From a high perch overlooking the Malecon clamor of Puerto Vallarta and the Romática Zona in constant mood, where most tourists tend to regroup, is a calm corner of the city which is often overlooked. A few steps from the paved chaos of the city center, Gringo Gulch, a district on the hillside with a view of the Banderas bay and a much deeper story than its Gussia facades suggest.
From the point of view of the terraced houses of Gringo Gulch, the Baie Bâille, a scene which once captivated Hollywood royalty and inspired a distinctive architectural style. Red tiling roofs take a look through cascading bougainvilleas and wrought iron balconies spread with pots in pots. Visually classic, yes, but also the framework of a cultural exchange which helped to define the modern Vallarta.
The Gringo Gulch is a #PuertoVallarta Colorful district, where you can take incredible photos and visit Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor’s house. It is really a beautiful historical area. pic.twitter.com/d2dwtd7iod
– Puerto Vallarta (@Puertovallarta) June 8, 2018
“The Gringo Gulch is more than a simple group of houses on a hill,” explains the historian of Puerto Vallarta, months, Hernández López. “It is a tangible symbol of the meeting between two worlds, nestled on the northern slope of the Río Cuale and surrounded by the vegetation of the jungle that characterizes the heart of Puerto Vallarta.”
While the Zona Romática has become a magnet for fashionable bars and expensive Airbnb rentals, Gringo Gulch holds the echoes of an early transformation. It is the one who transformed Puerto Vallarta of a quiet fishing village into a destination of world interest. In the 1950s, American and Canadian expatriates began to settle just behind the historic center, drawn by natural beauty, affordable real estate and the spirit of the local community. The name “Gringo Gulch” appeared organically.
“” Gulch “corresponded to the natural terrain of the ravine, and” Gringo “was used affectionately to refer to new north arrivals,” explains Hernández.
The architectural heritage of Freddy Romero
What distinguished this community was both high location and architecture. The houses were designed with the intention, directed by Fernando “Freddy” Romero Escalante, a visionary architect who moved to Puerto Vallarta in 1952.
“Freddy’s heritage transcended that of a simple manufacturer,” explains Hernández. “It could discern the architectural essence of the city and transform it into houses which paid tribute to the environment and local forms.”
Romero Vallarta styleAn architectural style that he was the pioneer was rooted in the landscape. The houses were built with Adobe and tiles, decorated with local ceramics, gardens and wrought iron accents which reflected colonial Mexico with a tropical touch. His creations were sensitive to the environment and the identity of the city.
Romero has designed emblematic domains such as the Las Campanas complex and several others on Calles Matamoros, Mina, Galeana, Cuauhtémoc and Miramar. It was also the engine of creating the city’s first real estate office, according to Hernández. Often, Romero was seen navigating in the narrow streets of his Jeep, tourists in trailer, presenting them what was going to become their second house.
A cultural crossroads on the hill
“Foreign residents who took up residence in Gringo Gulch during the 1950s and 60s not only obtained properties, but also assimilated themselves in the fabric of community life,” explains Hernández. “They taught English lessons, helped in social assistance groups such as the Red Cross and Becas Vallarta, a non-profit organization that collects funds for low-income students. Many have even married locals, creating binational families. ”
Characters like Berenice Starr, who founded Biblioteca Los Mangos, and the Holt family, who promoted English education, left lasting legacies that extended far beyond the walls of their houses. Thanks to these acts, Gringo Gulch has become a community of cultural exchanges.
Then the quiet hill was put under the spotlight.
In the 1960s, director John Huston arrived to turn “La Nuit de l’Iguane”, and with him came Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and a storm of Paparazzi. Although it is not directly involved in the film, the presence of Taylor to Puerto Vallarta, and specifically in Gringo Gulch, transformed the neighborhood into a tabloid feeling. Casa KimberlyThe group of houses where Taylor and Burton stayed, has become a pilgrimage site for fans and gossip columnists.
While the media frenzy attracted global attention, Gringo Gulch’s original heart rate continued quietly under the radar. The district has still developed organically, supported by the thoughtful work of engineers as Guillermo Wulff And Luis Favela Icaza, who helped design houses that integrate into the aesthetics of Romero and the topography of the field. The infrastructure, including water tanks, pumps and tracks, have been added to meet the needs of the growing community.
Hollywood glamor, durable charm
“Gringo Gulch represents a key chapter in Urbanist history of Puerto Vallarta,” notes Hernández. “These houses were not arbitrarily placed. They were integrated into the hill, designed to last and respect what was already there. ”
Today, while luxury condos and high height hotels slip along the coast, Gringo Gulch remains largely as it was: a collection of calm streets, shaded staircases and hidden places where the past still lingers in the curve of a balcony or the tile painted by a door.
“The Gringo Gulch is considered more than a district on the hillside,” explains Hernández. “It is a living testimony of the way a community can be positively transformed by the coexistence of cultures. The district has become a core of identity, beauty and international brotherhood thanks to the pioneering spirit of men like Fernando Romero Escalante and the opening of the Vallarta community. ”
Find out more about Freddy Romero in this short documentary starring the architect’s son discussing how his father came to Puerto Vallarta in the 1950s to design houses for expatriates who fell in love with the region.
While visitors throw themselves for sunsets and street tacos, few can realize that just above them, in a leafy enclave with the best views of the bay in town, is the original heart of the international attraction of Vallarta.
Go to Gringo Gulch
Gringo Gulch is a short walk up the church of Notre-Dame de Guadalupe or the bridge of Rio Cuale. The stairs and the pavers are part of the experience: be sure to wear good shoes. Stop for a glass at the Bar Terrace Casa Kimberly, or just walk in the streets and take photos of the bougainvillea flowers and the views that have once captured the heart of the original Vallarta expatriate community.
Meagan Drillinger is a native of New York who has spent the last 15 years traveling and writing on Mexico. While she is on the road for assignments most of the time, Puerto Vallarta is his attachment base. Follow his trips on Instagram at @Drillinjourneys or via his blog to Dringinjourneys.com.
