Puerto Vallarta is celebrating its 105th anniversary as a municipality and 55th anniversary as a city on May 31st, 2023.
In December 1851, Don Guadalupe Sánchez Torres arrived in Las Peñas de Santa Maria de Guadalupe with his family and friends. The mines needed salt to refine silver, so he delivered it by boat. On December 12, 1851, he brought his family to Las Peñas de Santa Maria de Guadalupe for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The town was founded on this day by Don Guadalupe Sánchez Torres as Las Peñas de Santa María de Guadalupe, then Puerto Las Peñas.
The crown of Puerto Vallarta’s main church bears the founding date of 1851. Las Peñas’ port opened to national maritime traffic in 1885, bringing more people to the area. On May 31, 1918, Las Peñas became a municipality and changed its name to Puerto Vallarta.
The celebration will include various cultural and artistic activities for both locals and visitors.
This is the schedule for the event at The Malecon Arches (Los Arcos del Malecón), the open air theater by the Naval Museum, on the other side of Morelos Street by the city’s Main Square.
- 5:00 PM: Jessi del Carmen Valente Flores, the winner of the ‘Impulso Musical’ contest organized by the Instituto Vallartense de Cultura – Los Arcos del Malecón.
- 6:00 PM: The Solemn Session of the City Council will take place presided by Mayor Luis Alberto Michel Rodríguez, where the Puerto Vallarta 2023 award will be presented in different categories.
- 8:00 PM: The traditional anniversary cake will be cut, and “Las Mañanitas” will be sung to Puerto Vallarta at the Arcos del Malecón. The Municipal Folkloric Group ‘Xiutla’ will perform.
- 9:30 PM: The Nahuales Show group will perform.
- 10:30 PM: The Zafiro group will perform.
- 11:00 PM: Manuel and Angélica Vargas will perform accompanied by mariachis.
- 11:45 PM: Musical fireworks show.
- 12:00 AM (Midnight): The event will close with a surprise artist performance.
This celebration is an opportunity to commemorate the history and culture of Puerto Vallarta, and enjoy the festivities with locals and visitors alike.
