Guadalajara

As a result of its long period of isolation from the Mexican capital it has been able, as the chief town of Jalisco state, to preserve the independent character of a town conscious of its own traditions with something of a European atmosphere. The Tapatíos, as the people of Guadalajara call themselves, have contrived, thanks to their prosperity and their artistic sense, to create an attractive city of broad avenues, carefully-tended parks and trim light-coloured buildings. However, the drive for modernisation of recent years and the rapid population growth have tended slightly to detract from the friendly and comfortable atmosphere of Guadalajara.

Guadalajara is not only a centre of "mariachi" music but also a stronghold of "charreadas" (the Mexican version of the rodeo) and the popular folk dance, the "Jarabe Tapatío" - three things which to the foreigner express the very essence of Mexican folk traditions.

History

The old Indian history of Guadalajara in pre-Columbian times reflected that of Jalisco and neighbouring regions. The first temporary settlements founded by the Spanish conquistadors in this region were abandoned between 1530 and 1542, but in the latter year Pérez de la Torre founded Guadalajara (named after the Spanish town of that name) on its present site. In 1560 it became capital of the province of Nueva Galicia. Its distance from Mexico City and its isolated situation preserved Guadalajara from any major setbacks during the wars of the 19th and 20th c. Notable events in the history of the town include Miguel Hidalgo's declaration on the abolition of slavery in 1810, the defeat of Hidalgo and Allende by Spanish forces in 1811 and the occupation by French troops between 1863 and 1866. Guadalajara was not connected with Mexico City by rail until the end of the 19th c. On April 22nd 1992 a violent explosion in the city's sewers killed more than 200 people.

The central feature of Guadalajara is a magnificent group of four squares arranged in the form of a cross, with the city's principal public buildings set around them.