PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — The city’s public cemeteries are nearing a crisis point, with available burial plots in urban areas set to run out in as little as two months. According to Javier Navarro, Director of Public Services, only one of the three cemeteries located in the city itself still has space—El Progreso—which has room for approximately 80 more graves.
“We are talking about two months [of remaining capacity], at the current rate,” Navarro explained. “On average, in terms of mortality and services provided per week, we are having around 10 graves. Per month, we are talking about 40 in total. If there are only 80 spaces, the useful life of this cemetery would not exceed two months—two and a half months, perhaps.”
Puerto Vallarta has five public cemeteries in total: three in the urban area (5 de Diciembre, Ramblases, and El Progreso), one in Ixtapa, and another in Las Palmas. However, the 5 de Diciembre and Ramblases cemeteries are already at full capacity. As a result, El Progreso remains the only urban site with available plots.
Local authorities have not yet announced a long-term plan to address the shortage, but the rapidly diminishing space highlights an urgent need for solutions—whether through cemetery expansion, the establishment of a new cemetery, or increased promotion of cremation services. Without decisive action, families in Puerto Vallarta could soon be left with few to no burial options within the city limits.
