GUADALAJARA
CELEBRATIONS
The most famous festivities in Guadalajara are those celebrated with dances, fireworks and a fair in front of the basilica of the Virgin of Zapopán on August 15. Another great celebration that involving a pilgrimage of the faithful takes place on October 15. Another picturesque festival is the one celebrated in the village of Nextipac, near Zapopan on July 25, during which the struggle between Saint Santiago and the Moors during the festival of the Tastoanes is reenacted.
HISTORICAL INTEREST
One of the most interesting places of historical interest in Guadalajara is the Government Palace. It was first occupied by the governors of the old territory of Nueva Galicia, now the state of Jalisco, during the colonial period. Then, during the 19th century, it was the lodging of the insurgent, Miguel Hidalgo, who passed the law abolishing slavery from that very palace in 1810. Years later, it was the headquarters of the Federal Government when, Don Benito Juárez, the great patriot, took over the building during his flight from the conservative troops of Generals Miramón and Márquez.
The Government Palace
Father Miguel Hidalgo passed the law abolishing slavery in this building in 1810. In 1858, it was President Benito Juárez¿s office for a little more than a month, and a year later, its interior was almost totally destroyed by an explosion. It was later refurbished.
MUSEUMS
At a conservative estimate, Guadalajara has over twenty major museums. Paradoxically, the city itself constitutes a living sample of Mexican history. Don’t forget to visit the Institute of Jalisco Handicrafts, the Museum of Archaeology of Western Mexico, the José Clemente Orozco Museum, the Museum of Huichol Handicrafts, the Museum of Journalism and Graphic Arts, located in the same place where El despertador americano was printed, the Regional Museum of Guadalajara and as many others as your time and enthusiasm permit.
Huichol Handicrafts Museum
Located next to the Zapopan basilica, this museum specializes in exhibitions of handicrafts made by the Huichol Indians that inhabit the western range of the Sierra Madre. Of particular interest are the shirts, knapsacks, blouses, earrings, pants, skirts, necklaces, rings, masks, and photographs depicting this ethnic group¿s daily activities.
The José Clemente Orozco House-Museum
The house that used to be the studio of one of Mexico¿s greatest painters was donated as a museum after his death. On display, are drawings, lithographs and photographs by young artists from Jalisco and the rest of the country.
The West of Mexico Archeological Museum
Located in Agua Azul Park, this museum, whose building is shaped like a truncated pyramid, has a collection of some of the remains of the pre Hispanic cultures of the states of Jalisco, Colima, and Nayarit. Its main attraction, however, are the archeological objects found at Valle de Atemajac, including vessels, human figures, steles, necklaces, and stone razors.
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