Category: History

We are living in extraordinary and challenging times. Our family at Hacienda Angel extends our hand in friendship and wishes you and your family health and well-being. 

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner. Most of us know this date as a time of celebration, which it is! Let’s look into the history of this date and understand more deeply why it is important. 

Cinco de Mayo is the date when Mexico defeated France, under the leadership of Napoleon III, at the Battle of Puebla. It was an unexpected victory, and one that liberated Mexico from European rule. It is not, as one might expect, a national holiday. Cinco de Mayo is a commemorative date that signifies independence, and celebration. 

There were many battles between Mexico and French rule in the mid to late 1800’s. Of all the battles, the Battle of Puebla, or Cinco de Mayo, has galvanized the imagination of the people and stands as a symbol of a culture thriving in difficult times.

In the adversities we face, let us celebrate the spirit of Cinco de Mayo.

Please contact our Concierge for historical destinations in Mexico. 

Well not for Hacienda San Angel Guests! Only a stone’s throw away you will find the Isla Rio Cuale, one of Puerto Vallarta´s best-kept secrets so close to our hotel. Make sure you ask our concierge to prepare you a box lunch to snack on while you enjoy all the happenings at this special spot so close….yet so far.

There is a whole long island green with such diverse flora and fauna that is engulfed by the rushing rivers of the Isla Rio Cuale. Make sure to sip a margarita at one of the restaurants on the island and if you need to cool off take a dip in the river or even better, enjoy air conditioning at a very special piano bar, the Iconic El Incanto Music Club.

 The Isla Cuale has 2 hanging wooden bridges that you must cross. But…don´t lose your balance.

There is a cultural center at the most inland point of the Isla Cuale offering various classes from painting and sculpture to singing and piano. There is always someone to chat with and there is an abundance of classic old white benches to take a rest among the lush vegetation.

The Isla Rio Cuale was originally considered a play area almost half a century ago for the children of Puerto Vallarta.

There is a Bronze John Houston monument located on the island. This monument was placed to mark the 25th anniversary of his movie “The Night of the Iguana” which was filmed at Mismaloya Beach. Make sure to take a selfie!

Where the Isla Rio Cuale meets the Pacific enjoy watching children play, pelicans frolic, and a must-visit to the archaeological Cuale Museum. During the rainy season, the river runs heavily into the ocean and at other times of the year, there is just a calm flow that the birds and local children enjoy.

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping! You will find some wonderful vendors selling some must-have souvenirs and Mexican handicrafts.

You can walk back up the stairs to Hacienda San Angel or jump in a taxi only two-minutes away.

Enjoy!

Take a walk down memory lane and let Hacienda San Angel that has a past filled with glamour and romance take you on a flash back to the past……….. We will never forget the spirit and those who founded Puerto Vallarta contributors to its magic that has kept thriving over the past century. 

Puerto Vallarta was originally called Las Peñas in the early 19th century. Its neighboring towns were thriving due to mining and agriculture in San Sebastian del Oeste, Talpa de Allende and Mascota.  

The real story regarding the founding of Las Peñas, Puerto Vallarta today is that it was founded by Guadalupe Sánchez Torres, on December 12 1851, as Las Peñas de Santa María de Guadalupe.

Puerto Vallarta grew alongside these high in the sierra towns that are still hidden gems one of which San Sebastian has recently been awarded one of Mexico´s most magical towns. Puerto Vallarta transformed itself into a small fishing village and a served as a landing spot to receive goods to then send inland.   

From 1925 until 1935, the Montgomery Fruit Company operated in the area around Ixtapa which provided an important source of employment in the area. 

Did you know? The first airplane service arrived in 1932 to Puerto Vallarta?

Puerto Vallarta  became a vacation destination for residents of the Sierra Towns by the mid 1950´s and most of the original settlers were those who left the mountain to enjoy llfe by the sea! 

The late Richard Burton purchased the Hacienda’s San Angel´s main villa as a Valentine’s Day gift for his wife, Susan in 1977, after falling in love with Puerto Vallarta as he filmed John Huston’s The Night of the Iguana there in the mid 1960’s. The cult classic film put Puerto Vallarta on the map as a favorite vacation spot for the international glitterati. Perched on the hillside above the famed Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Church, the villa, aptly named Casa Bur-Sus, embodied coastal charm and Mexican architectural tradition. Enjoy seeing some of the old photos of those times by clicking here (I have collected some amazing old photos that I will put in an album and upload tomorrow and put link to)

In 1990, entrepreneur Janice Chatterton purchased Casa Bur-Sus from Susan Burton to use as a vacation home. After splitting her time between San Francisco and Puerto Vallarta for ten years, she decided to relocate to Puerto Vallarta, and began to spearhead a major renovation. The renovation of Casa Bur-Sus soon became a newfound passion for Chatterton, and when she was presented with the opportunity to purchase an adjacent villa, she eagerly snapped it up, renovating it and coining it Casa San Angel. So became Hacienda San Angel, and its original eight room property, which debuted in 2003. Since opening the Hacienda, she has purchased and renovated several additional neighboring villas, creating a spectacular property connected by lush interior courtyards filled with bubbling fountains, fiery bougainvillea and dramatic sculptural details brimming with ancient beauty.

Puerto Vallarta has changed a lot, but a stay at Hacienda San Angel will definitely take you back to the good old days of glamour and old Hollywood!