PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – Tourists usually interrupt their strolls along Puerto Vallarta’s seaside walkway when they notice the four men sitting casually at the top of a 100-foot pole above the rocky beach. Then, they gasp when the men fling themselves backwards off their perches and begin a spiraling descent restrained only by a strand of rope around their midsections and ankles. What they are seeing is more than elaborate, daring and dangerous busking. It is a reenactment of a pre-Colombian ritual that UNESCO designated an “intangible cultural heritage of humanity.”

The acrobats are the Voladores de Papantla, native Mexicans keeping alive a tradition to show gratitude to the god of the sun, the god of spring and fertility, and the god of rain. Yes, they perform for tips and the opportunity to sell bracelets and wooden toys, but a respect for tradition underlies the commercial aspect of their daily performances.

Preparing for the show

Four Voladores Papantla wait 100 feet above a rocky beach while flute music pierces the air and the steady beat of a drum draw attention from onlookers below. Image by Tom Adkinson

Birdmen of Puerto Vallarta

The costumes of the Voladores are colorful reminders of macaws, owls, crows and eagles. The costumes in antiquity were intended to disguise the ritual’s participants as birds in an effort to attract attention from the gods. Image by Tom Adkinson

Capturing the scene

A tourist pauses on a walk along the Malecon to capture the performance of the Voladores. The blue waters of Banderas Bay stretch to the horizon. Image by Tom Adkinson

Souvenirs for the tourists

Wooden replicas of the Voladores’ towering ritual pole are among the souvenirs the Voladores offer to Puerto Vallarta tourists. Image by Tom Adkinson

Marching to work

The Voladores process down a waterside ramp carrying a ladder needed to start their climb to the top of a 100-foot-tall pole. The first foothold on the pole is high enough to discourage pranksters from accessing the pole. Image by Tom Adkinson

Not quite a stairway to heaven

Near the site of the Voladores’ ritual pole is a collection of modern sculptures. The one titled “In Search of Reason” seems to draw parallels to the Voladores in its depiction of two carefree children ascending a ladder. Is the mother figure on the ground begging them to come down, or is she encouraging them to be fearless and climb higher? Image by Tom Adkinson

Trip-planning resource: VisitPuertoVallarto.com


(Travel writer Tom Adkinson’s book, 100 Things To Do in Nashville Before You Die, is available on Amazon.com.)