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From Restaurants to Real Estate to Community Activist, Poncho Shines.
Photos by Victor Lara
A successful real estate professional. A dedicated advocate for dogs. A passionate leader in the LGBTQIA+ community. Alfonso “Poncho” Davalos is a man of many hats, but all are worn with a singular purpose: to make Puerto Vallarta a better place. As he marks a year since opening his real estate firm, his story stands out as a true tribute to hard work and giving back.
Davalos is one of those rare people who you remember long after meeting them. I had that pleasure on a sunny morning at Mairel’s Bookshop, located within the gleaming Parota Center.
Poncho had recently celebrated the one year anniversary of the opening of his new firm, Poncho Davalos Real Estate, with an intimate gathering at Vallarta Tequila Tastings. Longtime friends, which included the owner of that amazing space, Corinna Levine Dahlin, joined him to mark the special occasion. As the group enjoyed a mezcal and chocolate pairing, Poncho was honored as the epitome of the Mexican success story.
His life is a towering tribute to hard work, determination, and overcoming adversity. Now that his years of toil have paid off, he isn’t just sitting back and relaxing, taking life easy, far from it.
He is busy every day, rising at 4:00 am, before the sun, to greet the coming day. After an intensive morning regimen, he begins his workday at 10:00 am, and then works well into the evening on behalf of his clients, and the community at large.
I asked him, only half joking, how do you fit everything into each day? He answered laughing, “it’s all about organization.”
Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Poncho spent many years in the hospitality industry there, working at a variety of high end hotels and restaurants. His dream was to become the General Manager of a Fiesta Americana grand, but he began working at a restaurant named La Leche in Monterrey.
He liked the La Leche concept, and enjoyed his work, but the location closed shortly after he began his career there. This seeming bit of bad luck, turned into an opportunity in disguise, as a transfer to La Leche Puerto Vallarta became available. The pending move wasn’t a slam dunk though, as they say.
Poncho didn’t see Puerto Vallarta as a natural fit at first, viewing it similarly to Cancun, a party town.
“I arrived in Puerto Vallarta on November 26, 2009,” Poncho said, and smiled broadly, recalling the exact date. “I remember when I stepped off the plane here in Vallarta for the first time, I arrived with $500 pesos in my pocket, and a credit card with a $300 dollar credit limit on it. I felt the warm air hit me, and I said to myself, “I will make it here one way or the other, there is no going back.”
After settling in, Poncho quickly fell in love with the culture here. He developed many friendships that would last for years, but one in particular changed his life.
A young woman named Susan Chong encouraged him to get into the local real estate scene, which was to be the turning point on his journey.
Poncho shared, “Meeting her was one of the best things to happen in my life, her encouragement put me on my current career path, and I will always be grateful to her.”
With the confidence that he needed, Poncho plunged into the Vallarta real estate market late in 2010. Working for many years in the industry gave him the experience, knowledge, and gravitas required to take his dream to the next level.
In July of 2024 he opened Poncho Davalos Real Estate.
“The universe pushed me, everything merged, and the timing came together perfectly,” he said.
I was taken by surprise when Poncho added another dimension to his already brimming resume, as he shared his stint as a contestant on the wildly successful La Academia, or Mexican Idol, based on the US program, American Idol.
He tried out for La Academia ten times, while living in Monterrey, before deciding it wasn’t for him. This training however gave him the building blocks to pursue another opportunity, this time years later after moving to Vallarta.
Poncho explained he had the pleasure of appearing three times on the TV real estate show Mexico Life, and that he was the only Mexican from Puerto Vallarta to ever appear on the popular show.
Poncho would like to someday do an inspirational talk about his life, sharing some of the secrets of his success.
The discussion then turned to the icing on the cake, the two passions that drive Poncho’s activism, his love of Dogs, and the LGBTQIA+ Community.
He has dedicated his time and fervor to both causes and his commitment is simply awe inspiring.
Looking for a way to give back to the community, and share his love of animals, he began volunteering in 2018 for the local chapter of the SPCA. After a time making a difference there, he discovered another organization through a client, Karen Chesson.
The group is named “A Dog’s New Life,” and they are dedicated to finding homes for abused, neglected, sick, and injured street dogs. They provide adoption services locally, and through the Flight Angels program, for those living in Canada, and the United States.
Poncho adopted two dogs, Cleo and Champ, both black, because as he informed me, black dogs are the last to be adopted. Poncho found his third dog, Nikko, on the street, and couldn’t leave him there, so he became his third “child.”
Every morning he takes his brood, his pride and joy, out for an extended walk. Champ, the original adoptee, now six, Nikko the oldest, is seven, and Cleo, the baby, is five.
The closing of SETAC nearly two years ago left a huge void that needed to be filled. With the dedication of an incredible group of community leaders, The Vallarta Gay+ Community Center opened very shortly thereafter in January of 2024.
As the center brought those vital services back to the community, and expanded their facilities, Poncho couldn’t wait to become involved. He smiled at the memory of telling Mike Owens, (Owner of Studs Bar PV, and Board Secretary at the center), “I don’t know what I can do, but I want to help,” Poncho continued, “after that, every time I saw Mike, and Don Pickens,” (Owner of Casa Cupula Puerto Vallarta, and Board Chair at the center), “I let them know, I’m ready to help, and in July of 2024, I was invited to be the adjoining member at the community center, and in November of that year, I was invited to be part of the board of directors.”
Within the parameters of Poncho’s work at The Vallarta Gay+ Community Center is a deep belief in social justice for the marginalized.
Poncho spoke passionately, his voice rising, “I want to fight for the rights of the Trans community, because someone before me fought for the rights that I have today,” he continued, “fighting for the LGBTQIA+ family is a marathon, it’s not a sprint.”
The Vallarta Gay+ Community Center offers vital medical care, including; PrEP, PEP, DoxyPEP, STI testing and treatment – and so much more.
We then discussed some of the programs that have been developed, fun activities which include; salsa class, Spanish community class, yoga class, and more.
“I love promoting all the activities that we provide,” Poncho said. He also wanted to be clear, everything that The Vallarta Gay+ Community Center does is for everyone, all are invited, not just LGBTQIA+ folks.
Executive Director of the center Pedro Lopez’s mantra is for anyone who visits to feel integrated, valued, and welcomed.
We then discussed a game changing new program the center began in May of this year called Zona Safe.
Poncho stated, “It is a great initiative, developed by Don Pickens, it’s a WhatsApp group that the police are a part of, through monitoring, reporting and information sharing.”
The cutting edge collaborative between the center and local authorities includes three pillars; prevention, eyes on the street, and follow up. All are vital, and work in unison to keep members of the LGBTQIA+ community safe.
As the conversation drew to a close, Poncho became contemplative, sharing, “I don’t volunteer for me to have the spotlight, my work is to assist people in the community that need help.”
He continued, “Vallarta has been good to me, there were so many fantastic people who helped me when I needed it, this is my way to show my appreciation for all that has been done for me,” Concluding with emotion, Poncho voiced a final thought, “at the end of my life, I want to know that I left the world a better place than when I came into it, I want to be sure that I danced.”
Contact Poncho Davalos at:
52 322 292 2312
To volunteer at The Vallarta Gay+ Community Center please contact the center at 52 322 128 6793 and talk with Tina Kunkel (Administrator) she can assist.
To volunteer at A Dog’s New Life please contact the website at www.adogsnewlife.org.
This article is from our Fall 2025 print issue. You can view it here.
Esta publicación también está disponible en: English Español
