Puerto Vallarta: Are your privileges different?

Are You a Local or Resident?

Let’s put this one to bed once and for all. So many people call themselves local after moving to Puerto Vallarta. You are not a local unless you are from here. It doesn’t matter if you have lived in Puerto Vallarta or anywhere else for the past two or three decades. You may feel like a local and some may even regard you as one, due to your immense wisdom regarding the community and surrounding area but you are still a resident.

It’s certainly not worth getting into an argument over, but it does chill the bones of friends of ours, who have lived in Puerto Vallarta since birth. We have a friend from Nayarit, the state north of Puerto Vallarta who has lived here for twenty years plus. He is Mexican, born in the Sayulita area and considers himself a local, whenever he goes to family functions for a visit…in Sayulita. He resides in Puerto Vallarta. He won’t make a big issue of it (Mexicans usually don’t) but he will perform a subtle eye-roll when he hears someone who moved to Puerto Vallarta a handful of years ago describe themselves as a local.

Are your privileges different? No, probably not, unless you’re eligible for ejido land. But you do have the right to feel proud of your heritage and likely not pleased with someone else sharing it undeservedly. You may know as much, even more about Puerto Vallarta, than someone who has lived here their entire life but that does not give you the right to upgrade yourself to their birthright stature.

A person from Puerto Vallarta is referred to as a Pata Salada, which is the same as a person from Guadalajara being called a Tapatio or someone from Mexico City being a Chilango. These are not derogatory terms and those who can claim so, do it with pride. Pata Salada translates to Salty Foot and though you might feel you’ve been in Puerto Vallarta long enough to qualify, you should consider yourself a citizen of the world who is lucky enough to call Puerto Vallarta home.

Que es cómo es.

Thanks to our Guest Blogger Adam Garcia for this great article!  (Opinions expressed are his own…)

About Vacation Villas of Mexico Founder, Vanessa Cole

The founder of the company, Vanessa Cole, lived in Puerto Vallarta for 10 years and in Cancun for 2 years. She has worked in Luxury Vacation Villa Rentals since 2001.

Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Vanessa earned a degree from the University of Texas in Austin, majoring in International Business and Latin American Studies.  Fluent in Spanish, she has worked and traveled all over Mexico and South America.

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