January 31, 2013 – Guadalajara Three
After our first two days here, we realized that we wouldn’t even be able to skim the surface of this place in three days, so we extended our stay for another day to take a walking tour of the historical section. But first, it’s Shopping Day! Wait a minute, wasn’t that yesterday? Cancel that thought, EVERY day in Guadalajara is Shopping Day! Off we went on a shopping tour of Tonala and Tlaquepaque. (That’s “toe-naw-LAW and t-lacky-PACK-y”). These are nearby towns that have been eaten by Guadalajara and now form part of the city, but they remain cultural and artisanal centres in their own right.
Tonala is definitely an experience, it’s basically a sidewalk under-the-tarps market on the side of a very busy main thoroughfare, but all of the business places behind it are in on the action, and the whole thing is, I don’t know how big? Our tour bus was a double-decker, so of course we rode in the open top, which was very nice. The bus rendezvous was two hours, which we missed, and we picked up the next tour bus after four hours. In those four hours, we made it about five blocks up the street on one side and back on the other side, and I’d be astonished if we saw half of it. Debbi fell in love with a wall-fountain, which is a wood frame with three clay pots and a glass fish tank. Hang on wall, fill up the tank with water, insert the fish, start the pump, and there you have it! Looks like a raccoon trap to me….
Basking in the sunshine!
Bingo Ball curtain-management devices….
Tlaquepacque was quite different. There are no tarps; everything is inside shops and little malls, it’s much more upscale and with lots of real artisan stuff. We only had an hour or so here, which is a shame. We’ll need to go back to this one, as it deserves a full day to itself. It’s a very pretty street scene with lots of unique and authentic things. Like most things, once you’ve taken the city tour, you realize you don’t need it to get there. A city bus will take you there for a buck, or a taxi for ten bucks. Take the city bus, it’s more fun! After two days of constant walking and shopping, it’s definitely time for a quiet evening in our room, particularly as we have an early start for our walking tour tomorrow!
I could drag this out, but the walking tour was a gong show. The operator showed up over an hour late, and then we were put on the wrong tour! After much discussion, we eventually ended up on a driving tour of the city sites and a two-hour walking tour with an excellent guide who did his best to retrieve the situation. I would confidently book future tours with this operator, as it appears we just fell into a crack; the company gave us a complete refund and a full apology without hesitation.
Having said all of that, here’s what we saw:
Our guide, Pablo, started by driving us around the city, showing us several monuments and works of art that referenced the history of the city and the country. Most of the intersections of major arteries are huge roundabouts, and the city government has used these to very good purpose. There are war memorials, monuments to exceptional individuals, and just plain works of art.
This is called ‘The Stampede’.
Metal sculpture on the side of a busy intersection!
Pablo then took us through the ‘consular district’, which is an older part of the city with massive Edwardian, Georgian, and Art Deco private homes. Few people can afford to live in them anymore, so they are leased out to foreign nations as embassies. It looks a lot like the back streets of Shaughnessy in Vancouver. Then it was time for a quick bite to eat beside the oldest church in the city, which, other than being really, really old, is noteworthy as it has a clockwork display where Jesus and the Apostles put in an appearance every time the bell bongs. Clearly, they must have had Germans or Swiss build it, as it’s still working!
Yet another church, but at THIS one
Jesus and the Apostles trot out every hour.
Then it was time for the historical section. We only went inside a few buildings; sadly, the Opera House was in full rehearsal for that evening, so the inside was barred to the public. That’s a shame as it is a stunning building, but I guess we have something to see for next time! Trotting around through all the buildings would take about three full days, but we got a look at all the main squares and monuments, and we went inside the cathedral and a couple of the historic government buildings.
I don’t know how a sculptor makes copper look like it’s
blowing in the wind….
The original legislative building is a real treat as it is pretty much a working museum, and also as it houses two monumental murals by Miguel Orozco. The main staircase is dominated by an enormous mural painted in 1936, which depicts all of the ways that mankind has found to enslave itself (church, army, fascism, communism, capitalism), and is dominated by Miguel Hidalgo, the father of the Mexican Revolution, waving the torch of freedom over all. Awesome. And all done on the ceiling and very high walls by an old guy who was afraid of heights!
This is a VERY small part of a truly massive mural by
Miguel Orozco in the original legislature.
Sr. Hidalgo lighting the way – or burning the place down;
there’s a difference of opinion. These murals were done
10 years before the Holocaust.
The cathedral was a great place to end the tour, as it is quiet, peaceful, and beautiful with a wonderful ambience. The stained glass is stunning, and somehow the architect managed to take a gigantic pile of rock and turn it into light and space.
The central arcade in the Guadalajara Cathedral.
A gorgeous building, worth the trip all by itself.
Despite all the initial hiccups and the short time we had, the tour was great. Guadalajara historico is pretty awesome for history, art, and architecture. There are museums and art galleries to keep you busy for another two or three days if you are so inclined. Put it on your bucket list!