Guadalajara, Guadalajara!

Do you know the song, "Guadalajara"? I'm sure you would recognize it if you heard it. Pull it up on your computer and give a listen! It is a great song and Guadalajara is a b-i-g city! It is the second largest city in Mexico, after Mexico City, with about 4,000,000 people.

Guadalajara (GDL) (Do you mind if I abreviate?) is in the state of Jalisco in the central western region of the country. The founder of the city, Cristobal de Oñate, named it in honor of the city of GDL in Spain. Its nicknames are "The City of Roses" and also "The Pearl of the West". The city is a big industrial and commercial city and is rich in culture, architecture and Mexican traditions. There are several universities in the city and the University of GDL is the second oldest university in Mexico.

As in any big city, there is lots of traffic but one can get around very easily using taxis and city buses. The main streets are good--many divided highways and 4 lane streets-- but the side streets are something else again! You haven't seen potholes until you have seen Mexican potholes! And the topes....oh, yes...the topes! Topes means "speed bumps", the like of which you don't want to drive your car over! Often they are spaced about every 20 feet apart!

GDL has a well-known soccer team, the Chivas, which plays in a big, fairly new stadium, and, depending on with whom you talk, the team is either very good or lousy---maybe much like the Atlanta Braves or the White Sox!

In GDL's historical center, the buildings are of Colonial architecture. The Metropolitan Cathedral is surrounded by 4 lovely plazas with trees, fountains and benches. In these plazas are many beautiful, old buildings. The Governor's Palace is the main office of the government of Jalisco and inside there are murals by Jose Clemente Orozco, the famous painter from Jalisco. The Degollado Theater, inaugrated in 1866, still is a very active theater. Unfortunately, each time that I have been there, it was closed so I can only peer in through the windows to see the lobby. The Regional Museum is said to have one of the best archeological collections in the Western Hemisphere.

My friend, Rosario, and I walked from the main plaza to the Instituto Cultural Cabañas (Cabañas Museum) where we looked at more that 50 pieces of art by Orozco. While we were there, a docent explained several of his murals. After the tour, in the museum bookstore, I bought brochures in English, so I could read about what the man had said to us in Spanish!

Although Rosario and I could have taken a "Calandria tradicional"---a horse drawn carriage---from the main plaza to the museum, we chose to walk so we could browse through one of the biggest jewelry areas in Mexico. Store after store of jewelry! One store was a city block long and wide, with several floors inside. We wandered though a few of the stores, admiring and drooling over the jewelry! Also, the stores are air-conditioned, a welcome relief from the sun and heat.

One of my favorite experiences in GDL was attending the Ballet Folklorico. I love the regional dancing and the music. Although they were not performing this week, I remember the last time I was here and enjoyed the evening with friends.

GDL is famous for many of the things that you may think of as "Mexican". Tequila, fancy horseback riders (charros) and mariachi music all originated in GDL. The mariachis started playing at weddings in the 19th century and they tell me that the name came from a French word for "marriage". The original instruments were all strings but a trumpet was added in the 20th century. A guitar, mandolin, violin, sometimes a harp, a trumpet and a gitarron are the usual instruments in a mariachi group. Their costumes are usually black (but not always) and are decorated with little silver chapetones (decorations) and a huge sombrero.

The "charreria" are experts in capturing cattle with a lasso and excellent horseback riding. It is considered a national sport. The charros ride in the Rosebowl parade each New Year's Day. They wear fancy suits decorated with the silver buttons, similiar to the mariachi suit, and a big sombrero. The women wear beautiful big, full skirts with brightly colored bands that cover the backs of the horses, a tight fitting blouse and a hat.

GDL is also known as the birthplace of tequila although nowdays most of the tequila is manufactured in the town of Tequila, about 1 hour west of GDL. The discussion of tequila is another blog all of its own!

I arrived in GDL in the evening of the 14th and we spent only one, very busy, day there. I chose not to bring my laptop, which may have been a mistake, since I have not been able to find an internet cafe where I can post photos from my camera. I am sorry about that but if I come upon a computer whiz who can help me download my photos, I will send them to you. It is a very pretty, interesting city, and I would like to share the sights with you. (I am not very computer literate and C--where are you when I need you??!!)

Rosario and I stayed with a good friend of hers who welcomed me into her home. We also met with another friend who took us to dinner at Mexican restaurant. If you notice, most of the Mexican restaurants in the USA say on their signs "authenic Mexican restaurant". NO! They are not! This one was! GDL is known for "birria de chivo o de res". This is beef or goat meat, shredded, steamed and then roasted. It is served in a broth and eaten with tortillas and is very delicious. I like it very much. My friends ate Caldo de Tlalpeño, chicken soup full of vegetables, and served with avocado and tortillas. The kitchen was open to view and the walls were covered with Talavera tile. Even the restroom sink and mirror (outside the main bathrooms) was in the Talavera tile.

The next day, Friday, Rosario, her 2 teenagers who had an overnight with their friends, and I boarded a bus for the one and a half hour ride to the city of Aguascalientes where I am now.

It has been very nice to see friends again and to meet new people. In fact, Martha, the friend who took us to dinner in GDL, has a brother living in Gainesville and a sister in Alpharetta. Small world!

Another day I will write about Aguascalientes and hopefully, by then I can figure out how to put photos from my camera onto the blog! My little niece, E, want to learn about Mexico and I want to show her how pretty it is!

Until next time, hasta luego.