PUERTO VALLARTA, JALISCO: A Romantic City with So Much to Offer!

POSEIDON SCULPTURE ON MALECON

THE MALECON HAS BEEN REVIVED: Sculptures, Swinging Native Indians, Sand Sculptures, Cozy Seafood Restaurant / Bars

Puerto Vallarta is a city with lots of action, lots of daytime entertainment as well as plenty of nightlife. We prefer to travel to PV (as the locals like to call it) for day trips and then return to our home base north of the city, Bucerias, Sayulita, or San Pancho, before dark. We especially look forward to walking through the Romantic Zone and down the recently renovated Malecón (promenade along the beach), watching the people and the entertainment, and then having lunch at one of our favorite restaurants overlooking the ocean. The rejuvenated Malecón is a work of art in itself, with the beautiful concrete and inlaid stone walkway that stretches for miles, landscaped with healthy palm trees, colorful bougainvillea, and many other tropical plants.

The numerous, finely-crafted bronze statues along the promenade are pieces of art to be admired, and are frequently photographed by tourists and locals alike.

IGUANA SAND SCULPTURE & ARTIST

     One stretch of sand between the Malecón and the ocean is a palette for artists to create and display elaborate sand sculptures. It is customary to leave a tip for the artist when photographing their sand-artwork. We enjoyed sand sculptures of Christmas scenes such as a giant Santa in December, and then giant green Iguanas and pyramid sculptures in January. It is an ever-changing art gallery along the Malecón.

     Another section of the Malecón is set aside for the twirling Papantla Bird-Men, a Native Indian performance. The Bird-Men are Flying Totonac dancers of Papantla, a small town in northern Veracruz, on the Mexican Gulf of Mexico coast. These men, dressed in bright red and white costume, hung from one leg on individual ropes near the top of a very tall pole. As the music began, the ropes began to slowly descend while the apparatus at the top of the pole twirled and the men swung out and around in a larger and larger circle around the pole. As they reached the

THE FLYING PAPANTLA BIRD-MEN

ground, they detached themselves and hopped off of their rope swing, then invited the people in the crowd to give tips for their performance. According to an article on www.PuertoVallarta.net , “the ritual of the Papantla Bird-Men was created with a very specific purpose: to offer their gratitude to Chi'chini (the Sun God), Xipe Totec (God of Spring & Fertility) & to Tlaloc (Rain God). It is as much a dance as it is a prayer, a ritual expression of love for the Earth, its bounty and its natural forces”. The Flying Bird Men was a show worth watching.

    For some of our friends, Puerto Vallarta is the only city in Mexico for them and the place where they plan to retire. For Jon and me, it will always be a place that we visit for a day or two of entertainment and good food. The climate in PV is fairly tropical, somewhat humid, providing the perfect environment for lush, green jungles and tropical flowers. The people who live here are very friendly, both the locals and the gringos who have migrated south. It is a fun place to be, whether for a vacation or a place to call home.

NATIVE MUSICIANS IN COSTUME

 

CATHEDRAL IN THE ROMANTIC ZONE

LOOKING NORTH ON THE MALECON

JON & I LUNCHING AT LA CHATA