Guadalajara, Mexico

Palacio de Gobierno, Guadalajara, Mexico
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palacio_de_Gobierno_y_Plaza_de_Armas.JPG
Author: Patrick


Guadalajara is the capital of the state of Jalisco in Mexico. The city covers 151 sq km (58.3 sq mi) and has a population of 1.56 million people. It is the second biggest city in Mexico, and is located in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, which has a population of 4.3 million people, and is also the second most populous metropolitan area in Mexico.

The city of Guadalajara was named after the Spanish city of the same name. Today it is a modern city with an industrial base. Guadalajara is considered the cultural center of Mexico. This was where Mariachi music had its start.

Catedral de Guadalajara, Mexico
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catedral_de_Guadalajara_2.jpg
Author: El Ágora


Guadalajara was founded in 1532 as a settlement called Mesa del Cerro. In its early years, it was surrounded by hostile native tribes that regularly staged attacks in retaliation to the cruel treatment of captured natives by Nuño de Guzmán, the 16th century Spanish conquistador and administrator of New Spain. The settlement was eventually relocated to Atemajac, where it remains till this day as Guadalajara.

By the 18th century, Guadalajara has grown into a center for the surrounding farming community. It also has an early manufacturing base producing textiles, shoes and food products. The city continued to grow in the 19th century. By then it has already developed an industrial base.

Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, Mexico
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hospicio_Caba%C3%B1as.JPG
Author: patrick.denizet


Guadalajara became the second largest city in Mexico since the 1970s. Its population peaked at 2.5 million in 1980, and since then had declined steadily from the 1990s. The population of the metropolitan area however continues to grow.

Today Guadalajara is home to numerous multinational companies in the electronics and information technology fields. They provide job opportunities to the locals, especially skilled labor. However the job market for unskilled workers is not that rosy. Nonetheless, according to FDI Magazine, the city has the second strongest economic potential in North America, only behind Chicago.

El Hombre de Fuego (Man of Fire), a mural by José Clemente Orozco at Hospicio Cabañas
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Orozco_hombre_de_fuego_GDL.JPG
Author: Fabienkhan

Visiting Guadalajara

The Libertador Miguel Hidalgo International Airport (GDL) is the gateway to Guadalajara from abroad. Arriving at this airport, you can catch a taxi to downtown, if your hotel does not provide a pickup.

The historic district of Guadalajara can be explored on foot. For farther places, there are buses, the subway and taxis. A bus trip should cost 6 pesos. You should buy a bus map to learn the routes. There's a subway network of two lines covering the central part of Guadalajara, one going north south while the other heads east from the city center. The fare is also 6 pesos.

Rotonda de los Hombres Jalicienses Ilustres, Guadalajara
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guadalajara_M%C3%A9xico_Rotonda_Hombres_Jalicienses_Ilustres_noche.jpg
Author: Carlos E. Sáinz

Places of Interest in Guadalajara

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