Guadalajara

Guadalajara is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the state of Jalisco. The Guadalajara metropolitan area has a population of 5,002,466, making it the second-largest metropolitan area in the country.

Guadalajara has the third-largest economy and industrial infrastructure in Mexico and contributes 37% of the state of Jalisco's total gross production. It is ranked in the top ten in Latin America in gross domestic product and the third highest ranking in Mexico.

The city's economy has two main sectors. Commerce and tourism employ most: about 60% of the population.

The city is an important center for science, technology, finance, culture, innovation, education, business, and tourism in Mexico. It is home to numerous landmarks, including Guadalajara Cathedral, the Teatro Degollado, the Templo Expiatorio, the Hospicio Cabañas, and the San Juan de Dios Market—the largest indoor market in Latin America.

CLIMATE

Guadalajara has a humid subtropical climate that is quite close to a tropical climate, featuring dry, warm winters and hot, wet summers. Guadalajara's climate is influenced by its high altitude and the general seasonality of precipitation patterns in western North America.

Although the temperature is warm year-round, Guadalajara has very strong seasonal variation in precipitation. The northward movement of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone brings a great deal of rain in the summer months, whereas, for the rest of the year, the climate is rather dry.

The extra moisture in the wet months moderates the temperatures, resulting in cooler days and nights during this period.

The highest temperatures are usually reached in May averaging 33 °C (91 °F), but can reach up to 37 °C (99 °F) just before the onset of monsoon season. March tends to be the driest month and July the wettest, with an average of 273 millimetres (10.7 in) of rain, over a quarter of the annual average of about 1,002 millimetres (39.4 in).

GEOGRAPHY

Guadalajara's natural wealth is represented by the La Primavera Forest, Los Colomos, and the Barranca de Huentitán.

La Barranca de Huentitán (the Huentitán Forest) (also known as Barranca de Oblatos and Barranca de Oblatos-Huentitán) is a National Park located just north of the municipality of Guadalajara.

The barranca (canyon) borders two colonias (neighborhoods) of the city, Oblatos and Huentitan. It covers approximately 1,136 hectares, and varies 600 meters in altitude. The funicular railway in the park starts at 1000 meters above sea level and rises to 1520 meters above sea level.

La Cascada Cola de Caballo (The Horse Tail Waterfall) is located on the Guadalajara to Zacatecas road (Highway 54, km 15) a few kilometers from the Northern Peripheral, just after passing the village of San Esteban. The waterfall is fed by a stream from the Atemajac Valley. It is close to Guadalajara and a town with very little development, and as a result of poor ecological practices it is very polluted.

El Bosque los Colomos, the Colomos Forest, is located in the northwestern part of Guadalajara along the Rio Atemajac. It is in a wealthy part of the metropolitan area, and has been developed for recreation rather than being preserved in its wild state. Currently, this forest covers an area of 92 hectares in which pine trees, eucalyptus trees and cedars predominate. The park has jogging tracks, gardens (including a Japanese garden), ponds, a bird lake, instructional areas for school field days, playgrounds, camping areas, and horses to ride.

Other places of interest around Guadalajara include Camachos Aquatic Natural Park, a commercial water park, and Barranca Colimilla, a beautiful canyon with hiking trails near Tonala, east of Guadalajara.

MUSEUMS

The museums in Guadalajara are an extension of the cultural infrastructure of this city, many of them stand out for their architectural and historical significance, there are more than 189 forums of art exhibition among cultural centers, museums, private galleries and cultural spaces of the town hall.

Guadalajara has twenty two museums, which include the Regional Museum of Jalisco, the Wax Museum, the Trompo Mágico children's museum and the Museum of Anthropology. The Hospicio Cabañas in the historic center is a World Heritage Site.

The Jalisco Regional Museum (Ex seminary de San José) was built at the beginning of the 18th century to be the Seminario Conciliar de San José. From 1861 to 1914, it housed a school called Liceo de Varones. In 1918, it became the Museum of Fine Arts.

LANDMARKS

The historic downtown of Guadalajara is the oldest section of the city, where it was founded and where the oldest buildings are. It centers on Paseo Morelos/Paseo Hospicio from the Plaza de Armas, where the seats of ecclesiastical and secular power are, east toward the Plaza de Mariachis and the Hospicio Cabañas. The Plaza de Armas is a rectangular plaza with gardens, ironwork benches and an ironwork kiosk which was made in Paris in the 19th century.

Within Guadalajara's historic downtown, there are many squares and public parks: Parque Morelos, Plaza de los Mariachis, Plaza Fundadores, Plaza Tapatia, Plaza del Agave, Parque Revolucion, Jardin del Santuario, Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Liberacion, Plaza Guadalajara and the Rotonda de los Hombres Ilustres, the last four of which surround the cathedral to form a Latin Cross.

The Rotonda de los Hombres Ilustres (Rotunda of Illustrious Men) is a monument made of quarried stone, built in 1952 to honor the memory of distinguished people from Jalisco. A circular structure of 17 columns surrounds 98 urns containing the remains of those honored. Across the street is the municipal palace which was built in 1952.

The Palace of the State Government is in Churrigueresque and Neoclassical styles and was begun in the 17th century and finished in 1774.

The Cathedral is bordered to the east by the Plaza de la Liberación, nicknamed the Plaza de las Dos Copas, referring to the two fountains on the east and west sides. Facing this plaza is the Teatro Degollado (Degollado Theater). The plaza is in the exact spot where the city was founded and contains a sculpture depicting Cristobal de Oñate at the event (finsemana).

Between the Cathedral and the Hospicio is the large Plaza Tapatía which covers 70,000 m2. Its centerpiece is the large Quetzalcoátl sculpture/fountain. Southeast of this plaza is the Mercado Libertad, also called the Mercado de San Juan de Dios, one of the largest traditional markets in Mexico. The Temple of San Juan de Dios, a Baroque church built in the 17th century, is next to the market.

At the far east end is the Plaza de los Mariachis and the Ex-Hospicio Cabañas. The Plaza de los Mariachis is faced by restaurants where one can hear live mariachis play, especially at night. The Ex-Hospicio Cabañas extends along the entire east side of the Plaza.

PARKS & RECREATION

Parks and forests are important in Guadalajara; while many of the oldest neighborhoods of the municipality of Guadalajara do not have sufficient green spaces, of the three most important metropolitan areas in Mexico, the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (ZMG) has the most green areas and plants.

The most important parks are:

Gardens (Jardínes)
Jardín Dr. Atl
Jardín Francisco Zarco
El Jardín Botánico (Botanical Garden)
Jardín del Santuario
Glorieta Chapalita Zapopan
Jardín de San Francisco de Asís
Jardín de San Sebastián de Analco
Jardín del Carmen
Jardín del Museo Arqueológico (Garden of the Archaeological Museum)
Jardín José Clemente Orozco
Parks (Parques)
Parque Ávila Camacho
Parque de la Revolución (Parque Rojo to locals)
Parque Mirador Independencia o Barranca de Huentitán
Parque Mirador Dr. Atl Zapopan
Parque Oblatos
Parque Amarillo (Colonia Jardines Alcalde)
Parque Talpita
Parque Tucson (Colonia Jardines Alcalde)
Parque Los Colomos
Parque Morelos
Parque de la Jabonera
Parque Metropolitano Zapopan
Parque Alcalde.
Parque Agua Azul
Parque González Gallo
Parque de la Solidaridad Tonalá
Parque de la Liberación
Parque de la Expenal (Explanada 18 de Marz)
Parque Roberto Montenegro El Salto
Parque San Rafael
Parque San Jacinto
Forests (Bosques)
Bosque del Centinela Zapopan
Bosque de la Primavera Zapopan, Tlajomulco de Zúñiga y Tala
Zoos (Zoológicos)
Zoológico Villa Fantasía Zapopan
Zoológico Guadalajara

ROADS & HIGHWAYS

Guadalajara is well connected by a number of modern highways. These include Fed 15D, which connects the city northwestward to Nogales, Sonora, via Tepic, Nayarit and eastwards to Mexico City via Morelia; Fed 80D which runs northwest toward Aguascalientes; and Fed 54D which runs southward to the coast via Colima.

The city's well connected transportation infrastructure allows easy access to Mexico City, to the northwest and to the major beach resorts of Manzanillo, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta to the southwest, northwest, and west, respectively.

BUSES

The Guadalajara Macrobús is a public transportation system based on the concept of bus rapid transit, where each bus has a single route and boarding station. The Guadalajara trolleybus system has been operating since the 1970s, along with many city buses run by private companies and a bustling network of pedestrianised streets.

RAILWAYS

The Guadalajara light rail/metro system, named SITEUR (Sistema de Tren Eléctrico Urbano), Spanish for Urban Electrical Train System, provides rapid transit service within Guadalajara and the neighboring municipalities of Zapopan and Tlaquepaque.

AIRPORTS

The Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport, also known as Guadalajara International Airport (ICAO code: MMGL) opened in 1966. It is located 16 km (10 mi) south of downtown Guadalajara, and it was built on the Tlajomulco de Zuñiga city, near Chapala. The airport is the third most active in the country (after Mexico City and Cancún) with direct flights to many Mexican and American cities.