Why go
The old center was already a functioning town before the resort boom. Its streets and Cuale crossings grew through land reform, conflict and gradual improvements in roads, power and air service. That sequence explains why the historic core and later hotel districts feel different.
The full story
The village was renamed for former Jalisco governor Ignacio Vallarta when it became a municipality in 1918. Much land still belonged to the Unión en Cuale company. Residents sought a land grant, and in 1921 authorities approved an ejido, a form of communal landholding, on former company property. Disputes over the grant and limits on selling ejido land later made large development difficult. The municipality also experienced the Cristero War directly: forces occupied it twice in 1927 and 1928, and a government garrison was stationed near the Río Cuale. Infrastructure arrived in stages. Air service began in 1932, a suspension bridge crossed the Cuale in 1933, and a plumbing system started in 1939. A road connection toward Compostela came in 1942; before that, travelers relied on sea, air or mule trails into the Sierra. A dirt road replaced the Mascota mule trail in 1956, and electricity became available around the clock in 1958. These changes came before the 1960s resort expansion, laying the practical groundwork for it.