Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe Description

OK, so churches are not really a big draw for kids. But Our Lady of Guadalupe is the heart of Puerta Vallarta, and you can feel that as you approach it, because it's surrounded by booths selling food, art, religious paraphernalia and by crowds milling around greeting each other in friendly community spirit. Hang out here for an hour and you'll feel like everyone in Puerto Vallarta knows each other. My girls particularly liked checking out the Mexican teenage girls in their go-to-church finery being eyed by the boys lounging outside. It's a vibrant scene. It's also a beautiful structure, with its famous soaring bell tower topped by a crown silhoutted against the sky. (The current crown is a copy, as the original was damaged in an earthquake in 1995. The original was said to have been modeled after a tiara worn by the mistress of the Emperor Maximilian.) The religious art and iconography inside is gorgeous, particularly the carvings, columns, and statues.