Oswaldo Vallejo Making a Positive Change in Sayulita

Oswaldo Vallejo first stepped foot into Sayulita when he was five years old. At the time, his family was living in Puerto Vallarta, and they had come to attend a first communion party. His family immediately fell in love with Sayulita and Oswaldo has fond memories of weekly visits to Sayulita with his father, following that first visit.  Later in life, Oswaldo was living in Zacatecas, but dreamed of coming back to this area. Five years ago, he visited Sayulita on a vacation with his wife and children, and only a month later, they moved here. Two years ago, Oswaldo, who is trained as an attorney and martial arts master, was hired by Pro Sayulita. He currently works as a consultant between Pro Sayulita and the state, federal, and municipal governments.

How did you get involved with Pro Sayulita?

My first job in Sayulita was working with the Delgado, and through this position, I met people from Pro Sayulita. After this, I managed a restaurant on the beach. Sometimes someone from Pro Sayulita would come to me and ask for a favor since I had a lot of contacts from working for the Delgado. I would help them out. Then Pro Sayulita made me an offer to consult for them.

How does your position with Pro Sayulita make a difference in Sayulita?

Everyone involved with Pro Sayulita is interested in having a nice town, making good business for everyone, and protecting Sayulita as it is. They need one guy to make all this happen. There’s dealing with trash issues, the police, electricity problems, everything has to be working and running smoothly in this town. They need someone to go to local and state offices, make the calls, and fill out important paper work.  Deals need to be made with the alderman, the Delgado, and so forth. Pro Sayulita has the ideas and the interest, and I have the ideas too, and I have the time to do it. This is the way that change is possible.

What motivates you to continue to try to make a positive impact in Sayulita?

I love Sayulita. You come to this town for one of two things: Parties or to fulfill a dream. I came here and found my dream. I’m happy and I have the perfect job making a difference with Pro Sayulita. It’s something I love to do and someone has the ideas and money to do it.

What changes do you want to see brought about by Pro Sayulita?

I’d like everyone to see that we have something beautiful here in Sayulita and that everyone can make a difference. For instance, don’t put trash in the street and don’t fight with the neighbors and the police. Treat everyone with respect.

What have you gained from your involvement with Pro Sayulita?

Working for Pro Sayulita opens me up to so many people. I’ve met a lot of people, including many government officials that I’ve created good relationships with and made good connections. They even invite me to family parties. This helps benefit Sayulita when I’m trying to get something done.

What positive changes have you seen brought about by your efforts? What are you most proud of?

Pro Sayulita and the people in town want the same thing for Sayulita- clean streets, good water, and good electricity. Working to make this happen is not only my job, but also the wishes of everyone here. I am just the man who has to go to the office and ask for them.

What additional change(s) would you like to see in the future and what are you doing to make this happen?

I want to see Sayulita become a Pueblo Magico. With this status, money from the federal government will help with everything Sayulita needs: a new water treatment plant, a good, safe sidewalk leading to the Secondaria School, and a bigger team for cleaning the streets. But, we need to remember a clean town is not a town you have to clean everyday. It’s a town where people don’t litter. There are so many other things that Sayulita needs, like a parking place. Pro Sayulita doesn’t have the money for all this. With money from Pueblo Magico, we will have the money for these things.

How can others help?

Everyone has to do his or her own part. Don’t throw trash in the street, respect each other, clean in front of your businesses, and be friendly to the policemen. Everyone who comes to Sayulita and has a good time will tell others about here and vacationing. Everyone needs to do his or her part in keeping Sayulita clean and friendly. 

Anything else you would like to add?

I have to say thank you to the Delgado, Jesus Rodriguez. He is making the difference. I wouldn’t be able to play this role without the support of Jack Jones, the Pro Sayulita President. He’s making the difference. Also, I wouldn’t be able to do my job without the support of Damien Porter, Janet Moeller, Marcos Scott, and the municipal president, Jose Gomez. Without these people and everyone in Sayulita working together, my job wouldn’t be possible.