As such it figures in some accounts of pirate operations and smuggling and pirate contravention efforts by the viceregal government. The valley was then named Banderas (flags) after the colorful standards carried by the natives.Īlso the area appears on maps and in sailing logs as a bay of refuge for the Manila Galleon trade as well as for other coastal seafarers. In 1524, for example, a large battle between Hernán Cortés and an army of 10,000 to 20,000 indigenous warriors resulted in Cortés taking control of much of the Ameca valley.
Spanish missionary and conquistador documents chronicle skirmishes between the Spanish colonizers and the local peoples. The limited evidence in occidental Mexican archeology have limited the current knowledge about pre-historic life in the area. Lázaro Cárdenas) that the area belonged to the Aztlán culture which dominated Jalisco, Nayarit and Michoacán from c. There is archaeological evidence to suggest continuous human habitation from 580 BC, and similar evidence (from sites near Ixtapa and in Col. Pre-Hispanic times to the 19th century įew details are known about the history of the area prior to the 19th century. Tourism is a major economic activity because of the climate, scenery, tropical beaches, and rich cultural history. Puerto Vallarta was a thriving Mexican village long before it became an international tourist destination. Puerto Vallarta's proximity to the Bay of Banderas, the agricultural valley of the Ameca River, and the important mining centers in the Sierra have given the town a more interesting past than most Mexican tourist destinations.
MAP AND LEGEND OF GAY BARS IN PUERTO VALLARTA CODE
In Internet shorthand, the city is often referred to as PVR, after the International Air Transport Association airport code for its Gustavo Diaz Ordaz International Airport. In Spanish, Puerto Vallarta is frequently shortened to "Vallarta", while English speakers call the city P.V. Puerto Vallarta is named after Ignacio Vallarta, a former governor of Jalisco. To the east, it borders the municipality of Mascota and San Sebastián del Oeste, and to the south, it borders the municipalities of Talpa de Allende and Cabo Corrientes. To the north, it borders the southwest part of the state of Nayarit. The municipality has an area of 1,300.7 square kilometres (502.19 sq mi).
The City of Puerto Vallarta is the government seat of the Municipality of Puerto Vallarta which comprises the city as well as population centers outside of the city extending from Boca de Tomatlán to the Nayarit border (the Ameca River). Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. Puerto Vallarta ( Spanish pronunciation: or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas in the Mexican state of Jalisco.