The Legend of Playa Los Muertos

The name seems incongruous with the amount of activity found at this Puerto Vallarta beach that is popular with locals and tourists for its beach clubs, restaurants, water sports, wandering musicians and food vendors.  So how did this fun spot end up with such a morbid sounding name?  There are a few theories.

Puerto Vallarta has a rich history as a gold and silver mining community and what is now Los Muertos Beach was then the area for metals mined in the Cuale Mines to be loaded onto ships. 

The legend of Los Muertos Beachsays that on one occasion, the crew of a loading ship was attacked by a band of raiding Indians and their bodies were left on the beach, which days later were buried right there by mule drivers delivering the next load of gold and silver.  In another version of this tragic tale, it was the poor mule drivers that met their foul end after being ambushed by pirates.

The theory with more empirical evidence is that the area surrounding Los Muertos Beach was an Indian burial ground and that the first settlers in Puerto Vallarta found evidence like human bones when they were digging foundations for shelters.  Archeologists including Dr. Isabel Kelly and Dr. Joseph Mountjoy have organized digs in the area and found bones, pieces of pottery and some intact ceramics that support this claim.

The true story of Los Muertos Beach may always remain a mystery but one thing is certain, no vacation in Puerto Vallarta is complete without enjoying a day at this popular Vallarta beach.