Our Lady
It dates back to the founding of our city. As I have told you once, before there were any settlements here, this place was known as Puerto Las Peñas. Las Peñas meaning “The Rocks” referring to the boulders known as Los Arcos (The Arches); just off Mismaloya Beach.
Don Guadalupe Sánchez used to visit this area bringing materials needed by the mines of the sierra; then one day Don Guadalupe decided to come with his family and settle in this beautiful place. It was the 12th of December, 1851; a date the whole country celebrates the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the hill named “Tepeyac” in the outskirts of Mexico City back in 1531.
 Guadalupe Sánchez, thus renamed his new home “Las Peñas de Santa María de Guadalupe”. The settlement lived a quiet life that evolved harmoniously with its surroundings; due to its gradual growth on 1868 was it declared a commissary under the agricultural municipality of Talpa and later annexed to the mining municipality of San Sebastián in 1888.
Both towns mentioned deserve to be visited; Talpa has a shrine to Our Lady of the Rosary that is visited yearly by the faithful from all over Mexico; while San Sebastián transports us into its bountiful past when the mines made it the richest town in the region, some of its antique buildings have been remodeled into charming little inns.
But the religious figure of Guadalupe continues to intertwine into Vallarta’s history, in 1895 the Bishop of Tepic authorizes the construction of the Church of Las Peñas de Santa María de Guadalupe.
In 1918 the town of Las Peñas de Santa María de Guadalupe rose to the rank of seaport and municipality and was renamed Puerto Vallarta honoring illustrious lawman and former state governor Ignacio L. Vallarta.
 By 1921 the church of Our Lady of Guadalupe rose to the rank of parish.
On October 9, 1995 an earthquake was felt by our city, although there was no major damage, Our Lady of Guadalupe lost its crown. There is a legend going around that says the crown is a replica of that of Empress Carlota, the wife of Maximilian of Habsburg, the short-lived emperor of Mexico from 1864 to 1867.
The temporary fiberglass replica of the crown underwent some repairs during the months of October and November, to look its best possible for the yearly celebrations going from December 1st to the 12th.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most important religious figure in Mexico, her anniversary is celebrated on December 12 though, and since our history is so intensely entangled with her it takes us twelve days of celebrations to accommodate everyone who wants to participate .
Every hotel, every company, every neighborhood, get organized to parade through the cobble-stone streets of Puerto Vallarta to the parish, the priest will give them their schedule and they will outfit a float or a truck with a religious scene, most of the times with the Virgin of Guadalupe as main character, and parade and sing behind it carrying banners, candles, marching bands, indian dancers and more.
I truly believe this is Puerto Vallarta’s longest-lasting tradition and it is one that is full of colors, warmth and music and fireworks and vendors and food and everything!
It is everybody’s fiesta, be sure to join in because everyone is welcome to become part of Vallarta.
See you there because I will surely be around vibrating in body and soul like a good Vallartense.Email to a friend
Eduardo Rincón- Gallardo
E-mail: toureps@prodigy.net.mx
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