of the municipal anniversary program, after the solemn session at Los Arcos and before the evening recognitions, the National Anthem, cake cutting, concerts, and fireworks.
The flight gave the waterfront the most visible military presence of the anniversary weekend. It also turned the central celebration into a controlled air event over the city’s most photographed public space, with traffic and crowd management already in place for the Sunday program.
Before the show, Col. Hilario Félix Santiago Hernández, commander of Air Base Group No. 6 in Puerto Vallarta, said the squadron would perform a six-aircraft acrobatic routine over the Malecón. “The display is going to be an acrobatic routine with six aircraft,” he said ahead of the event. “The air show lasts thirty minutes on the Malecón.”
The aircraft named in advance were Beechcraft T-6C+ Texan II planes, used by the Mexican Air Force for advanced training, surveillance, aerial interception, and ground attack. Accounts from the Malecón described the exhibition as a series of maneuvers and acrobatics above the bayfront.
From static exhibition to open sky
The Sunday flight followed a static aircraft display on Thursday at the military platform of Air Base Group No. 6, inside the 41st Military Zone next to the Puerto Vallarta airport. That event allowed people to see the aircraft on the ground and speak with pilots before the squadron’s Malecón performance.
The 41st Military Zone had presented the exhibition as part of the city’s anniversary events. The municipal government also included the aerial show in its official May 31 schedule, placing it between the civic ceremony and the evening public events.
Anniversary weekend stretched across downtown
The anniversary events began Friday with Archivo y Memoria activities at City Hall and continued Saturday with dance and music at Los Arcos and the Faro del Malecón. Sunday’s schedule began with a children’s race at Estadio Agustín Flores Contreras before the afternoon ceremonies shifted to the waterfront.
The aerial show also landed inside a wider downtown operation. Puerto Vallarta had set road closures and bus route changes for Sunday evening, including changes around Morelos and the Historic Center, as the anniversary program moved through its busiest scheduled hours.
After the flight, the posted schedule moved into recognitions at the Letras del Malecón, the National Anthem, cake cutting at Plaza de Armas, and evening concerts. Fireworks were scheduled shortly after eleven p.m., followed by more music on the main stage.
