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Puerto Vallarta History |
| Home >> Mexico Destinations >> Puerto Vallarta >> Puerto Vallarta History |
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 Unlike Cancún (another leading Mexican tourist destination), Puerto Vallarta was a traditional village before gaining worldwide recognition as a travel destination. The village was originally founded on December 12, 1851, by Don Guadalupe Sánchez Torres, who named it "Las Peñas de Santa María de Guadalupe" ("the rocks of Saint Mary of Guadalupe"). The name was eventually truncated to "Puerto Las Peñas" ("Port Las Peñas") which literally translates as "Port the Rocks." The original reason for the port was to enable the transshipment of silver from nearby mines.
In 1918, the village was elevated to municipality status and renamed after former state governor Ignacio L. Vallarta. In 1963, it became famous worldwide after director John Huston decided to make a movie version of Tennessee Williams's play The Night of the Iguana in what was then a quiet fishing village. During the filming, the paparazzi had a field day covering Elizabeth Taylor's scandalous affair with Richard Burton, as well as the constant tension between Huston and the film's four stars. The subsequent publicity helped to attract foreign investors in the 1970s, which resulted in the massive expansion of Puerto Vallarta to its current size.
Today, there is a statue of Huston in the park on La Isla Rio Cuale in the center of the city. A nearby plaque dedicated on the 25th anniversary of the film's release honors Huston's contribution to the city's fame. Puerto Vallarta's outer jungle areas, is also the location where the movie Predator (starring California governor and former actor Arnold Schwarzenegger) was filmed. |
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