What began as a vacation photo opportunity turned into a devastating tragedy on the evening of Friday, June 26, when a 28-year-old tourist from Mexico City was attacked and dragged into the ocean by a crocodile in the waters off Marina Vallarta, authorities confirmed Saturday.

A third woman has been found dead under suspicious circumstances in Puerto Vallarta in less than two weeks, fueling fears among some residents and international media that a serial killer may be targeting women in the popular tourist destination.

The 13th annual Puerto Vallarta Pride kicks off May 17, transforming the resort’s Romantic Zone and most iconic corners into a week-long celebration of activism, culture and community under the theme “La Nueva Era: Un Pride Muy Mexicano” (The New Era: A Very Mexican Pride).

Jalisco’s push to position itself as a global destination for sports tourism gains speed this May with the return of Downhill Puerto Vallarta, an urban mountain biking competition that transforms the city’s historic center into a high-octane racetrack. 

On March 4, ten days after drug cartel violence abruptly shattered Jalisco’s calm, Puerto Vallarta welcomed the arrival of a major cruise liner, marking what officials described as a return to normalcy for the region’s cruise sector.

Puerto Vallarta also found itself at the epicenter of the violence that erupted across Jalisco following the death of Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” on February 22.