Tequila, anyone? Puerto Vallarta offers a sampling of the best of the spirit of Mexico.

Tour to the Town of Tequila

Tour Operator: Vallarta Adventures

Destination:  one of the original haciendas and tequila (agave) fields

Mode of Transportation: a private 16-passenger plane

Departure Time from Puerto Vallarta: every Thursday at 10 am, from the Aerotron private airport (adjacent to the Puerto Vallarta International Airport)

Flight Duration: a comfortable 35 minutes

Arrival Time Back in Puerto Vallarta: by 8 pm the same day

Other Information:

• Tequila is the only region in the world where the legendary spirit is distilled
• Visit centers around Herradura Tequila's impressive 18th-century Hacienda San José
• Visitors learn about the myth and the tradition of producing tequila from the stately plants that line the hillsides of the town

A Side Trip on the Tequila Tour:

From Tequila, visitors fly on to Guadalajara. It is one of Mexico's largest cities. Guadalajara has a rich colonial heritage. Visitors have time to shop at the world-renowned markets of Tlaquepaque.

Tour to Huichol Indian Village

Tour Operator: Vallarta Adventures

Destinations:

• Remote mountain villages where the Huichol Indians live
• The Copper Canyon
• The mystical village of Mexcaltitan

Mode of Transportation: by air

Departure Location: Puerto Vallarta

Tours in Puerto Vallarta

Schedule: Every Wednesday and Thursday in high season (late November to Easter)

Tour Guide: the International Friendship Club

Tour Destination: a private home tour of four villas in Puerto Vallarta

Shops in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico are generally concentrated in small, eclectic, independent shops rather than in impersonal malls. Visitors can shop for:

• Excellent folk art
• Original clothing designs
• Fine jewelry
• Creative home accessories at great prices

Vallarta is famous for offering the most diverse and impressive selection of contemporary Mexican fine art outside Mexico City. It also has a large quantity of:

• Tacky T-shirts
• Ubiquitous silver jewelry

Here are a few of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico’s key shopping areas.

Central Downtown

Downtown, visitors can shop:

• Along the Marina Vallarta malecón
• In the popular mercados
• On the beach (where the merchandise is freely offered)

Some of the more attractive shops are 1 to 2 blocks behind the malecón.

Location: starting at the intersection of Corona and Morelos streets, interesting shops spread out in all directions

Marina Vallarta has two shopping plazas, Plaza Marina and Neptuno Plaza.

Location: on the main highway from the airport into town

These plazas offer a limited selection of shops. Plaza Neptuno features primarily home décor shops.

The Marina Boardwalk (Marina Malecón)

This boardwalk still has a few interesting shops. But it is dominated by:

• Real estate companies
• Timeshare vendors
• Restaurants
• Boating services

Municipal Market

Location: just north of the Río Cuale in Puerto Vallarta, at the intersection of Libertad and A. Rodríguez  

Opening Hours: daily from 9 am to 7 pm

Items to Shop For:

• Clothes
• Jewelry
• Serapes
• Shawls
• Leather accessories and suitcases
• Papier-mâché parrots
• Stuffed frogs and armadillos
• T-shirts

Visitors are advised to comparison-shop, and haggle before buying.

Other Services:

Upstairs in the Municipal Market, a food market serves inexpensive Mexican meals. This market attracts more adventurous diners. It is probably the best value and most authentic dining experience in PuertoVallarta, Mexico.

Outdoor Market

Location: along Río Cuale Island, between the two bridges

Items to Shop For:

• Crafts
• Gifts
• Folk art
• Clothing

Small Vallarta

Location: on Paseo Díaz Ordaz 928 on the eastern side, just before the malecón starts

Telephone Number: 322/222-7530

Small Vallarta is new to downtown. It is a "small mall" featuring tourist-friendly shops and dining options.

Shopping and Dining Options:

• Carl Junior's burgers
• Häagen-Dazs ice cream
• Swatch watch shop
• El Mundo de Tequila
• Diamonds International jewelry store

Walking Vendors

Walking vendors operate along any public beach. They generally approach visitors. “Almost free!" they call out. Buying from walking vendors can be an entertaining alternative to shopping in town. It is a good chance to pick up souvenirs. Bargaining is expected.

Types of Merchandise Offered:

• Silver jewelry
• Rugs
• T-shirts
• Masks

Locations of the Most Reputable Beach Vendors: concentrated at Los Muertos Beach in front of the El Dorado and La Palapa restaurants (on Calle Pulpito)

Shipping for Shopping Puerto Vallarta

Most of the better shops and galleries offer shipping, packing, and delivery to Puerto Vallarta hotels. Some will also ship to visitors’ home addresses.

Other advices for shopping in Puerto Vallarta

Bargaining is expected in the mercados and with beach vendors. Stores generally charge fixed (and fair) prices for their goods.

Beware the Silver Scam

Much of the silver sold by beach vendors is actually alpaca. Alpaca is a lower-quality silver metal. Many pieces of Alpaca are stamped with the designation ".925," which supposedly indicates true silver. Prices for silver on the beach are much lower. But so is the quality. Visitors looking for a more lasting piece of jewelry are advised to buy it in a silver shop.

Information About Huichol Indian Art Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico offers the best selection of Huichol Indian art in Mexico. The Huichol are indigenous peoples and descendants of the Aztec. They have remained true to their ancient traditions, customs, language, and habitat. The Huichol Indians live in adobe structures in the high Sierras  north and east of Puerto Vallarta,Mexico. They live at an elevation of 1,394 m/4,600 ft). The land surrounding their villages has been subject to decreasing fertility (and therefore productivity). So, the Huichol Indians have come to depend more on the sale of their artwork to earn a living.

Huichol Indian art has always been shrouded in a veil of mysticism. This is probably one of the reasons serious collectors seek out this form of artesanía. Huichol art is captured in colorful, symbolic yarn "paintings". They are inspired by visions experienced during spiritual ceremonies. . In the ceremonies, artists ingest peyote, a hallucinogenic cactus. The peyote induces brightly-colored visions. These visions are considered messages from their ancestors. The visions' symbolic and mythological imagery influences the art.  This art includes:

• Yarn paintings
• Fascinating masks
• Bowls decorated with tiny colored beads

The Huichol Indians are geographically isolated. But they are learning the importance of good business. They have adapted their art to meet consumer demand. The designs used in original Huichol art are not necessarily traditional. In response to consumer demand, the designs now include:

• Iguanas
• Jaguars
• Sea turtles
• Frogs
• Eclipses
• Eggs

For more traditional works, visitors should look for pieces that depict:

• Deer
• Scorpions
• Wolves
• Snakes

The Huichol have also had to modify their techniques. They need to create more pieces in less time to meet increased demand. Instead of the detailed designs that used to fill the pieces, visitors are now seeing:

• Patterned fill-work (which is faster to produce)
• Depictions of landscapes and abstract pieces (which are non-traditional themes)

A Huichol Art Primer: Shopping Tips

Huichol art falls into two main categories:

• Yarn paintings
• Beaded pieces

All other items found in Huichol art galleries are either ceremonial objects or everyday items.

Yarn Paintings

Method: made on a wood base covered with wax and meticulously overlaid with colored yarn. There are normally empty spaces where the wax base shows. Usually the artist starts with a central motif and works around it. But it is common to have several independent motifs that, when combined, take on a different meaning.

What the Designs Represent: the magical vision of the underworld; each symbol gives meaning to the piece. A painting with many small designs tells a more complicated story than one with only one design and a background of fill-work. Visitors should look for the story of the piece on the back of the painting. Most Huichol artists write the story in pencil in both Huichol and Spanish.

Authenticity: paintings made with wool yarn are more authentic than those made with acrylic. But acrylic yarn paintings are usually brighter. They have more detail because the threads are thinner.  

Beaded pieces

Method: made on carved wooden shapes. They depict different animals, wooden eggs, or small bowls made from gourds. First, the pieces are covered with wax. Then tiny chaquira beads are applied one by one to form designs.

What the Designs Usually Represent:

• Animals
• Plants
• The elements of fire, water, or air
• Certain symbols that give a special meaning to the whole

Traditional Elements:

• Deer
• Snakes
• Wolves
• Scorpions

Non-Traditional Elements:

• Iguanas
• Frogs
• Any animals not indigenous to Huichol territory

These elements are incorporated by popular demand. Some of the beadwork has many small designs that do not exactly fit into one another. This kind is more time-consuming and has a more complex symbolic meaning. It also has empty spaces where the wax shows.

Huichol Indians can be seen on the streets of Puerto Vallarta. They are easy to pick out. They wear white clothing embroidered with colorful designs. Downtown Puerto Vallarta has a number of fine Huichol galleries.

A Place to Learn More About The Huichol

 Huichol Collection

Location:Morelos 490, across from the sea-horse statue on the malecón

Telephone Number: 322/223-2141

This shop offers an extensive selection of Huichol art in all price ranges, as well as:

• A replica of a Huichol adobe hut
• Informational displays explaining more about the Huichols’ fascinating way of life and beliefs
• Usually a Huichol artist at work

Visitors should note that this place is a timeshare sales location. They may be hit with a sales pitch for a "free" breakfast and property tour.

Contemporary Art Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is known for sustaining one of the stronger art communities in Latin America. It has an impressive selection of fine galleries. They feature quality original works. Several dozen galleries collaborate to offer art walks. These walks take place almost every week between November and April.