Thursday, 6 March 2014

Guadalajara at an altitude of over 5,000 feet and has a metropolitan population of more than 4 million. It is Mexico’s second largest city. The central area of Guadalajara consists of three squares, including the Cathedral, many old administrative and historically interesting buildings dating from colonial times. Some of these were involved in Mexican Revolutionary events. 

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It has a wonderful theater, a large but congested market and a building housing three floors of Gold and Silver merchants. The Hospicio Cabanas has many modern murals painted in 1945 by Jose Clemente Orozco (1883-1949) who was a Mexican social realist painter. His work is also featured in the main staircase of the Gobierno Palace; another interesting and historical building that still provides some administrative functions for the city. All the tourist sites were within walking distance of our hotel.

The central area has many pedestrian shopping areas which are busy. The first part of the morning was spent photographing and taking Video of the Cathedral area.  There was a protest in progress relating to the issues of the indigenous Indians of Mexico who were dressed in their costumes, banging on drums and chanting; all quite interesting. We then walked to the Hospicio Cabañas which was built at the beginning of the 19th century to provide care and shelter for the disadvantaged – orphans, seniors, the handicapped and chronic invalids. In the early 20th century, the chapel was decorated with a superb series of murals now considered some of the masterpieces of Mexican art. They are the work of Jose Clemente Orozco, one of the greatest Mexican muralists of the period. There is a fee for entry.

Returning to the central area we visited the Teatro Degollado, home of the Guadalajara Philharmonic. The building was begun in 1856 and took 30 years to complete. The five-tiered interior is swathed in red velvet and 23 karat gold-leaf and crowned by a Gerardo Suarez mural based on the fourth canto of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Again, there was a fee for touring the building and while we were there a classical pianist was rehearsing for a concert, so we were able to hear the acoustics for the building.

This was followed by a lunch snack, taken at one of the stands near the treater. After lunch, we headed over to the regular market (Mercado Libertad) and the Jewelry center, a large building housing floors of jewelry sellers.

Our next stop was the Gobierno Palace where we took a self-guided tour of this interesting and historic building which was completed in 1790 and has more Orozco murals. The palace was completed in 1790 and Father Miguel Hidalgo occupied the building in 1810, during the Mexican War of Independence. A radical priest with a taste for wine and women, Hidalgo crusaded for human rights; it was here in the governor’s palace that he issued his famous proclamation to abolish slavery.

Later, during one of Mexico’s numerous small civil wars, Benito Juarez, “Mexico’s Abraham Lincoln,” also occupied the building. When opposing forces entered the city, Juarez was captured outside the palace and very nearly executed. The guns of a firing squad were lined upon him when the novelist Guillermo Prieto jumped forth to shield Juarez. Supposedly he cried “los valientes no asesinan,” (the brave do not murder) and the soldiers lowered their rifles.

The day was completed with a stroll along Avenue Juárez, one of the main shopping streets of Guadalajara. A very full day. Tomorrow we head to Guanajuato.

Although we spent a full day in Guadalajara, we found this just enough time to see most of the historical and cultural sites in the center of the city.  Finding good restaurants within walking distance of the hotel turned out to be a challenge. We are sure there are some, but we were hampered by a lack to good tourist information. Surprisingly, even the large bookstores do not carry foreign language guides or histories of the city.

Even with the noise from the Disco, we enjoyed our stay in the city, seeing everything the central area has to offer.