Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - La Isla Rio Cuale, which is accessible from the stairs that lead down from either bridge over the river in El Centro, is a beautiful and peaceful natural area that offers visitors a pleasing combination of leisure, education, culture and contemplation.

Home to a variety of tiny shops overflowing with all kinds of colorful Mexican crafts, several excellent restaurants, and cultural venues like the Centro Cultural Cuale and the Puerto Vallarta Youth Orchestra music school, the Rio Cuale river walk is a cool, refreshing oasis - and a great place to spend an afternoon.

And it just keeps getting better!

The Vallarta Institute of Culture has begun "freshening up" the island, and the first order of business was the rehabilitation of the music school. Due to inclement weather, the property had been progressively deteriorating over the years, so structural renovation was necessary. While they were at it, they made room for a 60 meter long, 3.5 meter high mural to be painted on the school's outer wall.

The work, titled "Music Unites Us All," depicts a musical symphony with children and animals playing the instruments, and it is expected to be completed by the end of the month. The mural's creator, Ernesto Garrigos Rojas, has painted several urban murals in Puerto Vallarta, most notably at the Cuale Municipal Market.

The director of Vallarta's Institute of Culture, Marcella Lepe, noted the need to dignify the Cuale River Island, the most representative of cultural space in Vallarta, and began an all out effort in its cleaning, painting and restoration, as well as the addition of new signage that blends seamlessly with the natural environment.

According to Ms. Lepe, additional efforts to ensure that the island gets a thorough 'face lift,' will be announced soon.

"We want to bring the children back to the La Isla Rio Cuale. We want it to be a 'must visit' place for Puerto Vallarta residents and our visitors. And we want them to find harmony, cleanliness and tropical vegetation as well as the cultural offerings of the island and the Cuale Cultural Center when they get there," she asserted.