Los Muertos Beach and Pier - The Sail at Sunset
Photo: daryl_mitchell, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
A stop on Puerto Vallarta: Malecon and Old Town, a free self-guided tour.
You end at Playa de los Muertos, the busiest beach in town, and its pier stretching out into Banderas Bay. Remember that beaches in Mexico are federal property and open to all, so the sand is yours to enjoy.
The name means Beach of the Dead, and there are legends to explain it. One tells of a battle between pirates and miners, though historians note there were no miners here. Another links it to a Spanish shipwreck in the 1500s. Present them as you like; no one knows for sure.
The pier was rebuilt in 2013 to a design by Jose de Jesus Torres Vega, replacing an old wooden one. Its tall metal spire is shaped like a ship's sail, and at night it glows with slowly changing colors. Walk to the end, check the beach flags before you swim, and stay to watch the sun go down over the bay.
Getting here: Walk one block west to the beach and turn south to the foot of the pier at Calle Francisca Rodriguez.
Did you know?: One story says Banderas Bay, the Bay of Flags, got its name in 1524, when local warriors are said to have lowered their weapons at the sight of the Spanish expedition's banners.
Photo op: From the sand just north of the pier, frame the sail-shaped spire against the sunset over the bay.
More on Wikipedia: Los Muertos Pier · Playa de los Muertos · Bahia de Banderas
Stops on this tour
- North End of the Malecon - Where Time Begins
- Nostalgia - The Sculpture the Town Paid For
- Rotunda of the Sea - Thrones You Can Sit On
- The Boy on the Seahorse - Vallarta's Emblem
- Los Arcos - Arches From a Hacienda
- Main Plaza and City Hall - The Heart of Old Vallarta
- Our Lady of Guadalupe - The Church With a Crown
- Gringo Gulch - Where Hollywood Came to Stay
- Isla Cuale - An Island in the River
- Zona Romantica - Old Town South of the River
- Los Muertos Beach and Pier - The Sail at Sunset