PUBLIC SPACES AND MUSEUMS
Great for people-watching is the long series of plazas downtown.
Plaza Guadalajara, Plaza de la Liberación and Plaza
Tapatía are bordered by the Cathedral, the government
palace, the state museum and the Cabañas Cultural Institute.
Plaza Tapatia is a pedestrian mall that stretches several blocks.
The state tourist office is located just east of the ornate
Teatro Delgado.
The Hospicio Cabañas is a national landmark, just a
block from Mercado Libertad. Founded by Bishop Juan Cruz Ruíz
de Cabañas y Crespo in 1810, the building originally
served as a hospital and orphanage. It continued service as
a hospital until 1980, when the Cabañas Cultural Institute,
with affiliated schools for arts and crafts, moved in. UNESCO
designated the building a World Heritage Site in 1997. You'll
find 50+ murals painted by Jalisco's own José Clemente
Orozco that interpret the broad span of Mexican history.
MARKETS
Located on the east end of Plaza Tapatia, in front of Calzada
Independencia street between Javier Mina and Dionicio Rodriguez,
Mercado Libertad is the largest enclosed market in Latin America.
The three-story structure has more than 1,000 vendors who sell
local glass, leather goods and other crafts. Comedores (food
stalls) offer local cuisine at great prices. The market is also
known as Mercado San Juan de Dios.
CRAFTS
The city has distinctive crafts. The suburbs of Tlaquepaque
and Tonala are known for their ceramics and recycled glass.
Tonala boasts more than 400 workshops and has been producing
pottery for centuries. Tlaquepaque is more orderly than Tonala.
The stores are upscale and there are fewer workshops.
You'll find leather chairs -- equipales -- in the nearby
village of Zacoalco
de Torres to the south.
LIVE MUSIC
Mariachis are a home-grown tradition in Jalisco. The Plaza
de los Mariachis is much like Mexico City's Plaza Garibaldi,
famous but a bit neglected. Each September Guadalajara hosts
the international mariachi and charreria festival. The State
Band performs Thursdays and Sundays in the Plaza de Armas at
6:30pm.
CUISINE
Local favorites include the torta ahogada, literally a drowned
sandwich. The hard roll, berote, is filled with sliced pork
and then dunked in a spicy salsa.
SPORTS
Guadalajara has three teams in Division-A Soccer -- Chivas,
Atlas and Tecos.
The Chivas are one of the oldest teams in Mexico.
Amateur sports clubs include Rhinos
Rugby.
Mark your calendar. In 2011 Guadalajara hosts the Pan
American Games.
CYCLING
Avenue Juárez is closed to motorized traffic Sundays from
8am-2pm as the street becomes a showcase for bikers and joggers.
The Via Recreativa was launched in 2004 and has been a big success.
UNIVERSITIES
Guadalajara has numerous universities. Among the nation's finest
schools are the Autonomous
University of Guadalajara, ITESO
and the University
of Guadalajara.
ZAPOPAN
The suburb of Zapopan celebrates a corn festival each September.
The pedestrian mall, Andador 20 de Noviembre, is experiencing
a bit of a renaissance, with a 2005 renovation to its landmark
Plaza de las Américas, in front of the Nuestra Señora
de Zapopan Basílica.
NEARBY
The nearby town of Tequila
is world famous for its distilleries and seemingly endless fields
of agave. Another interesting place is the magical mountain
town Tapalpa.
Lake
Chapala and Ajiiic are nearby.
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