Rio Cuale Island
Right in the downtown of Puerto Vallarta Mexico, between the romantic zone and the historic center is Rio Cuale Island, a half hidden corner, you have to go down from the street level, you are in a kind of park, with large trees and dense vegetation (even iguanas found in the branches), passages and varied options, from restaurants and cafes, to small shops and stalls selling souvenirs, clothing, ornaments, jewelry and much more.
What today is the Rio Cuale Island (formerly known as Isla de Santa Clara and Isla de los Niños) appeared in the year 1926. It was created by floods of the river in which it was divided into two arms leaving a temporary island in the middle. The island is an oasis of shade, calm and nature in the very center of the city.
There are two main bridges for vehicles and pedestrians that cross it, one in Insurgentes (for northbound traffic) and another in Ignacio Vallarta (southbound), connecting the island and the two adjoining areas of Puerto Vallarta.
Isla Cuale offers culture with a museum and the Cultural Center, there are commercial areas with restaurants, shops and stalls offering everything in silver, ceramics, hats, hammocks and all kinds of souvenirs and gifts, with small parks, benches, sculptures and works of art.
You will also find the sculpture by John Huston, a tribute to the 25th anniversary of the film that filmed him in the area and that brought Puerto Vallarta anonymous and put it half to half on the world tourist map, we talked about the movie “La Night of the Iguana “. If you walk to the west, towards the Pacific coast, you will arrive at the beautiful Archaeological Museum of the Cuale, which offers a small but impressive collection of pre-Columbian figures.
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