Tlaquepaque

Historically known as San Pedro, Tlaquepaque was eventually surrounded by Guadalajara as it grew and spread outwards. Now a city of about 600,000, Tlaquepaque is a few kilometers from the city center of Guadalajara. Tlaquepaque (pronounced tlah-kay-PAH-kay [link]) comes from the Nahuatl language and means “hill where the clay comes from” (link) referring to the city's long history of pottery making (link). We drove from Ajijic about an hour north to Tlaquepaque. We arrived before the shops opened, found parking and walked the streets photographing old buildings in the early light.

Ceramic pineapples for sale in Tlaquepaque

The Museo Regional de la Cerámica (Regional Museum of Ceramics) on Independencia was founded in 1954 in a beautiful hacienda (manor house) that that belonged to José Francisco Velarde y de la Mora. The building recalls the history of the state of Jalisco and the rooms are filled with traditional pottery and ceramics from Jalisco and west-central Mexico that date from the 17th and 18th centuries (link). 

Courtyard of the Museo Regional de la Cerámica

Entrance to Museo Regional de la Cerámica

Large polychrome vase in the Museo Regional de la Cerámica

Ceramic tiles in the Museo Regional de la Cerámica

Ceramic pineapples in the Museo Regional de la Cerámica

Ceramic bathtubs in the Museo Regional de la Cerámica

There are two beautiful churches in the center of Tlaquepaque – Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad and Parroquia de San Pedro. Construction on Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (Sanctuary of Our Lady of Solitude) began around 1742 and was completed in in 1878. It's a mix of Roman, Byzantine and Neoclassical styles and is richly ornamented with Neoclassical and Neo-Gothic stone and gold altars, polychrome sculptures and paintings by renowned artists (link). 

Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad

Interior of the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad

Parroquia de San Pedro (Saint Peter Parish) was built in Byzantine style by the Franciscans starting in 1676 and ending in 1813 and is the most important parish of the municipality, which chose the name of San Pedro in his honor in 1845 (link).

Parroquia de San Pedro

Pope John Paul II in front of Parroquia de San Pedro

Exterior wall of Parroquia de San Pedro showing various building styles

The main square in the city center is Jardín Hidalgo (Hidalgo Garden) named after Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the Father of Mexican Independence. 

Jardín Hidalgo

Jardín Hidalgo - Hidalgo's statute can be seen on the right in the distance

A larger-than-life statue of Hidalgo freeing the slaves dominates the square (link). On December 6, 1810, Hidalgo, head of an alternative government that he established in Guadalajara, issued a decree abolishing slavery (and threatening slave owners who didn't with death) and the tributes that the indigenous paid to their "lords" (link). The plaque on the base talks about the "courageous nation taking up arms to throw off the yoke of oppression that existed for almost 300 years" and includes three "declarations" that appear to be quoted from Hidalgo's decree.

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla

For decades, Tlaquepaque has been described as a shopper’s dream. Shops, galleries and  restaurants, many of which are housed in old haciendas, as well as many public artworks, line Independencia Eje (hub or center of activity), which is pedestrian-only, and Calle Juárez.

Independencia, the main shopping street in Tlaquepaque

"El Centro de te Mismo" (The Center of Yourself) by Sergio Bustamante (link)

"La Musa de Sorrento" (The Muse of Sorrento) by Sergio Bustamante

Independencia

Rande with a statue by Rodo Padilla

Bronze and obsidian statue of a man eating a rock by Jonás Gutiérrez (link)

In addition to pottery, you can find blown glass; iron, bronze and other sculptures; furniture; embroidery; painting; and wood carvings (link). If you had a house in Mexico (and access to a large truck), you could furnish it in Tlaquepaque.

We came upon a large and rather amazing ceramic tile mural by Cantú of historic and mythic figures on an exterior wall on Francisco de Miranda. Forty figures are identified on a tile index that's part of the mural. In the center flanking Calavera Catrina (dapper skeleton, link) are Frida Kalo and Diego Rivera (left) and José Guadalupe Posada, political artist (right). Posada created Calavera de la Catrina to satirize the upper classes during the presidency of Porfirio Diaz (late 19th-early 20th century). Now the image is mostly associated with the Mexican holiday "Día de los Muertos" (Day of the Dead) (link).

Section of a large ceramic tile mural by Cantú

Small ceramic tile murals for sale in Cantú's gallery

Some of the former manor houses are private residences and businesses; many of them have interesting doors.

 

 

In La Casa Histórica (The Historic House), General Pedro Celestino Negrete, a Spanish politician and military man in the interim Mexican government, signed the Plan de Iguala that consummated Mexican independence from Spain on June 13, 1821 (from a plaque on the building).

La Casa Histórica

La Casa Histórica

El Parián is a large plaza between Independencia and Juárez flanked by columned arcades and surrounded by restaurants and bars. Over a hundred years old, it occupies a full city block (link). Mariachis and dancers often perform in the plaza.

El Parián

El Parián

Street vendors near El Parián

Mercado Municipal Benito Juárez near Jardín Hidalgo was built in 1979. It’s a great place to shop for spices, fruits and vegetables.

Mercado Municipal Benito Juárez

Mercado Municipal Benito Juárez

Wild birds for sale at Mercado Municipal Benito Juárez

Walk around any Mexican town or city and you can find interesting things to photograph. Here's a series of images taken on a side street of Tlaquepaque.

Small dog watching me

Big dog watching small dog and man watching me

Big dog and man watching me