Sayulita

Sayulita is a village about 25 miles north of downtown Puerto Vallarta in the state of Nayarit, Mexico, with a population of approximately 4,000.

History

The pre-Columbian indigenous inhabitants of the area were most likely small bands of the semi-nomadic Cuyuteco. In 1530, Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán's account of his battle with the Cuyutecos at Valle gave name to the Bay of Banderas, as the natives carried colorful banners. Given the lack of interest in Occidental Mexican archaeology, only a small number of substantial civic sites have been identified in the region, namely at Ixtapa, Valle, and Ixtlan del Rio. These sites were most likely tributary outposts of the Aztatlan kingdom centered in northern present-day Nayarit. Like most of the greater Banderas Bay area, the sheer remoteness and thick jungle prevented permanent European colonization until the late 19th century. The ejido of Sayulita was not established until 1941 when the first families arrived from the mountains of Jalisco.