Guadalajara is Mexico’s second largest city with a
population over four million in the city and surrounding metropolitan area (link). It’s less than an hour’s drive from Lake Chapala. We took a bus from Ajijic
($50 MXN, about $4 USD) to avoid dealing with traffic and parking. The
bus dropped us at the Antigua Central Camionera (old bus station*), which is more than a kilometer from the
city’s Centro Histórico, the colonial center of the city, so we caught a taxi
from the bus station.
 |
| Plaza Guadalajara looking toward the Palacio Municipal (built between 1949 and 1952) |
The Centro Histórico is laid out like a cross from west to east when viewed from above (link). The cathedral lies at its crux surrounded by four plazas: Plaza Guadalajara at the head of the cross; Plaza de la Liberación at its base; Plaza de Armas to the south; and Plaza de la Rotonda to the north. The circular fountain in the Plaza Guadalajara is shaped like an oyster with rose petals alluding to the city's two nicknames: "Pearl of the West" and "City of Roses." The stairs lead to an underground parking garage.
Guadalajara dates from the mid-16th century; 126
people lived there in 1542. Construction of the Catedral de Guadalajara began in 1558. In
the 18th century, the city’s economy was based on agriculture,
textiles, shoes and other non-durable goods. Today, the city’s economy is based
on manufacturing (especially electronics and information technology), commercial
services, tourism, as well as agricultural products (food and beverages),
textiles and shoes (link).
 |
| Interior of the Catedral de Guadalajara |
 |
| Behind the Catedral de Guadalajara |
 |
| Man practicing his horn behind the cathedral |
A show entitled El
Artesano – Corazón de Jalisco (The Artisan – Heart of Jalisco) in large
white tents in the Plaza de la Liberación, east of the cathedral, featured artisans from the state of
Jalisco. We bought local coffee and honey and Rande bought a horsehair hatband. In the 1980s, two blocks of colonial buildings
were razed and replaced by concrete slabs to make this plaza.
 |
| Artisan show in white tents on the Plaza de la Liberación behind the cathedral |
An earthquake
destroyed the cathedral’s twin towers in 1818. The towers for
which the city is known today were reconstructed in 1848 and are higher than the original towers (link).
 |
| Horse-drawn carriages for rent along the Plaza de la Liberación |
To the south of the cathedral is Plaza de la
Constitución (Plaza of the Constitution) although it is popularly known as the
Plaza de Armas (Plaza of Arms or parade ground), which, according to an interpretive sign in the plaza, is
the place where local residents prepared for battles with indigenous peoples. A French
art nouveau bandstand purchased by Porfirio Díaz, president of Mexico from
1876-1911 (link),
occupies the center of the plaza.
 |
| Plaza de Armas |
 |
| French bandstand in Plaza de Armas |
Tourism is focused on the historic city center of churches, museums,
theaters, galleries, government offices and plazas of various sizes connected
by a pedestrian mall lined with shops, outdoor vendors, restaurants and works
of art. Architectural styles range from Gothic and Neoclassical to Art Deco and
Modern (link).
 |
| Pedestrian Mall looking west toward the cathedral |
 |
| Pedestrian Mall looking east toward Hospicio
Cabañas |
 |
| Woman selling canaries on the Mall |
Fountains and sculptures along the pedestrian mall invite people to stop and rest or investigate. La Inmolación de Quetzalcoatl (The Immolation of Quetzalcoatl), designed by Victor Manuel Contreras,
comprises five bronze sculptures that dominates the sprawling Plaza Tapatía. The central spiral is 25
m (82 ft) high and represents Quetzalcoatl, a Mesoamerican deity whose name in Nahuatl language and means "feathered serpent” (link), "...flying away from the Earth towards the sky to light the sun and give us the new light"; the four sculptures that resemble birds are the four cardinal points (link).
 |
| La Inmolación de Quetzalcoatl by Victor Manuel Contreras |
Alejandro Colunga
Marín, a self-taught Mexican painter and sculptor, has
several installations in the city and is
considered among the most important Mexican artists of the 20th century. His 1995 La Sala de los Magos (Room of the Magicians) is an interactive sculpture in the Plaza Tapatía in
front of the Hospicio Cabañas (link). Each
of the sculptures “…depicts a magician transforming himself into a sofa or
chair, and everyone is welcome to sit on these fantastic creations. Depending
upon which piece a person rests, he might feel tall or short, fat or thin. But
he always feels embraced by the benevolent spirit of the magician” (link).
 |
| From La Sala de los Magos by Alejandro Colunga
Marín |
 |
| From La Sala de los Magos by Colunga |
 |
| From La Sala de los Magos by Colunga |
 |
| A popular place to rest and take pictures |
Alejandro Colunga’s
1999 installation Los Magos
Universales (The Universal Magicians), also in the Plaza Tapatía, is another popular interactive project,
which is clear from the polished areas where people sit.
 |
| José
Clemente Orozco's murals in the chapel of Hospicio
Cabañas |
Hospicio Cabañas was built between 1805 and 1810 by Juan
Ruiz de Cabañas, the Bishop of Guadalajara, as an orphanage, alms house,
workhouse and hospital. During the War of Independence (1810-1821), and at
other times since, the complex, which covers 2.34 ha (5 ac), was used
as a military barracks and stables. It housed more than 500 people in 1872
(link). Orozco's 57 frescoes in the chapel are a panorama of Mexico’s history from pre-Hispanic civilizations through Spanish Conquest and the Mexican Revolution and are widely regarded as his finest works. Hospicio Cabañas became a
World Heritage Site (WHS) in 1997 (link). Admission was free on the day we were there (Tuesday), but it cost $30 MXN (about $2.40 USD) to use a camera.
 |
| Ceiling panel by Orozco |
 |
| Ceiling panel by Orozco |
The Hospicio Cabañas is often referred to as the "Sistine Chapel of the Americas" (link) and became a World Heritage Site (WHS) in 1997 (link). It houses the Instituto Cultural de Cabañas with schools for arts and crafts, and areas for theaters, music and dance.
 |
| Ceiling panel by Orozco |
 |
| Ceiling panel by Orozco |
According to the WHS listing: “…Orozco's murals in the
chapel represent in part the most symbolic and characteristic elements of the
indigenous culture of Mexico (gods, sacrifices, temples) and for the rest those
of Spanish culture (kings, monks, churches). The central feature represents the
submission of humans to machines, culminating in the masterpiece Man of Fire…” (link).
 |
| Wall panel by Orozco |
 |
| Wall panel by Orozco |
 |
| Wall panel by Orozco |
“…The pessimism that
increasingly marked [Ororco's] work finally culminated in his Guadalajara murals
(1936–39)…In these murals Orozco recapitulated the historical themes he had
developed…but with an intensity of anguish and despair he never again
attempted. He portrayed history blindly careening toward Armageddon.
The only hope for salvation in these works is the self-sacrificing creative man
who Orozco depicted in Hombre de Fuego (Man of Fire), the circular
painting in the hospice dome” (link).
 |
| Orozco's Man of Fire in the ceiling dome of Hospicio
Cabañas |
“Haunted by the savagery and treachery of [the early 20th
century, Orozco] saw concepts of race and nationality and dogmas of political
and religious salvation as idols that corrupt understanding and prevent the
emancipation of the human spirit. Only by throwing off the shackles of creeds
and prejudices that have enslaved humankind to authoritarian purposes, he
believed, can genuine harmony of individual expression and social purpose come
into being” (link).
 |
| From From One Patio to Another by Daniel Buren |
In dramatic counterpoint to Orozco, Daniel Buren, a French
conceptual artist (link),
created a series of works entitled From One Patio to Another:
Labyrinth—Works in Situ 2014 in 18 of the 23 Cabañas Hospicio courtyards ; it opened in March and ran for six months. According to one reviewer, Buren “…has transformed the old
hospice into a maze of light and colour. Cloister columns have been wrapped in
geometric patterns, vaults painted in bright hues and mirrored structures built
to create distorted views of familiar surroundings…” (link).
 |
Mirrors from Buren's From One Patio to Another (self portrait in a distorted landscape)
|
We also went to see Orozco’s murals of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla,
the father of Mexican Independence (link),
in the Palacio de Gobierno (Government Palace), the administrative
headquarters of state of Jalisco. Construction of the building began in 1643
and ended in 1774. One of Orzoco's murals, Hidalgo, Círculo Político y las Fuerzas Tenebrosas
(Hidalgo, Political Circle and the Dark Forces), is in the main
staircase between the first and second floors. Hidalgo is “…brandishing a fiery
torch at shadowy figures representing oppression and slavery” (link).
 |
| Orozco’s mural of Miguel Hidalgo in the Palacio de Gobierno |
We climbed the stairs, craning our necks to take in the
mural covering the walls and
ceiling when a slightly-built, older man dressed in casual clothes
asked us if we wanted to hear the story of the mural. He had a lanyard around
his neck with identification cards. He explained that he was not an official
tour guide and that his interpretation was not approved by the government, but
that he had lived in Guadalajara for three decades and wanted people to understand the meaning of Orozco’s great mural.
 |
| Dark Forces of Orozco’s mural in the Palacio de Gobierno |
According to our guide, the mural shows Hidalgo freeing the Mexican people from bondage and slavery. To the left of Hidalgo are bishops of the Catholic Church offering blessings with one hand and bringing snakes, knives and guns with the other to kill the indigenous and encourage wars. To the right of Hidalgo are politicians (Mexican, European and American) depicted as clowns that promise everything and deliver nothing, and military men that conquer by destroying religion.
 |
| Political Circle of Orozco’s mural in the Palacio de Gobierno |
Orozco’s other mural ,The
People and Its Leaders, is on the second floor in the former chamber of
the State Congress. Hidalgo is shown “…signing the decree to abolish slavery
in Mexico, and below Benito Juarez is depicted signing the reform laws” (link).
Hidalgo was captured and executed in 1811, one year after the Mexican War of Independence from Spain (1810-1821) began (link). Benito Juarez was the 26th president of Mexico serving five terms between1858 and
1872 (link).
 |
| Orozco’s mural of Miguel Hidalgo in the Palacio de Gobierno |
 |
| Left side of Orozco’s mural in the Palacio de Gobierno |
 |
| Right side of Orozco’s mural in the Palacio de Gobierno |
Southeast of Plaza Tapatía is Mercado Libertad, also known as Mercado de San Juan de Dios. Variously
described as the largest traditional market (or one of the largest) in Latin America, or the largest
enclosed market in Mexico, its three levels cover 4,000 m2 (43,000 ft2)
with about 2,800 stands selling everything from groceries, to clothes, jewelry and crafts, to imported goods like electronics and computers (link).
 |
| Interior of Mercado Libertad |
 |
| Street outside Mercado Libertad |
Near the Mercado
Libertad is the Temple of San
Juan de Dios constructed between 1726 and 1750 in Baroque style (link). It is one of 31 Catholic churches in Guadalajara (link).
 |
| Templo de San
Juan de Dios |
 |
| Traffic near Mercado Libertad; Templo de San
Juan de Dios on the left |
Guadalajara sprawls for miles in every direction and the
traffic is crazy, but that’s true of most large cities. We were struck by the
absence of skyscrapers in the city's historic center. The Centro Histórico is a beautiful mix of old and new with a long
pedestrian mall lined with restaurants, shops, street vendors and outdoor art that draw locals and tourists alike. "...Guadalajara’s centro is not a musty museum or a tourist’s
Disneyland-from-another-century. It’s a living, breathing part of the city,
where Guadalajarans...of every stripe gather to work,
shop, eat and drink, get their shoes shined or listen to concerts" (link).
 |
| Coral trees |
*The Old Bus Station serves destinations within 100 km (62 miles) of Guadalajara; the New Bus Station serves destinations beyond 100 km.
No comments:
Post a Comment