November in Puerto Vallarta's History Juan Manuel Gomez Encarnacion - Visit Puerto Vallarta
go to original November 28, 2014

The eleventh month of the year is significant in Puerto Vallarta’s history because on November 11, 1930, electricity arrived for the first time in this port; on November 1, 1943, the “15 de Mayo” primary school opened; November 1944 saw the opening of the bumpy dirt road from Puerto Vallarta to Compostela; on November 11, 1954, Mexicana Airlines settled here, and on November 10, 1956, the International Sailfish Tournament was established.

November is lavish in important events in the history of Puerto Vallarta. Here we will review the most significant events that the month in question provides.

November 11, 1930, was the first night Puerto Vallarta was lit up by electricity. Before this, the streets of the harbor were lit by lanterns hanging on the corners and supplied with oil. In homes, lighting was made possible by tallow candles for those who had little, or oil lamps and cachimbas, also fueled by oil, for those of greater means. Cachimbas were small tin containers with a wick made of cotton threads. The event of that night was wonderful for the 2,676 inhabitants of the fledgling county seat, putting into operation the first electric generator, brought to the port on the initiative of Sebastian Arreola and J. Buenaventura. To these inhabitants, many of whom had never seen an electric light bulb, the "let there be light" must have seemed a miracle, an act of magic or enchantment. The service provided by this small generator happened only at night: from 8:00-11:00 pm. Before suspending the service, there would be a warning of two or three short blackouts, in order not to catch people off guard and plunge them into darkness without warning.

And then there was light! November 11, 1930, was the first night Puerto Vallarta was lit up by electricity.

November 1, 1943, Agustin Flores Contreras, a prosperous local businessman, gave the Mayor, Mr. Porfirio Uribe, the keys to the “15 de Mayo” elementary school (now called Teresa Barba Palomera). Don Agustin paid the construction costs of the school building, including the price of the land. This was a significant step in the education of the young port.

Agustin Flores Contreras invested much of his fortune in raising schools throughout the region, and in conditioning sports and cultural areas. He is recognized as the "Benefactor of Vallarta childhood." His name appears in the Encyclopedia of the Municipalities of Mexico, as one of the four illustrious men of Puerto Vallarta.

In November, 1944, Candelario Miramontes, governor of the neighboring state of Nayarit and Salvador Gutiérrez Contreras, Mayor of Compostela, officially inaugurated the bumpy dirt Compostela-Puerto Vallarta road. It was an event of great importance, because thanks to the opening of the incipient form of communication, the land connection to Tepic, Guadalajara and other major population centers by motor vehicle became possible, even if only during the dry season. Before the opening of this road, Puerto Vallarta was isolated by land all year long. The only means of communication for the just over 3,150 residents who lived there at that time were by air and sea.

On November 11, 1954, Mexicana Aviation Company began operations in this port, establishing the Guadalajara-Puerto Vallarta route, with stops in the mountain villages of Talpa de Allende and Mascota. Since its establishment here, Mexicana Airlines was an important factor in promotion, growth and development of this tourist destination. They used the old “La Vena de Santa Maria” Airport, initially with DC-3 and later with DC-4 equipment. They distinguished themselves by carrying out intensive campaigns to promote tourism in Vallarta.

By being affiliated with Pan American Airlines, these campaigns reached the international market. In 1962, the new airport was completed and Mexicana Airlines opened the Puerto Vallarta-Mazatlán-Los Angeles route. In 1966, Mexicana Airlines landed its first jet in Puerto Vallarta.

On November 10, 1956, the Puerto Vallarta Fishing Club organized its First International Sailfish Tournament. Seated at the apex of one of the world’s most beautiful and largest bays, Puerto Vallarta has a lot of fishing history to remember. Since the middle of last century, boats exploiting whales and sharks "made a killing" in the rich Banderas Bay. Pearls were exploited during the XIX century, as well. During WWII, shark liver was exported in large quantities for the manufacturing of oil capsules, an energy supplement for soldiers in the trenches. Fishing as an economic activity still takes place in Banderas Bay via fishing co-ops. However, it wasn’t until the mid-twentieth century (1956) that sport fishing became instituted through the Sailfish Tournament. Since then, the traditional Vallarta event, a producer of significant economic benefit in this tourist destination, has continued to be held during the eleventh month, and this year it was its 59th edition, under the name "59th International Marlin and Sailfish Tournament,” and was held November 12-15, 2014. The sports fishing event, generating major awards, has a proven ability to summon fishermen at the national and international levels.

Juan Manuel Gomez Encarnacion is a Professor and B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature; National Award for Children's Literature 2002 and author of numerous books. Currently Chronicler of the City of Puerto Vallarta.