Feature Article
Puerto Vallarta: Mexico's art haven
The Old World and the hip-and-stylish mix nicely to make Puerto Vallarta's downtown come alive
By Nick Gallo 
The narrow cobblestone street twists up a hill to 336 Miramar, where a large wooden door opens to reveal Hacienda San Angel. It's about 6 p.m., cocktail hour at the three-year-old B&B, and a handful of visitors have stopped by to sip drinks inside a colonial-style courtyard. A lush garden surrounds gushing fountains and statues of angels. High-ceilinged rooms shimmer with Mexican antiques and artifacts. On the patio of the Celestial Suite, a room with a 270-degree view perched on the top floor, the sound of church bells from the nearby cathedral, Our Lady of Guadalupe, rings through the air.
Welcome to Puerto Vallarta —or perhaps the Puerto Vallarta you did not know exists. This Pacific Coast beach town famous for fun in the sun—partygoers know it as a land of discos and margaritas, the playground of grinning gringos in sequinned sombreros—has evolved into a cosmopolitan city with a flourishing arts scene, chic shops and hidden retreats.
Nestled at the foot of the jungle-covered Sierra Madres along horseshoe-shaped Banderas Bay , the town became famous as the tropical setting of John Huston's film Night of the Iguana, and as Richard Burton's and Elizabeth Taylor's love nest. More than 40 years later, it still beguiles visitors with palm-fringed sands and technicolor sunsets, but now it's a booming city of 350,000 that invites travelers to get off the beach and explore the town's attractions.
El Centro, the downtown area, is where most of the buzz is happening. Compact and made for strolling, the district has retained the charm of a Mexican pueblo. The sun dances off adobe-style buildings and bougainvillea-draped balconies. While you may still catch sight of a donkey cart, increasingly incongruous in a city now thriving with Internet cafés, a more prevalent sight is Mexican teens carrying cell phones. A 10-day gourmet food festival, and an international film festival that last November showed more than 80 independent films from all over the Americas, give the city a sophisticated feel.
On the art front, Puerto Vallarta has more than two dozen contemporary-art galleries, making it one of Mexico 's top modern-art centers outside of Mexico City.
“Our arts scene is thriving partly because artists want to live and work in a place of such natural beauty, but also because so many American expatriates live here,” says Gary Thompson, owner of the city's Galería Pacífico. “People want to hang good art on their walls and are willing to pay for it.”
Every Wednesday from October to the end of April, 17 downtown art galleries open their doors and offer free cocktails at a self-guided Art Walk that frequently offers bold, expressive works that seem to exemplify Mexico's color and passion. Galería Pacífico presents regional artists who have gone on to gain national recognition, such as French-born Patrick Denoun and Ramiz Barquet. Galería Uno, the grande dame of local galleries, has a 30-year history of showcasing the region's top artists, among them Esau Andrade, Sergio Garval and up-and-coming Meme. Galería Arte Latinoamericano's cast includes Marta Gilbert, a celebrated local artist whose Native-American style paintings have won a large following, while Galerie des Artistes often has master prints by great artists such as Diego Rivera.
A handful of interesting galleries are also sprinkled in the city's South Side neighborhood, just across the Rio Cuale bridge downtown. Among them are Galería Dante, the city's foremost sculpture gallery, and Galería Olinalá, a folk-art gallery with ceremonial dance masks and carvings.
“Folk art is very accessible and it taps into Mexico's rich, deep cultural history,” says Brewster Brockman, Olinalá's owner and an accomplished painter himself.
Like other beach destinations, Puerto Vallarta has no shortage of souvenir shops, but both the downtown area and the South Side sparkle with sophisticated stores presenting more original offerings. A few blocks from City Hall, you can find Sergio Bustamante, an outlet for the famed Guadalajara artist whose fanciful designs on sculpted cats, clowns and large eggs fetch prices anywhere from $200 to $10,000. Not far away, Daniel Espinosa, a jewelry designer from Mexico City, exhibits stylish necklaces in silver and semi-precious stones.
Several downtown shops feature one of the region's distinctive highlights: folk art made by Huichols, a reclusive Native tribe who live in the mountains northeast of Puerto Vallarta. Their vibrant yarn paintings and intricate, beaded sculptures filled with symbolic designs are inspired by visions conjured during spiritual ceremonies. Individual Huichols, clad in embroidered white shirts and pants, frequently work in shops and demonstrate how they create their pieces.
Puerto Vallarta's South Side looks a tad dusty and funky—budget hotels rub shoulders with auto-parts stores and taco stands—but it embodies the easygoing, hang-loose, Jimmy Buffet-like charm that made the city famous. Just across the southbound bridge, you'll find a row of music clubs led by Club Roxy, where a blues-and-rock band plays on most evenings. A few blocks away, Basilio Badillo Street has so many good eateries that it's been dubbed Restaurant Row. Just follow your nose through the seductive aromas of sidewalk restaurants, invoking cuisines from all over the world. Fresh-fish dishes featuring local huachinango, or red snapper, are always a good bet.
The nearby neighborhood has a cluster of one-of-a-kind shops. Mundo de Azulejos, the city's only Talavera tile shop, sells pretty blue-colored tiles and ceramic murals. Lucy's Cucu Cabana has original, high-quality Mexican handicrafts gathered by its owners on annual expeditions; and Viva dazzles visitors with chic accessories and jewelry from hundreds of designers.
For any visitor to Puerto Vallarta , there is one don't-miss attraction: the malecón (mal-eh-CONE), a kilometer-long boardwalk that runs along the downtown oceanfront. Hugging the beach on one side, the malecón flaunts a marvelous view—a vast sky stretched across shimmering Banderas Bay—and is the perfect spot for sunset-gazing. But the real draw is the chance to mix with local people, who gather here every evening to chat with friends and savor the radiant surroundings.
On Sunday evenings, this 11-block walkway erupts into a community street fair, enlivened by music streaming into the air from nearby restaurants and clubs. People stroll the breezy promenade, stopping to watch mimes, listen to street musicians, and nosh on grilled corn on the cob, mango-on-a-stick, or pepitas (salted pumpkin seeds).
Visitors and locals alike can't resist the boardwalk's outdoor sculptures—almost a dozen handsome bronze sculptures that have been worn to a smooth patina from all the enthusiastic attention. One of the biggest delights is The Seahorse, a nine-foot-high statue of a boy waving from a seahorse that has become the city's unofficial symbol. Perhaps the best-loved piece of public art is La Nostalgia, which depicts two lovers in a serene, joyous moment and was inspired by local sculptor Ramiz Barquet's true story of finding his wife again in Puerto Vallarta after many years of separation.
The top crowd-pleaser, however, is Rotunda del Mar, a collection of whimsical, 10-foot-tall sea creatures shaped into oversized bronze chairs. Kids scamper atop them. Flirtatious teens steal kisses behind them. Musicians, jugglers, and clowns use them as impromptu stages. They're all part of the fabric of Puerto Vallarta , the kaleidoscope of sights and attractions that makes the city more than just a beach town.
Nick Gallo, a Seattle writer who specializes in Mexico topics, is a two-time winner of the Pluma de Plata, an award presented by the President of Mexico for top travel article of the year about Mexico.
Planning Your Trip
Puerto Vallarta can be reached nonstop from Denver on Frontier and United Airlines.
For more information contact your local AAA Travel professional or click on “Travel” at www.aaa.com.
Other useful resources include Puerto Vallarta Convention and Visitors Bureau, www.visitpuertovallarta.com; and the Mexico Tourism Board, 1-800-446-3942; www.visitmexico.com.
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