Search results
Within Mexico, Guadalajara is a center of business, arts and culture, technology and tourism; as well as the economic center of the Bajío region. It usually ranks among the 100 most productive and globally competitive cities in the world.
- Overview
- History
- The contemporary city
Guadalajara, city, capital of Jalisco estado (state), west-central Mexico. It lies roughly in the centre of the state, in the Atemajac Valley near the Río Grande de Santiago, at an elevation of about 5,100 feet (1,550 metres). Its climate is dry and mild except for the rainy season, which extends from July to mid-September. Pop. (2010) 1,495,182; m...
From its founding by the Spanish in 1531 until the 1540s, the city was relocated several times because of resistance from Indians, thousands of whom were captured by Guadalajara-based slave hunters during the early colonial period. The city was made the seat of a bishopric in 1549. It remained prominent throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, and in 1810 it was occupied briefly by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, who initiated the independence movement and decreed the abolition of slavery in Mexico. Guadalajara has produced several Mexican political and cultural leaders, including the 19th-century Liberal politician Valentín Gómez Farías; Mariano Azuela, a prominent novelist of the Mexican Revolution (1910–20); and the political leader and writer Agustín Yáñez.
Guadalajara experienced substantial growth after the 1930s, and by the 1970s it was Mexico’s second largest city. Modern residential suburbs, linked by highways and wide boulevards, have attracted members of the upper and middle classes from the older parts of the city. Meanwhile, other neighbourhoods have persisted as impoverished suburbs or inner-city districts.
The cathedral, completed in 1618, is richly decorated. Many other churches dating from the colonial period are interspersed with modern industrial and commercial buildings. Cultural institutions of note include the Degollado Theatre, which is one of the largest and most ornate in Latin America; the State Museum of Jalisco (1918); and the Cabañas Hospice, a former 19th-century orphanage (now a museum) that was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. Guadalajara was the home of the painter José Clemente Orozco (1883–1949), and various buildings around the city, including the Cabañas Hospice, house many of his finest frescoes. The governor’s palace, begun in 1743, is one of the finest examples of Spanish architecture in Mexico.
Guadalajara’s economy is traditionally based on its services as a political capital and as a commercial entrepôt for the surrounding agricultural region, which is devoted primarily to corn (maize), beans, and livestock. Since 1940 the city has also been a major manufacturer of textiles, electronics, chemicals, building materials, tobacco products, soft drinks, and other products. Handicrafts are also important. The city is home to the University of Guadalajara (1925), one of the largest institutions of higher education in Mexico, and the Autonomous University of Guadalajara (1935). The military schools of aviation (1915), air force specialists (1934), supply and maintenance (1942), and signals (1920) are in suburban Zapopan.
Guadalajara is served by an international airport. It is linked by railroad and highway with several cities, including the main western routes between Mexico City to the east-southeast and the southwestern United States border (at Nogales, Arizona) to the northwest. Lake Chapala, some 30 miles (50 km) south of the city, is Mexico’s most extensive lake, but it has been shrinking as its source waters have been increasingly diverted.
Exclusive academic rate for students! Save 67% on Britannica Premium.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Guadalajara, Mexico. The inland city of Guadalajara is bursting with history and culture. Many attractions are in the city's historic center and in the neighboring city of Zapopan. Museums, parks and churches flourish alongside bullfights, rodeos and soccer (futbol).
Aug 1, 2022 · Learn what to expect, do and avoid in Guadalajara, Mexico's second-largest city and a vibrant cultural hub. Find out about its history, events, etiquette, food, transport and more from a local perspective.
- Cathedral. The main church for the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, the cathedral is edged by four plazas that form a cross shape. This monument has come through all kinds of catastrophes, including no fewer than seven earthquakes.
- Hospicio Cabañas. A World Heritage Site, this immense complex was established in 1791 as a hospital, almshouse, orphanage and workhouse. With a large rectangular footprint, it has the same kind of format as Madrid’s El Escorial or Les Invalides in Paris.
- Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento. A shining piece of neo-Gothic architecture, this church was built over 75 years between 1897 and 1972. With dainty tracery, crockets, a rose window and mosaics in its tympana, it’s almost indistinguishable from a European Medieval building.
- Tlaquepaque. Once a city of its own, Tlaquepaque was engulfed by the conurbation in the 20th century, and is set just six kilometres southeast of the centre of Guadalajara.
Mexico, North America. As Mexico’s second-largest city, Guadalajara delivers a less frenetic alternative to the nation’s capital. And, while many of the images recognized as Mexican have their roots here – mariachi music, wide-brimmed sombreros, the Mexican hat dance and charreadas (rodeos) – Guadalajara is as much a vanguard of the new ...
Things to Do in Guadalajara, Mexico: See Tripadvisor's 141,510 traveler reviews and photos of Guadalajara tourist attractions. Find what to do today, this weekend, or in July. We have reviews of the best places to see in Guadalajara. Visit top-rated & must-see attractions.
Book Hotels in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Browse Reviews & Photos. Compare Great Options. Browse the Photos and Get Inspired. Start Planning Your Next Getaway.
- Summer Sale: 25% off Select Hotels
- ·Valid Jun 20 - Jul 13
8.0/10 (11582 reviews)
Find the best tours, tickets, trips & more. Compare prices and book online on Tripadvisor. Full refund available up to 24 hours before your tour date. Quick & easy purchase process.
Elige tu Vuelo, Ve a la Página de Pago, Añádete a Prime y el Descuento se Aplicará. Únete al Programa de Suscripción de Viajes Más Grande del Mundo y Ahorra
Cheap Hotels Guides. Book Cheap Hotels with 24/7 Support. Discover the Best Hotels with our Handpicked Hotel Guides
The closest thing to an exhaustive search you can find - SMH
