Our Museum
There is always room for a taste of our cultural origins, and there is always a room to hold things that are very ours, that most will come and go without noticing, but those willing to dig a little further, can discover lots right under the noses of the unsuspecting majority.
The Cuale River divides the town into two, right downtown, by the market. The river itself divides into two, forming an island in the middle. An island that makes a pleasant walk, shaded by lush vegetation dressed with the bright colors of Mexican arts and crafts being displayed there.
It holds an artistic side, with theater, dancing, guitar, piano, painting, sculpting, workshops; and some new, extravagant and refreshing (I have participated in some, like the Acoustic Art Workshop, a hallucinating experience) new art resources.
There is also great dining at renowned places like, Le Bistro, The River Café, Oscar’s… I think the Cuale River Island is part of the planet’s inventory of most enjoyable places.
 But now, if you go towards the end, next to the new pedestrians’ bridge, you will find a well appointed, single story facility, in the colonial style of Vallarta’s white stucco walls and red-tile roofs, amidst the Cuale River Island’s gardens, the Museo del Cuale.
The main exhibit area in the museum features mainly the history of the cultures of western Mexico, from their nomadic period of hunter-gatherers dating back to 5000 b.c.
It continues on to the Chupícuaro period 400-200 b.c. characterized by its beautiful, elaborate ceramics, of which we can see some authentic, geometrically decorated and burnished samples.
The third stage covers the shaft-tomb burial practices; the fourth is the Aztatlán period from 800 to 1200 a.d. in which metals appear and ceramics featured an abundance of colors and symbolism; the archaeological site of Ixtapa, Jalisco, just a few miles from Puerto Vallarta is a typical representation of that period. This archaeological zone is expected to be open to the public in the near future, allowing locals and visitors to witness unforeseen vestiges of ancient cultures in our region .
The fifth stage marks the rise of the “Purépecha” empire which covered the coastal states of Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit, an empire so powerful, it kept its independence from the Aztec empire.
The exhibit ends with the Spanish conquest as its closing, sixth stage.
There is another exhibit area which may feature a transient display of dresses, accessories and household items from the Mexican lifestyle of the XIX century; or paintings from contemporary Mexican artists, which should lure visitors and locals alike to keep coming back to this special place nested in one of Puerto Vallarta’s favorite spots. Email to a friend
Free entrance, open Tuesday to Saturday.
Eduardo Rincón-Gallardo
E-mail: toureps@prodigy.net.mx
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