Just inland from downtown, the landscape quickly changes to mountainous rainforest. This photo was taken at the top of "Gringo Gulch," looking east to the San Madres.

The Malacon (boardwalk) features sculpture and Los Arcos (the Arches), where mariachi and other free shows are given in the evening.

LIZ TAYLOR'S HOUSE:    In the 1950s and early 1960s, Puerto Vallarta was the destination of only a few tourists. However, in 1964, Oscar-winning film director John Huson arrived with actors Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor to film "Night of the Iquana." Suddenly,

everything changed for Puerto Vallarta. The torrid romance of Burton and Taylor became well-known to the public, and when Taylor announced her divorce from singer Eddie Fisher, it provoked an international scandal. Journalists from various parts of the world came to send back their stories about the affair, and Puerto Vallarta gained instantaneous fame.

The crown that adorns the Church of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the heart of Puerto Vallarta has come to be a symbol of the city.