I made my first excursion in Mexico this past weekend - off to Guadalajara to visit Kristen (a good friend of mine from Monterey who is living and teaching in Mexico). Guadalajara is the second largest city in Mexico with 6 million people (Mexico City has 24 million!).
El Centro - Unfortunately I left the Flip (my camera) at Kristen’s house when we went off to explore, but here are some pics I found on the internet. Guadalajara, like GTO, started off as a colonial city and this was the heart of it, including a huge basilica that is only and all white and gold on the inside. One of the oldest theaters, the palacio (palace for the governor), tons of fountains, plazas, and fantastic murals conveying Mexico’s fight for independence from Spain in the early 1800s with the final battle in 1811 in Guadalajara. And to top off all the historic sites the best pañaleria ever - some sweet bread FILLED with oozing dark chocolate - YUM!
Some other sites include Zapopan, used to be a colonial city outside of Guadalajara but is now kind of in the middle of the sprawling city. Its famous for its illuminated basilica at night, which is really quite beautiful although the neon crosses do give it a Vegas flare. The Pope even came to visit the 10-inch corn-paste Virgen de Zapopan which is supposedly famous for granting miracles and goes on tour for 5 months of the year.
Tonala & Taquepaque are both artist communities in town that are quite interesting and so many beautiful locals arts and crafts. I found myself questioning the idea of only bringing a backpack and instead contemplating buying a house in Mexico so I could decorate appropriately!
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