Mayor Munguía Visits Las Mojoneras to Inspect Clinic and Discuss Community Needs
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Mayor Luis Munguía visited the Las Mojoneras neighbourhood as part of the ongoing Route of Good initiative, a programme in which municipal leadership conducts work sessions directly in local communities. The visit included an inspection of the Dr. Tucán Clinic, which is nearing completion, and a community meeting where residents identified their most pressing needs.
Puerto Vallarta Has One of Mexico's Largest US Citizen Communities
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Puerto Vallarta and the broader Banderas Bay area are home to one of the largest concentrations of US citizens outside the United States in any single metropolitan area. The scale and composition of that community shape the city's economy, social infrastructure, and civic landscape across many sectors.
Artisanal Spirit Production Supports Rural Economies in the Jalisco Highlands
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The producers who make raicilla in the mountain municipalities of Jalisco operate within a rural economic context that is fundamentally different from the world of large-scale agave spirits production. Understanding that context explains why cultural preservation arguments in the raicilla sector are inseparable from economic ones.
Raicilla Is Distinct From Tequila and Mezcal in Ways That Matter to Producers
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Raicilla is an agave-based distilled spirit produced in specific areas of Jalisco and parts of Nayarit. It shares the same broad botanical category as tequila and mezcal. But it differs in raw material, production geography, and traditional methods in ways that shape its character and regulatory status.
Puerto Vallarta Hosts the 9th Dama Juana Raicilla Festival in March
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The ninth annual Dama Juana Raicilla Festival takes place March 13 to 15 on the esplanade of the Cuale Cultural Center in Puerto Vallarta. The festival focuses on the heritage and production of raicilla, a traditional agave spirit from the mountainous region of Jalisco.
Jalisco Is Running a Multi-Market Tourism Promotion Strategy for 2026
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The Jalisco Tourism Secretariat is running an expanded promotion strategy for 2026. It combines participation in international trade events with targeted campaigns in North America and the domestic Mexican market. The programme is led by Michelle Fridman Hirsch, head of the state tourism agency.
Public Transport Fares in Mexico Are Political as Much as Economic
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Jalisco's decision to set its bus fare at 11 pesos, covered in our main piece, takes place within a national context in which public transportation pricing in Mexican cities is as much a political negotiation as an economic calculation. How fares are actually set, why they rarely reflect full operating costs, and how the subsidy structure works across different cities provides the context needed to assess what Jalisco's decision represents and what it depends on.
Jalisco Sets Bus Fare at 11 Pesos After Cancelling a Proposed Hike
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The Government of Jalisco has announced that public transportation fares will be set at 11 pesos per trip beginning April 1, 2026, cancelling a previously proposed increase to 14 pesos. Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro confirmed the decision, framing it explicitly as a response to public opposition and a commitment to avoid further fare adjustments during his six-year term. The announcement applies uniformly regardless of payment method, cash, the Tarjeta Única al Estilo Jalisco, and the Mi Movilidad Card.
A Cruise Ship Arrival Generates Less Local Economic Value Than Most Port Cities Publicly Claim
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Puerto Vallarta's March schedule of 14 cruise arrivals, covered in our main piece, raises a question that port statistics alone do not answer: what is each arrival actually worth to the local economy, and how is that value distributed? The economic contribution of cruise tourism is frequently cited in aggregate terms by port authorities and tourism promoters, but the distribution of that contribution across different segments of the local economy is less often examined and is essential for understanding which businesses and workers are most exposed to schedule disruptions.
Puerto Vallarta's Place in the Mexican Pacific Cruise Corridor Buffers It From Short-Term Disruptions
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Puerto Vallarta's March schedule of 14 cruise arrivals, covered in our main piece, reflects its position within a specific regional maritime network: the Mexican Pacific cruise corridor, primarily served by vessels homeporting in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. Understanding the structure of that network, how Puerto Vallarta relates to other ports on the circuit, and what drives cruise line decisions about itinerary composition provides context for assessing the port's medium-term recovery trajectory.
Puerto Vallarta's Municipal LGBTQ+ Protections Are More Advanced Than Most Mexican Cities
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Puerto Vallarta's February 24 formalisation of its Diversity Council, covered in our main piece, takes place within a national landscape of highly uneven LGBTQ+ legal protections across Mexico's 32 states and thousands of municipalities. Understanding where Puerto Vallarta's reform sits on that spectrum, and what the distribution of protections looks like across the country, provides context for assessing the significance of the municipal action.
Puerto Vallarta Has Formalised Its Diversity Council and the Legal Basis Matters More Than It Seems
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On February 24, Puerto Vallarta's City Council approved two structural reforms related to LGBTQ+ inclusion. The first formally establishes the Diversity Council, the Municipal Council for Sexual and Gender Diversity, as a regulated body with defined composition, operating rules, and a mandate to propose, review, and monitor public policies through a human rights lens. The second creates an annual citizen participation process to be held on May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, institutionalising a regular forum through which the LGBTQ+ community can engage with municipal government.
Puerto Vallarta Fast-Tracks Recovery With Subsidies, Business Loans and a Coordinated Tourism Relaunch
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Puerto Vallarta is moving with speed and institutional coherence to restore economic activity following the operational disruptions of late February. The municipal government, state authorities, and the city's private sector have aligned behind a structured recovery programme combining direct financial relief for affected businesses, streamlined administrative procedures, and a coordinated promotional campaign aimed at protecting the destination's reputation as one of Mexico's premier tourism markets.
Daily Pulse: Friday, February 27, 2026
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Good morning, Puerto Vallarta. As we approach the weekend, the city continues its steady path toward normalcy following the historic events of earlier this week. While federal security operations remain active in parts of Jalisco, the local atmosphere is turning back toward the art, music, and community spirit that defines our high season.
How South Side Shuffle Keeps Vallarta’s Creative Pulse Alive
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On select Friday evenings each winter, the Romantic Zone shifts into a walkable cultural corridor as galleries, studios, and small businesses open simultaneously for the South Side Shuffle, one of the city’s longest-running creative gatherings.
Rather than a one-night festival, the Shuffle operates as a seasonal rhythm, returning every two weeks and drawing steady foot traffic into one of Vallarta’s most artist-driven neighborhoods.
Art Walk Continues to Anchor the Season as Galleries Keep Doors Open
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The weekly Art Walk in the historic center continues to serve as one of the most reliable cultural fixtures of the season. While headlines have recently focused on security narratives across the region, the city’s long-running gallery circuit is quietly reinforcing a different story, one of continuity, creativity, and community presence.
