Puerto Vallarta is full of wonderful activities, experiences, and tours that you can enjoy with your family and guests when you make Garza Blanca Residences your home. The Naval Museum and Historical Center is one of the most educational attractions that will entertain both young and old. The Naval Museum in Puerto Vallarta can be found next to the arches and amphitheater on the famous Malecon boardwalk, just opposite the main plaza downtown.
The Naval Museum in Puerto Vallarta
The charming colonial style building in which the museum is housed was once, at turns, a Navy Hospital, Naval headquarters, and Port Authority Office, so it has a history of its own! We urge you to take an hour or two out of the sun so that you can learn about the marvelous maritime history of Puerto Vallarta, and of Mexico!
Mexico’s Maritime History
Mexico has a long and illustrious maritime and naval history which dates back to pre-Hispanic eras. The navy has had a huge, and largely beneficial, effect upon this country, and it is the aim of the Naval Museum and Historical Centre in Puerto Vallarta to promote and explain this to visitors who pass its threshold. Within these walls you can learn about documented sea journeys, trade with other ports, encounters with Nao Chinese ships, and how this natural bay was defended in times of war. From the era of Cortes to the defence of Veracruz on April 21st 1914, this museum covers it all with a stunning array of exhibits which include material artefacts like uniforms, documents, photographs, paintings, and even navigational tools and maps!
Interactive Exhibitions
The interactive displays and exhibits that can be found here are up to date and designed to give greater understanding of the information provided through interaction and personal experience. This is why the five screen navigation simulator found in one of the museum’s five exhibit rooms is so popular and important. This simulator gives an idea of what it might have been like to navigate complex and differing environments in a large ship, and the detailed scale models you can find in other displays show what ships of different ages may have looked like…
Of course, it’s not all maps, tools, and bloody last stands; there is some humor here too. Particularly interesting is information regarding the practice, held by some sailors, of drawing in mythological terrors on charts and maps. This was, supposedly, to give the crew members a scare and keep them on their toes!
The Naval Museum and Historical Centre in Puerto Vallarta is a year round attraction which is open 1 am to 5 pm Tuesday to Sunday, and the entrance fees are reasonable. Children under 6 and those with disabilities can enter for free, student, teacher, and senior tickets cost 30 Pesos, and general admission fees are 45 Pesos.