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Behind the Sierra Madre mountain range flanking the enchanting Banderas Bay, beneath the surface of the crashing ocean waves, lurking in the shadows of the forests lie the secrets of the unknown, the murmurs, the voiceless whispers of the spirits, dead and the undead, still roaming the cobblestone thoroughfares of Puerto Vallarta.
Embark on a journey through time and mystery with the Vallarta Ghost Walk, a tour curated by Manuel. This immersive experience offers a glimpse into the rich and, at times, dark history of the city.
Manuel, also known as Manny—a native of Puerto Vallarta—has returned to his hometown after spending decades in Canada. Alongside his daughter, Gianel, Manny has been operating the Vallarta Ghost Walk for the past two years. This unique tour offers two featured experiences: the downtown historic walk and a cemetery tour in the Cinco de Diciembre neighborhood.
The Vallarta Ghost Walk is not just a stroll through the streets of Puerto Vallarta; it’s a journey into the secrets and mysteries that have been veiled beneath the surface for centuries. As attendees traverse the city with expert guides, they are treated to tales of local folklore along with gaining insights into the origins of the Day of the Dead, a tradition rooted in the Aztec civilization.
“In Mexico, we say everybody experiences two deaths: the first when you die; and the second when everybody forgets who you were,” Manny said the night I joined him for the historic downtown walk. “When people forget your name, you completely vanish from existence and go to the land of the forgotten.”
During the Day of the Dead, one avoids erasing the memories of their ancestors by keeping them living in their hearts with stories passed on from generation to generation, he added.
The downtown walk began near the Plaza Hidalgo in front of a white-washed building from 1954 still bearing the original name of the city before it was called Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Las Penas. As one stands in the plaza listening to Manny, one can’t help but feel the sense of intrigue being evoked by the history of the legends and folklore that only locals are aware of.
Like the tale of the heartbroken woman in white, whose spirit is said to roam the streets from the time when Puerto Vallarta was just a sleepy fishing village and the plaza Hidalgo where we stood was a cemetery.
It is said that during the city’s tourism boom in the 1950s, the Plaza Hidalgo was built over a cemetery, with bodies being relocated to the area where the Cinco de Diciembre cemetery stands today. However, due to budget constraints, some of the corpses were left in their original burial ground, giving rise to the legendary tale of the heartbroken woman. Reports of a barefoot female in white wandering the streets in front of the former cemetery began to surface, with sightings occurring in the early hours of the morning. The chilling encounters with the woman in white have become an integral part of Puerto Vallarta’s folklore, adding an air of mystery to the city’s history.
Many reported the sighting of a teary-eyed woman with a distraught look. When one taxi driver, Jose, stopped and asked the woman the reason for her walking the street, the woman—without looking at him—stated she’d been looking for her husband. Being a good samaritan, the taxi driver offered to take her to the three cantinas still open and help her find her husband. Darting glances into the rearview mirror, Manny said, Jose got increasingly concerned when her passenger remained elusive and non-engaging. The taxi driver continued to speak to her to curb the anxiety rising in his chest only to return his gaze to the mirror and find no one was sitting in the backseat of the cab. Jose turned the vehicle around and drove to where he’d picked her up. What he discovered shocked him. The story continues, and the fate of the heartbroken woman is revealed to those who register for the tour by clicking the link at the bottom of this article.
Another intriguing stop on the tour was the Hotel Rosita on the Malecon, where Manny shed light on the area’s history. What was once a shipping and warehouse head office has now been transformed into a hotel, but the tales of its industrial past linger in the air. Manny painted a vivid picture of a time when the Malecon was devoid of tourists, shops, and restaurants, offering a glimpse into the city’s industrial roots.
“The citizens of Puerto Vallarta mainly lived in the mountains,” Manny informed the attendees. “If you didn’t farm, or fish, you worked for one of the three shipping and warehouse companies located here.” But the labor was painstakingly manual, he said, and work conditions brutal.
Then he asked everyone to follow him to the Malecon market, a courtyard bazaar with shops and what appeared to be rooms with dark windows above, the last of the remaining warehouses. Manny said the majority of the company managers and those high up the chain lived around the area and gave the workers credit who couldn’t afford basic provisions due to low wages, hence enslaving them into bonded servitude. The cruelty and mistreatment of the working class by the upper class continued with passing on the debt to the children when the breadwinner of the family died.
Today, the workers at the Melcon market are well aware of the happenings at night, when the businesses are closed. No one except for a guard stationed outside stays on the premises. What many have reported has been terrifying. Manny said officials brought in priests to bless the place and even attempted exorcism but nothing has worked. Learn more about the strange occurrences at the Malecon market by registering for the tour.
From there the tour ventured onto one of the side streets in Centro with a large Catrina mural on the left side wall when facing east. Manny pointed to an abandoned house next to the mural. According to him, the previous owners of the building, and the ones before them, tried to turn it into a hostel or an Airbnb, but nothing has worked against the sinister spirit that haunts the property. From its days, the property could be considered a mansion-like hacienda with many rooms and a courtyard in the middle. A family of nine children lived there according to the story. It was the youngest of the nine siblings who fell in love with a beautiful—yet cunning—Cuban woman who practiced the Santeria religion. She—through her conniving plot and charm—made the hacienda property deed transferred under her name.
When after a long legal proceeding that lasted over 40 years the authorities arrived at the house to evict her, she placed a Santeria curse on the house to never be occupied. Many walking down the street in the middle of the night have felt cold sweat run down their spine after witnessing what has stared at them from one of the upstairs windows.
Finally, the tour moved to Los Muertos Beach where Manny educated everyone on the history behind that title. It was because the Spaniards arrived at the bay in the 1700s and slaughtered close to 10,000 members of the Indigenous tribes living there and left thousands of corpses in a mass open grave along the beach.
In the velvety dark of that night, I felt enshrouded by the shared stories and legends. The Vallarta Ghost Walk offered a unique glimpse into the rich history and folklore of Puerto Vallarta. Manny Hernandez’s passion for his hometown and its intriguing past was apparent in the way he brought these tales to life.
As the sun sets and the cobblestone streets come alive with the echoes of centuries-old tales, attendees are transported to a world where the line between the living and the spirits blurs, leaving an indelible mark on all those who dare to embark on this hauntingly enchanting journey.
Click the link for more information and to sign up for the Puerto Vallarta Ghost Walk tour. vallartaghostwalk.com
You may also consider other walking tours of Puerto Vallarta. Check out this company that offers several walking tours: Puerto Vallarta Walking Adventures.
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