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 Observing closely the coat
of arms of the municipality of Puerto Vallarta,
we could think that the predominant figure of the
pez vela (Istiophorus platypterus), would have
the same roots within the regional folklore like
what happens to the royal eagle - undeniable symbol of our Mexican identity.
In this case, the situation is far from reality,
since whatever was arranged officially does not agree
with the preferences of the community and taking
into consideration that sportfishing - which is represented
by the pez vela - is not a substantial part in the
everyday life of the local people who have chosen
the green iguana and the cuiza (Hemidactylus frenatus)
as an esential part of their traditions.
These reptiles are the main models for the decoration
of a great variety of Mexican arts and crafts, t-shirts,
caps, facades of hotels and commercial establishments,
and it is even possible to observe them on human
skin in the form of tattoos.
In addition their names are generally applied to
baptize restaurants, shops, brands of cloth, non-governmental
organizations, nightclubs, and shopping malls, as
well as residential areas.
 The gecko is the only reptile
which is capable of vocalizing in a regular manner.
Its common name gecko or "kisser" comes from the typical cry it utters,
some kind of "gec-gec", "kic-kic", or "toc-toc",
sounds that are audible from a great distance. It
is about a nightlife organism which moves his tail
from one side to the other while stalking its prey,
rivaling cats that prepare themselves for the capture
of moving objects. Its habit of feeding on insects
has gained it the acceptance of human beings in their
houses, because it eliminates many "plagues" like
ants, spiders, flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, ticks
and even scorpions. In fact it is so valuable as
a controller of harmful animals that some people
deliberately introduce great quantities of theses
reptiles into their homes. Several hotels even distribute
small information brochures among their guests that
illustrate the importance of this specie, preventing
its physical harm, since some tourists are disturbed
by the presence of these defenseless and inoffensive
organisms inside their hotel rooms.
 Through a documentary shown
by the Discovery channel, we know today that geckos
stick to anything except teflon. New investigations
have allowed us to learn that this great adherence
of their feet is due to the existence of approximately
half a million tiny hair called "setae" on the feet's surface. There
are a million of microscopic extremities called "espatulae" at
the tip of each "setae" which are responsible for
generating an incredible adhesive force. Its adherence
is such that theoretically a gecko held up to the
ceiling face up could sustain a knapsack of 40 kg
without falling down. This has called the attention
of space engineers and scientists, to such a degree
that investigations are sponsored by the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Unfortunately not everything runs smoothly for the
geckos of Banderas Bay, since some people do eliminate
them systematically based on the false belief that
their bite is poisonous.
Even though this small lizard forms a part of the
popular tradition of this region, it is not Mexican.
It is a species that was introduced from Southeast
Asia and Indochina traveling like pullets on cargo
vessels. It is found on the Pacific coast of Mexico
from the northern part of Sinaloa to Acapulco and
in the rest of the world, it is located in Australia
and Southeast Africa.
Without any doubt the green iguana enjoys a greater
popularity in this region; however it seems as if
soon the gecko will be more popular than Spiderman
himself!
The Editor
editor@pvmirror.com
* Part of this information is the result of
an investigation carried out by the Coastal University
Center of Puerto Vallarta and it is published in
Spanish on their website: http://www.cuc.udg.mx/estero/ Archives
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