HISTORY   OF  PUERTO  VALLARTA
Puerto Vallarta is located on the Pacific Coast on one of the largest bays in the world. Banderas Bay measures 42 kilometers from east to west and 33 kilometers from north to south. The northern most limit of the bay is at Punta Mita which is at the end of the Sierra de Vallejo Mountains. To the south, the bay ends in Cabo Corrientes, part of the foothills of the Sierra del Cuale range.
The bay has been known since the XVI Century when Spanish soldiers, during the expeditions to Lower California (or Island of Pearls, as they called it), landed on the bay's beaches in order to supply their ships with water, firewood and fresh food. There are many chronicles from that time which mention the beauty of the coastline, the fertility of the land and the safe harbors that the bay offered ships. During the XVI Century, safe harbors all along the Pacific Coast were a vital necessity so that ships returning from the Philippines would have a place to find refuge in case of attack by pirates. These harbors were also necessary during the long journeys to and from the Orient so that ships could be repaired if necessary and crews could take on provisions.
One of the first to propose a settlement on Banderas Bay was Captain Pedro de Unamuno after the trip he made in 1587 from the Philippines. Famous navigators like Sebastian Vizcaino, Lopez de Vicuna, and Gonzalo de Francia more than once landed on these beaches and also proposed the establishment of a colony, but their petitions never received any attention. It is known that a shipyard was built on the bay in 1644 (probably where Mismaloya is located today) and two ships were built for Bernardo Bernal de Pinadero which would be used in the colonization of Lower California. In documents and in ships logs, dating from the XVIII Century, constant references are made to whaling ships and fishing boats that harbored in the bay. At the time, Banderas Bay was also known as Humpback Bay (Bahia de los Jorobados) because of the number of humpback whales that were seen in the bay.
In the XIX Century, the site that is today Puerto Vallarta was used for the loading and unloading of supplies and materials for the mining companies that worked the mines in Cuale and San Sebastian. At that time, the site was known as Las Peñas. Around the middle of the XIX century, Don Guadalupe Sanchez Torres, originally from Cihuatlán, Jalisco, began to make regular deliveries of salt in his small boat for the mines that required large quantities for refining the silver. Don Guadalupe and his men built a small lean-to from tree trunks and palm leaves so they would have a place to rest out of the sun while the salt was loaded onto donkeys for transport to the mines.
Towards the end of 1851,Don Guadalupe decided to bring his family to Las Peñas and live there permanently. He renamed the site Las Peñas de Santa Maria de Guadalupe because he arrived early in the morning hours of December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. With the arrival of new families, the village grew bit by bit and its economy began to grow. While some families brought in salt, others began to devote themselves to agriculture or cattle raising. It is also known that periodically French and German ships entered the bay in search of brazilwood, a very hard wood that was processed in Europe to obtain dyes.
In Admiral George Dewey's report to the U.S. Naval Hydrographic Office, he says "on the mouth of a small river called the Rio Real (Royal River) is located a small town called Las Peñas where the boats come to take on wood for dyes. In 1874, this same admiral was aboard the ship Narragansett, which made astronomical observations at Punta Mita, Tabo, and at a place close to Los Muertos beach in order to establish the exact geographical position of each of these sites and to make a map of the coast.
In 1880, Las Peñas had a population of 1,500 inhabitants. New families from Cuale and San Sebastian came to settle in the port. Five years later, on July 14, 1885, the port was opened to national maritime traffic and officially given the name of Las Peñas. On the 23rd of July, a Maritime Customs Office was established. The following year on October 31, 1886 the town was given official political and judicial standing when decree No. 210 was passed by the State Congress. During the last decade of the XIX Century and the first of XX Century, Las Peñas gradually progressed thanks to the combined efforts of the people and the enthusiasm of Don Guadalupe.
The inhabitants also suffered occasional setbacks in the growth of their town. According to geographer Brand, a tidal wave struck Banderas Bay in March 1883, but nobody in town recalls having heard any mention of this event. On the 6th of May, 1888, a pot of grease which was being heated over a charcoal fire in a palapa restaurant, burst into flame setting fire to the structure. The fire spread northwards destroying more than half the houses in the town. According to local tradition, the fire would not have done nearly as much damage if half the town's male population had not been attending a cock fight. In 1911, a waterspout left almost 100 people homeless and in 1922 an epidemic of yellow fever hit Vallarta causing 150 deaths.
In March 1911, the first post office was opened and in September of the same year a telegraph was installed. On May 31, 1918, by Congressional decree No. 1889, the port was elevated to a municipality and the name was changed to Puerto Vallarta in memory of the illustrious lawyer and Governor of Jalisco, Don Ignacio L. Vallarta.
In 1924 when the Montgomery Fruit Company purchased about 70,000 acres in a near-by town called Ixtapa, Vallarta began to boom due to the surplus of jobs available on the newly-opened banana plantations. They also built a railway to transport the bananas from Ixtapa to the El Salado estuary where they were loaded onto ships to carry them to the United States. This operation ended in 1938 when the Montgomery Fruit Company had to leave Mexico because of the new agrarian law that had just come into effect. Other products were raised in the area such as corn, beans, tobacco and small coconuts used for their oil, were shipped to the interior of the country for use in the national market.
In about 1930, a few national and foreign tourists began to come to Puerto Vallarta, returning year after year, to spend their vacation enjoying the tranquility and great natural beauty of the port. Slowly word began to spread and each year more tourists came.
In 1951, Puerto Vallarta became internationally known when it celebrated the centennial of its founding. Mexican warships were sent from Acapulco to celebrate the occasion with a 21-gun salute in the bay. A relic of the True Cross was brought to Vallarta as well on this occasion, and Margarita Mantecon de Garza wrote the first history of Puerto Vallarta.
The event that opened wide the doors to progress, popularity and fame was the filming of the movie "Night of the Iguana" in Puerto Vallarta. Thousands of visitors came, anxious to see the places that appeared in the movie, and hopeful of catching a glimpse of some of the movie stars. From then on, thanks to the publicity the movie gave Vallarta, and also to the improved means of transportation, the town grew by leaps and bounds. The town was now accessible by road and by air. First-class hotels were built. Agriculture, which until now had been the principal source of income, took a back seat to tourism. Things have changed since the first airplane landed here in 1931.
Today Puerto Vallarta has hotels that range from small economical inns to magnificent luxury hotels. Important national and international airline companies provide services that connect Vallarta to the principal cities of the U.S. and Europe. Luxury cruise ships dock here on daily basis and a good highway connects the town to Tepic, Guadalajara and the rest of the country. The population growth has been notable. It has gone from 12,500 in 1964 to 350,000 or more in 1996. There is a large foreign colony, primarily Americans and Canadians, that live here on a permanent or semi-permanent basis and that are active participants in community life.
Visitors to Puerto Vallarta will find the climate agreeable year round. The average temperature is 80 degrees F., and except for the rainy season that lasts from the middle of June to the middle of September, the sun shines every day. All around PV, just minutes from downtown, there are easily accessible areas of great natural beauty, ideal for a day's outing or a picnic. Some of these areas even have their own hotels where it is possible for a visitor to "get away from it all" for a few days. Many favorite spots to relax are Bucerias, Mismaloya, Quimixto and Yelapa.
The Federal Government, in conjunction with the state governments of Jalisco and Nayarit, as well as some private enterprises, have begun an important program for the development of tourism in the entire Banderas Bay area. Puerto Vallarta is the ideal place for anyone who likes water sports. Here one can skin dive, water ski, go deep sea fishing, windsurfing or even try the exciting parasailing.
One of the most important annual events in PV is the International Sailfish Tournament held during the first week of November. Ardent fisherfolk from all over Mexico and U.S. participate. Vallarta is also the site of important conventions and business meetings. Undoubtedly one of the most important was the meeting of President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz with President Richard M. Nixon in August, 1970. This same year, 1970, two important public works were inaugurated: the maritime terminal and the new airport, both of which have been subsequently remodeled and enlarged in order to provide better service.
May 31, 1968 celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Puerto Vallarta's elevation to a municipality, and was attended by Lic. Francisco Medina Ascencio, governor of Jalisco, and Sr. Jose Vasquez Galvan as mayor of Puerto Vallarta, who represented the state government a pronounced decree No. 8366, which elevated PV to the status of a city.
Today, Puerto Vallarta occupies an important position among the rest of the world's international tourist resorts.

 
HELPFUL SPANISH PHRASES
At the Restaurant  

la bebida
the beverage

bien cocido
well-done

la cuchara
the spoon

el cuchillo
the knife

la cuenta
the bill

la mesa
the table

el mesero / el camarero
the waiter

el menú
the menu

menú del día
set menu

el pan
bread

picante
spicy

la pimienta
the pepper

el pimentero
the pepper shaker

el platillo
the saucer

el plato
the plate

poco cocido
rare

el postre
dessert

la propina
the tip

la sal
the salt

el salero
the salt shaker

la servilleta
the napkin

la tarjeta de crédito
the credit card

la taza
the cup

el tenedor
the fork

el vaso
the glass
Meeting People  

hola
hi

adiós
goodbye


yes

no
no

por favor
please

gracias
thanks

muchas gracias
thanks a lot

dispénseme
excuse me

perdón
pardon

OK
OK

de nada
you're welcome

hasta mañana
see you tomorrow

hasta luego
see you later

adelante
come in

siéntese
sit down

repita
say it again

traduzca
translate

señor
sir

señora
madam

señorita
miss

el amigo
the friend (male)

la amiga
the friend (female)

el esposo
the husband

la esposa
the wife

salud
cheers, gesundheit
Useful Phrases  

¿Cómo se llama usted?
What's your name?

Me llamo (María).
My name is (Maria).

Mucho gusto.
Pleased to meet you.

¿De dónde es usted?
Where are you from?

Soy de (Nueva York).
I'm from (New York).

¿Habla inglés?
Do you speak English?

Hablo un poco de español.
I speak a little Spanish.

¿Cómo se dice ... en español?
How do you say ... in Spanish?

¿Qué significa ... ?
What does ... mean?

¿Cómo se pronuncia esta palabra?
How do you pronounce this word?

¿Dónde están los servicios higiénicos?
Where is the bathroom?

¿Dónde están los baños públicos?
Where is the bathroom?

¿Dónde está el paradero de autobuses?
Where is the bus stop?

¿Puede ayudarme?
Can you help me?

No comprendo.
I don't understand.

Me he perdido.
I'm lost.

¿Dónde está la zona comercial?
Where is the main area for shopping?

¿Hay una guía telefónica?
Is there a phone directory?

¡Socorro!
Help!

Mi dirección es ...
My address is ...
 When Downtown  

el teléfono público
the public telephone

los servicios
public toilets (1)

los baños públicos
public toilets (2)

el paradero de autobuses
the bus stop

la estación del metro
the subway station

el estacionamiento
the parking garage

el museo
the museum

el semáforo
the traffic light

la farmacia
the drugstore

el mercado
the market

el poste de luz
the streetlight

la calle
the street

la policía
the police

el cruce
the intersection

el letrero
the street sign

la panadería
the bakery

la esquina
the corner

el basurero
the trash basket

el/la peatón(a)
the pedestrian

la librería
the bookstore

el taxi
the taxi cab

la avenida
the avenue

el zócalo
the main square

el quiosco de periódicos
the news stand

el supermercado
the supermarket
 
Medical Care  
 
la medicina
the medicine

la cápsula
the capsule

la tableta
the tablet

la píldora
the pill

la inyección
the injection

el ungüento
the ointment

la cirugía
the surgery

la toalla calentadora
the heating pad

la bolsa de hielo
the ice pack

el soporte
the sling

el enyesado
the cast

la muleta
the crutch

el médico
the doctor

lel sarpullido
the rash

los escalofríos
the chills

el dolor
the pain

alta presión sanguínea high blood pressure

el resfriado
the cold

la infección
the infection

la fractura
the broken bone

la cortada
the cut

Useful Phrases  
Estoy enfermo(a).
I'm sick.

¿Dónde le duele?
Where does it hurt?

¿Tiene fiebre?
Do you have a fever?

More Medical

¿Desde cuándo se siente así?
How long have you felt this way?


¿Podría llamar a un médico, por favor?
Could yo please call a doctor?


¿Puede visitarme el médico?
Can the doctor come here?


Tengo náuseas
I feel nauseous.


Tengo alergia.
I have an allergy.


Tengo diarrea.
I have diarrhea


Tengo migraña.
I have a migraine.


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John & Carol Innes
011-52-329-295-5201

  jinnes@prodigy.net.mx