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Puerto VallartaBeyond “Night of the Iguana”By Rick Millikan
Hollywood discovered and put Puerto Vallarta on center stage in 1963. When John Huston began filming “Night of the Iguana” at Mismaloya, a nearby fishing village, its stars Deborah Kerr, Ava Gardner and Richard Burton attracted tremendous media attention. Coverage increased as Elizabeth Taylor joined Richard to fend off those attractive co-stars as well as to manage Burton’s alcohol problems. There was so much to report! For Richard, Liz purchased a hillside love nest, Casa Kimberly! Richard gave Liz the $350,000 Krupp Diamond Ring! Both married, the lovers created an international scandal. Burton, a Catholic, was threatened with excommunication. Taylor’s U.S. citizenship was jeopardized. Reporters swarmed over their x-rated romance! Suddenly, Puerto Vallarta was a famous destination!
Local Manuel Lepe showcased 20 colorful primitive styled paintings at Casa Kimberley. John Huston continually promoted his work: “Manuel paints to bring joy to the hearts of children in all of us!” Lepe’s international fame and fortune soon soared. Lepe produced Puerto Vallarta’s first travel poster in 1970, characteristically depicting children playing at this charming city’s beaches, parks and streets. “Our Lady of Guadalupe” Cathedral, recurrently appearing in Lepe’s art, dominates this poster as well as Old Vallarta’s skyline. Fanciful sweet cherubins hold hands around its steeple base, while Mistress (or Mad) Carlotta’s crown provides the spire. Lepe’s Museum Gallery is just below this glorious cathedral. Two blocks south of Lepe’s Museum, Galeria Indigenas exhibits traditional Mexican art. Visitors are welcome to appreciate its large collections of Pre-Columbian art, Huichol sculptures and prints, Day of the Dead genres and Ceremonial masks. Walking further south, Flea Market and Mercado Municipal handicraft hustlers readily bargain and barter. Over a red brick bridge lies Rio Cuale Island. After Liz’s “Gringo Gulch” neighbors and proud amigos cleaned it up, Cuale Island developed into an Eden of cool river breezes, relaxed boutiques and shady parks. There, a contented Huston statue sits reading a newspaper. Crossing a white stuccoed brick bridge south, the road narrows to enter the original fishing village of Old Vallarta. There restaurants offer traditional menus, an old Mexico ambience and mariachis! Ole! The beach, always popular, was once where movie crews’ planes landed. From the still active fishing pier, these crews took a boat trip to Mismaloya. Then, they hiked up into the jungle to produce the legendary “Night of the Iguana”.
Who would have guessed “Night of the Iguana’s” lasting influence? Travelers, who anticipate old Mexican charm and sunny, beautiful beaches, soon discover its legacy. Puerto Vallarta has developed into a very magical city full of art and music! Casa Kimberley – Museum & Stylish Bed & Breakfast. Tours Daily 9-6 Phone-Fax 011-52 (322) 2-13-36 |
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TM
Who
hasn’t dreamed of a vacation in Puerto Vallarta? Banderas Bay embraces
beaches for sunbathing, northern stretches for surfing and southern white
patches for snorkeling. Inclusive hotels and time-share condos offer
travelers a sunny, relaxing life style. Nature abounds! Colorful
butterflies flit through lush tropical flora. Pelicans, egrets, and scissor
tails soar above. Lucky geckos scamper about while you dine! Evenings
blaze with glorious sunsets; explode with summer lightning shows. And, golf
courses boast the greenest greens, sandiest traps, chirpiest exotic birds,
and live water hazards, crocodiles!! 
To truly experience Puerto
Vallarta, avoid car rental’s expense, traffic snarls, and parking hassles!
Go native! Take a cheap, convenient bus aimed downtown. Hospitable
Vallartans help you use their bus system. “Bus-kers” tooting flutes,
drumming, strumming, and singing, often board to entertain their “amigo”
passengers. 
These
rattling buses rush over cobblestone streets between red tiled, whitewashed
adobes to the Malecon. Sighting Old Vallarta’s famous seaside walkway
signaled the time to begin our stroll. While the Malecon’s musicians
entertain nightly, its fascinating sculptures provide non- stop enjoyment.
Columba’s and Bustamente’s monumental surreal bronzes titillated our
interest. We just had to visit their nearby galleries. Bustamente’s
galleries exhibit his colorful moony humans, whimsical hippopotami people
and robed aliens seeking enlightenment. Uno, Vallarta’s original art gallery
opened in the 70’s. Columba and other Vallartans display their fascinating,
lively art there. It is no surprise that John Huston and fellow director,
David Lynch were among Uno’s early clientele. 
Buyers like Huston and Lynch
first discovered Vallartan art just up the hill at Casa Kimberly. There a
guide highlighted the lives of these renowned art benefactors’: “...Casa
Kimberly was actually two villas linked together by a pink bridge. The
lower villa provided seclusion from the press and for Burton to recover from
bouts of drinking.... Plate and glassware sets appear incomplete for
entertaining, as Taylor, at 5 foot 1 inch often lost her temper and threw
crockery! Friends understood that Taylor and Burton were passionate in both
love and anger.... These famed lovers, noted for public generosity, donated
the neighborhood children’s park and theatre.” Local art covered the walls
of their home. Hollywood’s rich and famous came, saw, and bought from
Puerto Vallarta’s aspiring painters and sculptors. 
A bus now travels south to
Mismaloya. After passing many inviting beaches, we arrived there to stroll
along the shore and up onto the “Set of Night of the Iguana”. Revamped as
an attractive garden restaurant, its glorious past endures in haunting
memorabilia, lush vegetation, and Mismaloya’s sapphire bay below.