July in the History of Puerto Vallarta Juan Manuel Gomez Encarnacion - Visit Puerto Vallarta
go to original July 25, 2015

While July is not a particularly notable month in the history of Puerto Vallarta, there is, however, a very important date mentioned by City Historian Carlos Munguia Fregoso in his great book “Panorama Histórico de Puerto Vallarta y de la Bahía de Banderas (1st. ed. 1997, p. 105):

“Opening the fishing and trade port to commerce was a cause for celebration and glee for the residents of what was officially called Las Peñas on July 14th, 1885. On the 23rd of that same month and year, the Maritime Customs Office was transferred from San Blas, Nayarit, and was established here. The intention of this measure was to control the contraband of metal found in the mines, which was being shipped without the required documentation, and also, merchandise acquired from the ships arriving at this port.”

Maritime communication was most important for development from the time Las Peñas-Puerto Vallarta was founded (1851) until the end of the 1960’s.

The first paved highway was completed in 1969, connecting this tourist destination to the cities to the north, of Compostela and Tepic, Nayarit by land. Travel on the highway going south, Puerto Vallarta-Barra de Navidad, began in 1971.

Air travel started to emerge in the 1930’s, but it wasn’t until the beginning of the 70’s that the “Gustavo Diaz Ordaz” modern airport was opened next to the El Salado estuary .

 
An image, frozen in time, of the small town of Puerto Vallarta around the end of the 1920’s, shows the lighthouse, a metallic structure, on top of which the beacon was lit to give orientation to the ships arriving in port long ago.

Juan Manuel Gómez Encarnación - Professor and B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature; National Award for Children's Literature 2002 and author of numerous books. Currently Chronicler of the City of Puerto Vallarta.