Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, July 10, 2026 – Puerto Vallarta’s older Río Cuale Municipal Market section reportedly remains occupied months after Civil Protection warned of deteriorated beams and recommended that the city consider evacuating the area until structural repairs could be completed.
The warning returned to public attention Friday, with wood-boring insect damage, deep rot, loss of material, and deflection in central wood beams, settlement in parts of the roof, exposed and oxidized reinforcing steel, and diagonal cracking in concrete arches. It also reported that no evacuation, shoring, or complete replacement project had been carried out. PVDN could not independently verify current occupancy conditions inside the affected section.
Municipal records reviewed by PVDN confirm that officials had more than a routine maintenance concern. A December 18 council agreement formally cited Civil Protection memo DPCB/04/4169/2025 and called on Mayor Luis Munguía to instruct several departments to prepare a comprehensive diagnosis of the structural, electrical, sanitary, and building systems of Mercado Río Cuale. The measure gave those offices no more than 45 calendar days to report progress on the diagnosis and execution of repairs to the council’s Commerce Commission.
That period expired in early February. PVDN did not locate the progress report in the municipal transparency materials reviewed through July 10.
The wording of the official record says the city should “consider evacuation of the old section” due to beam deterioration, obtain a structural safety opinion from a qualified engineer or architect, develop an integrated repair and replacement project, execute the necessary work and consider reoccupation only afterward. The public document therefore shows a serious technical recommendation, but not a posted closure order.
The council approved the measure by a 15–0 vote. The resolution named the Public Works, Strategic Projects, Maintenance, Civil Protection, and Markets office as participants in the diagnosis and rehabilitation. It also directed that the work be incorporated into the 2026 public works or maintenance program. No start date, contractor, temporary merchant plan, or access restrictions tied to the older section were found in the records reviewed by PVDN.
A separate January 17 financing authorization listed 6 million pesos beside rehabilitation and complementary work at Mercado Cuale, one of 21 proposed public investment lines. That document is not a construction award. It identifies an authorized financing purpose, not a final scope, signed contract, timetable, or proof that work has begun.
The gap follows a public promise of rehabilitation made before the council vote. When the national federation of architects placed the market in its modern-heritage watch program last November, Mayor Luis Munguía said work would take place in 2026 and mentioned electrical wiring, wooden roof beams, roof tiles and bathrooms. PVDN reported at the time that the current building was designed by Alejandro Zohn and constructed between 1977 and 1979. Its architectural status may shape the repair design, but it does not establish whether the older section is safe to occupy now.
In 2021, vendors were relocated to Plaza Miguel Hidalgo after Hurricane Nora flooded and damaged the riverside market. Any new evacuation would interrupt daily trade, yet an occupied structure under a serious technical warning leaves merchants and customers without a clear account of the risk.
The city has not publicly clarified whether the old section has been evacuated, partially restricted, or shored; whether an independent structural assessment was completed; whether the 45-day report was delivered but not published; or whether any part of the 6 million peso line has been contracted. A useful response would release the latest technical assessment, identify every occupied area it covers, and provide a dated work plan that merchants can prepare around.
