Mexico Guadalajara Travel: Impressions of Tlaquepaque & Tonala

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• published: 02 Mar 2010
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Mexico, particularly the historic, colonial heartland of this country, continues to fascinate me. It is also the perfect winter getaway for sun-starved Canadians, and I thought another visit to Mexico was in order. So on February 3, 2010 I arrived in the pouring rain in Guadalajara, the nations 2nd largest city. Fortunately the weather cleared up the next day and I was able to check out the scenic downtown of Tlaquepaque as well as the arts and crafts market of Tonala, both located in the southern part of Guadalajara. On a luxury Internet-equipped bus I headed to my first weekend excursion from February 5 to 7 to Guanajuato, a gorgeous silver mining town and UNESCO World Heritage Site about 4 hours from Guadalajara. My gracious hosts Sujei and Roberto showed me around their city for 2.5 days: from the silver mine La Valenciana with its magnificent baroque church, to the unique street tunnels that connect the city underground, the El Pipila monument overlooking Guanajuato's colourful houses, to the estudiantina - a walking night-time concert through the scenic alleyways of Guanajuato, the gorgeous little squares with their bars and restaurants to the rather scary Mummies Museum - Guanajuato is a real treasure. I even went mountain-biking in the sierra above Guanajuato and enjoyed the sweeping views over the Mexican mountainscape. I spent February 8 to 12 back in Guadalajara, more exactly in Tlaquepaque where I studied Spanish at the Guadalajara Language Center every morning. I met some nice international Spanish students from the United States and Canada and we enjoyed a couple of get-togethers in the evening. In the afternoons I went on various tours my local expert José Orozco took me to Lake Chapala where he showed me a prison island with ruins from the 1800s, as well as a tour to Tequila, a magical village in the mountains north of Guadalajara, where there are many tequila distilleries. I even went to Lake Chapala again to interview a recently retired Canadian who now permanently lives in Ajijic, a favourite retirement destination for many Americans and Canadians. The local tourism authorities in Tlaquepaque provided me with personal tours of the El Refugio Cultural Centre and of the downtown area where my guide, a local Tourist Police officer, even took me up into steeple of the local parish church from where I had a great view over the city. My second weekend excursion happened from February 13 to 15: Morelia, one of Mexicos colonial jewels, is a city with more than 1,100 historic buildings from the 16th to the 19th century. Not surprisingly Morelia also received the UNESCO World Heritage Site distinction. From my hotel, the Hotel Catedral, I had a magnificent view of the splendid Cathedral of Morelia and I enjoyed the weekly fireworks that are released every Saturday night from the roof of the cathedral - what a magnificent spectacle. My local expert Rodrigo Muñoz took me on an out-of-town excursion the next day to the Lake Patzcuaro area. We explored fascinating towns such as Quiroga, Tzintzuntzan, Patzcuaro and the Island of Janitzio where we climbed to the top of the 50 m high statue of Mexican independence fighter José Mario Morelos. My last full day in Mexico was spent in Cuitzeo, another magical village (Pueblo Magico), which features a 16th century monastery. Mexico, as always, did not disappoint. Its history, architecture, scenic beauty and the warmth and hospitality of its people will call me back again!