Coin Payphone on Calle Hidalgo, Puerto Vallarta

Pay Phone on a Puerto Vallarta street
A coin-operated public payphone marked “Monedas 090” stands on a cobblestone street in central Puerto Vallarta, a reminder of the pre-digital era still visible in everyday urban life. Behind it, a mix of aging vehicles, small storefronts, and whitewashed buildings with red-tiled roofs reflect the city’s blend of local tradition and evolving modernity. These relics of analog communication, though seldom used today, remain scattered across Mexico’s towns and resort cities — quiet artifacts of an infrastructure that once connected travelers and locals alike.

A coin-operated public payphone marked “Monedas 090” stands on a cobblestone street in central Puerto Vallarta, a reminder of the pre-digital era still visible in everyday urban life. Behind it, a mix of aging vehicles, small storefronts, and whitewashed buildings with red-tiled roofs reflect the city’s blend of local tradition and evolving modernity. These relics of analog communication, though seldom used today, remain scattered across Mexico’s towns and resort cities — quiet artifacts of an infrastructure that once connected travelers and locals alike.

Centro, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, México
Photo taken in December 2024. © Chad Davis