What’s the architecture like in Puerto Vallarta?

The architecture in the Puerto Vallarta area tends to be more traditional Mexican, with talavera tiled roofs, painted tiles, and arches and domes. You can have anything from that to a more natural type of construction using palm leaves called palapas for roofs. We have modern style buildings as well. We have some of the most beautiful architecture in this area because there’s been the money to back it.  We have expats designing and building really beautiful places. 
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The architecture in the Puerto Vallarta area tends to be more traditional Mexican, with talavera tiled roofs, painted tiles, and arches and domes. You can have anything from that to a more natural type of construction using palm leaves called palapas for roofs. We have modern style buildings as well. We have some of the most beautiful architecture in this area because there’s been the money to back it.  We have expats designing and building really beautiful places. 
 
Puerto Vallarta has some older construction, but we’ve seen a lot of building. The area has grown so much in the last 10 or 20 years. You’ll see a lot of buildings that are newly constructed or are remodels where they take certain aspects of older properties and integrate new aspects like the roof.  Different roofs can add prestige or make it more of a luxury property. 
 

 

(Partially- covered tiled roof over the pool that overlooks the ocean in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, pictured.)

Puerto Vallarta is originally a fishing village so the older architecture is primitive; concrete block houses and very simple living environments. I came to Puerto Vallarta in the late 60s and the major buildings were religious and church buildings, city halls, and other government buildings. 

 

Puerto Vallarta does not have a great deal of older architecture as you would find in Guadalajara, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, and Mexico City, which are more...

Puerto Vallarta is originally a fishing village so the older architecture is primitive; concrete block houses and very simple living environments. I came to Puerto Vallarta in the late 60s and the major buildings were religious and church buildings, city halls, and other government buildings. 

 

Puerto Vallarta does not have a great deal of older architecture as you would find in Guadalajara, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, and Mexico City, which are more cultural and economic centers. Puerto Vallarta was and still is, in essence, a fishing village. Now, it's become a little more glamorous, but at one time you crossed the river in a wagon.

 

There are newer buildings. These are mostly under 10 stories, clean, simple, but with nice designs; units that usually have gardens or very nice entrances to them; and, most of the spaces have some commercial spaces on the first floor. These buildings do not have Mexican or Spanish styling. One example is the Icon building in the marina, which is very contemporary and designed by Philippe Starck.  

 

There are still a lot of the red tile roofs on the original buildings in Puerto Vallarta. You have different architectural looks that blend in and work very well together.

 

 

 

Some of the residents of Puerto Vallarta have been a bit upset about so much new construction going on. This new construction is replacing old construction that probably needed to be restored or replaced anyway. Now, you're seeing some improvements. With these improvements, of course, the city is going to have to work on their electrical, sewage, and water systems, which is being done now. These problems of growth are being addressed, although difficult.

 

(Icon building by Philippe Starck, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico,pictured.)