The Birthplace of Puerto Vallarta: Las Peñas
Long before the town’s transformation into a popular tourist destination, Puerto Vallarta, or as it was originally known, Las Peñas de Santa Maria de Guadalupe, began as a humble fishing village. Nestled between towering mountains and a sprawling sea, Las Peñas was home to only a handful of families, their livelihoods tied to the rhythms of the ocean and the stunning sunsets that blanketed their homes each evening.
Inaccessibility was a defining feature of this paradisiacal wilderness. Nestled within a web of crocodile-inhabited rivers and watched over by suspicious mountains, it was indeed a sanctuary secluded from the world.
Guadalupe Sánchez Torres: The Man Who Settled
The story of Puerto Vallarta began to take a decisive turn in the mid-nineteenth century. Guadalupe Sánchez Torres, a 19-year-old fisherman from Cihuatlán, was involved in a triangular trade that involved transporting salt from the Port of San Blas and the Marías Islands to Playa de los Muertos.
However, the long waits began to test his patience, and on December 12, 1851, he decided to make a permanent settlement on the beach. It marked the beginning of the region’s transformation into Las Peñas de Santa Maria de Guadalupe, or Puerto Las Peñas, as it came to be known.
The Founding Families and Emergence of Puerto Vallarta
The founding families of this emerging community hailed from San Sebastián del Oeste, Mascota, and Cuale. Over the years, the region gradually began to assert its political presence. On October 31, 1886, Vallarta, then a part of the municipality of Talpa, was established as a Police Station to maintain political and judicial order, and the first Civil Registry office was founded.
Two years later, on May 2, 1888, it was annexed to the municipality of San Sebastián. Key infrastructural milestones were achieved in 1914 when the first post office opened, and the telegraph system was established. The Jalisco Congress elevated the status of this growing community from a police station to a municipality in 1918, renaming it Puerto Vallarta in honor of lawyer Ignacio L. Vallarta.
The Transformation into a Tourist Destination
The community continued to grow and modernize over the next few decades. In 1939, drinking water pumping systems were introduced, and in 1942, Puerto Vallarta caught the eye of an international audience.
The American magazine “Modern Mexico”, published in New York, ran a feature describing Vallarta as “a primitive place to hunt and fish.” This seemingly benign article was a pivotal moment for the town, marking the beginning of a flood of foreign visitors. Today, Puerto Vallarta is internationally recognized for its stunning coasts and is a popular destination for tourists worldwide, a testament to its humble beginnings and remarkable journey.
The Birthplace of Puerto Vallarta: Las Peñas
Long before the town's transformation into a popular tourist destination, Puerto Vallarta, or as it . . .
