Puerto Vallarta

To celebrate our anniversary, my wife and I recently took a quick visit south of the border to Mexico. We stayed at a place near the resort city of Puerto Vallarta, which sits along the Bahía de Banderas on the Pacific Ocean, in the state of Jalisco. And one day we headed into town to have a little look around. Puerto Vallarta has a population of about 220,000 people, and is known for its cobblestone streets, beaches, dining and art.



The center of Puerto Vallarta is dominated by the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (or the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe), a massive church that was built in 1940.





The church is topped by a crown. The current one was added in 2009 to replace one that was damaged by an earlier earthquake.



The church sits by the town square, which had this colorfully-decorated gazebo.



We had been wanting to visit Puerto Vallarta after seeing it on the most recent season of The Amazing Race.



We then walked along The Malecón, a 12-block long promenade along the waterfront. It is home to bars, restaurants, shops and lots of sculptures. 

And one last shot from The Malecón, after we got lunch and spent a few pesos on some souvenirs.