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Activist and businessman Paco Ruiz, a pioneer of LGBTQ+ life in Puerto Vallarta who died in 2016, will receive a posthumous Maguey Award at the 2026 Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG).
FICG, one of Latin America’s top film festivals, spotlights Mexican and Ibero-American cinema through screenings, industry forums and cultural events each year in Guadalajara.
The Maguey Posthumous Tribute recognizes individuals whose careers broke paradigms and left a lasting legacy for the LGBTQ+ community.
The Movement for Equality in Mexico (MOVii) nominated Ruiz to preserve historical memory and spotlight key figures in the fight for sexual and gender diversity rights.
Ruiz transformed Puerto Vallarta into an LGBTQ+ destination. In 1989, he opened the bar Paco Paco, a turning point for the city’s nightlife that helped establish the Romantic Zone as a safe hub for the community.
His activism peaked in 1991 when police arrested him after he defended a lesbian couple. Activists call the incident the “Stonewall of Vallarta,” a pivotal moment against discrimination.
Ruiz aided transgender people with legal processes, challenged discriminatory practices and promoted spaces of freedom and dignity.
Maguey Award director Pavel Cortés said the honor highlights people from various fields who advanced sexual diversity and rights.
“Recognizing Paco Ruiz means acknowledging a career that profoundly changed community life,” Cortés said. “His activism paved the way for today’s freedoms and rights, which we often take for granted. This tribute introduces new generations to the figures who made it possible.”
Cortés added that Ruiz’s legacy explains Puerto Vallarta’s status as a diversity benchmark in Mexico and Latin America.
Ruiz died Sept. 7, 2016. His legacy symbolizes resistance, community and social change.
The tribute is part of Maguey Award events at FICG 2026.
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