Puerto Vallarta unveiled a new mural on Saturday honoring John Huston’s The Night of the Iguana, a film that helped put the city on the global map six decades ago. The debut coincided with the arrival of the Ariel Awards, linking Vallarta’s cinematic past to its present cultural ambitions.
The mural, painted along Bahía de Banderas, was inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting attended by actors and musicians including Jacqueline Bracamontes, Andrés Zuno, Aarón Díaz, Michelle Rodríguez, Cristo Hernández, and Ximena Sariñana. The celebration also showcased local artists, with the Rompe collective, Alondra Muca, and Luis Lepe among those leading the work.
Jalisco’s tourism secretary used the moment to frame a bigger vision: transforming Vallarta’s waterfront and Cuale River island into an open-air art district with murals, sculptures, and film-themed tours. She called Puerto Vallarta “the most Mexican beach,” crediting cinema with shaping its identity.
The timing was deliberate. On September 20, the city hosted the 67th Ariel Awards—the first time Mexico’s top film honors have been staged at a beach destination. Local leaders positioned the ceremony as part of a broader strategy to turn Vallarta’s film legacy into a living attraction.
Authorities note that more than 50 productions have filmed in the region. Four murals are already complete, including tributes to The Night of the Iguana and Beverly Hills Chihuahua, with at least ten planned in total. A guided “film locations” route is also in development, designed to lead visitors through the city’s cinematic history block by block.
For Vallartenses, the project goes beyond photo-ops. The 1964 filming of The Night of the Iguana in nearby Mismaloya remains the city’s cultural origin story—an event that transformed a fishing village into an international destination. By painting that history onto city walls, organizers hope to create a tourism model rooted in place, not just spectacle.
If sustained beyond the Ariels, officials say, the murals and tours could offer visitors a new way to experience Vallarta: not only through sunsets and seafood, but also through stories that began on screen and now live on the streets.