Tlaquepaque: Guadalajara's showcase for arts and crafts

Dancin' in the rain (on a sunny day). This metal sculpture graces one of Tlaquepaque's pedestrian-only streets near El Centro. One can find many whimsical pieces of art while strolling the lovely automobile-free avenues near the central plaza. Carole and I visited Tlaquepaque (pronounced "Tla-Keh-Pa-Keh") on a couple of different occasions, once with Charter Club Tours, and about a year later by car with a couple of friends. The photos in this posting come from both adventures. Many of the beautiful arts and crafts on display in Tlaquepaque's many stores and galleries were actually made elsewhere, often in Tonala, a neighboring community full of artisans and their workshops. To see some of the Tonala artisans at work, click here.

San Pedro church steeples tower over El Centro's plaza. San Pedro (St. Peter) is the patron saint of San Pedro Tlaquepaque, the formal name of this suburb of southeastern Guadalajara. Tlaquepaque was an indigenous center of arts and crafts when the Spanish arrived in 1530. The Nahuatl name of the town reflects this heritage: "men who make clay utensils with their hands." Spanish conquistador Nunio de Guzman took over the village of Tlaquepaque at about the same time as he bloodlessly (unusual for him) conquered the small neighboring kingdom of Tonallan, which became the town of Tonala. After three abortive attempts to found a new Spanish city named Guadalajara in sites as far away as Zacatecas, it finally came into being about 7 miles northeast of present day Tlaquepaque. Both Tlaquepaque and Tonala maintained their separate identities until they were finally overwhelmed by modern-day Guadalajara's explosive growth. To locate Tlaquepaque within Guadalajara, click here.

Dome of San Pedro church shows classical influences. Tlaquepaque won a place in the history of Mexico's struggle for independence from Spain when two of the revolutionary leaders, Augustin de Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero, hammered out the Plan of Iguala in one of the mansions of Tlaquepaque's El Centro. The Plan, also called the "Plan of the Three Guarantees", became the basis for the peace treaty with Spain which ended the War of Independence. The three guarantees included maintaining the dominance of Roman Catholicism over all things religious, independence, and social equality of all classes. The plan created a constitutional monarchy with Iturbide as Emperor. Although the Spanish Viceroy signed the agreement, in the end both the government back in Spain and the first Mexican Congress disavowed the agreement and Iturbide's reign as Mexican Emperor was short. The other key figure, Vicente Guerrero, had better fortune, later becoming President of Mexico under a republican form of government.

Brick and flagstones replaced asphalt on three key streets around El Centro. The local goverment wisely decided to ban cars from this area and open it to strolling shoppers, street vendors, and musicians. Thus, Tlaquepaque became a major attraction for tourists. Many of the great old 19th century mansions that line the streets have become galleries, shops, and restaurants with outdoor tables. For a map of this section of Tlaquepaque, click here.

Monument in the Plaza commemorates many fine local artisans. In front of the monument, you can see several examples of fine pottery created in the area. In order to discourage thieves, the pots are filled with cement. The Plaza itself is beautifully arranged, with tall palm trees and other lush greenery, as well as the usual fountains, statues, and artwork.

Pottery is not the only form of craftsmanship practiced here. While wandering the side streets, we happened across this beautifully carved wooden door on a corner house. Local Indians were highly skilled in many crafts when the Spanish arrived. Recognizing this, the Spanish rulers set them to work decorating religious buildings and, somewhat later, private homes.

Hungry crocodile speculates on the possibility of dinner passing below him. I have always enjoyed the humor and whimsey of Mexican art. Inside the door above I found numerous other pieces of metal sculpture in various stages of completion. The woman by the door didn't seem to appreciate her narrow escape. Another charming feature of Mexican art is the combination of colors one would never expect to work well together. Somehow, in Mexico, they do.

Come and get it! In another corner of the Plaza, I found this jolly figure dancing and cavorting as he tried to attract attention to the farmacia (pharmacy) behind him. Mexico is full of various forms of highly entertaining street theatre.

Another brass dancer swirls her skirts. She was created by the same sculptor who made the umbrella dancer in the first picture. One interesting aspect of the artwork here is that one can often find the artist at work right in the street and see a creation like this in progress.

Yet another dancer, live this time. This lovely young woman was stationed by the front door of one of the restaurants which line the pedestrian-only streets. We caught each other's eyes at the same time and she graciously spread her skirts so I could take the photo above. I was reminded of the lovely large birds along the shores of Lake Chapala which have similarly spread their beautiful wings to allow for an eye-catching photo.

Female musicians have begun to break into Mexico's mariachi tradition. Mariachi bands began in the 19th Century in Jalisco State. Up until the 1940s, Mexico's macho traditions allowed only men into this musical form. In recent years, young women have begun to form all-female mariachi bands. The novelty has gained them a wide audience. Inside the restaurant whose entrance was guarded by the orange-skirted damsel, we found this mariachi band playing for the lunch crowd. They were quite good, and very lively.

Another eye-catching door greeter. Once again, Mexican artistic whimsey produces a startling character. This rather jaunty and jovial fellow caught my eye--and my lens--as I walked by the jewelry store where he was lounging. He is most likely a paper mache creation of one of the Tonala workshops.

Another friendly Mexican, of the animal persuasion. As we strolled the area around the Plaza, we were accosted by a man who introduced us to his green, scaly friend, and then talked us into a photograph for $20 pesos (about $1.50 USD). It was a pretty good scam, and made for a memorable picture. The iguana apparently wanted to crawl right up my arm in order to hiss sweet nothings into my ear. While iguanas are completely harmless, I was dubious of his advances, as you can see. Iguanas are native to Mexico, primarily in the southern area, but also in the Pacific Coast swamps and lagoons.

Iguanas were not the only friendly folks we met. While recovering from my close encounter with the iguana, we ran into this group of Mexican teenagers. Seeing my camera, they immediately wanted me to take their picture. Kids being kids, they had a good time vamping it up while I took the shot.

Santiago stands over severed heads of Spain's enemies. Santiago (St. James) is the warrior saint revered by the Spanish for assisting their reconquest of the Iberian peninsula from the Moors in the late 15th Century. When the Spanish invaded Mexico in the early 16th Century, they again called upon him for help. Legend has it that Santiago appeared several times to overawe the Indians and gain Spanish victories. He is nearly always portrayed brandishing a sword.

Don Quixote as "the Thinker". It took a while for me to realize that this abstract metal statue, in the famous posture of Auguste Rodin's sculpture, "The Thinker," was actually a representation of Miguel de Cervantes' character Don Quixote. Cervantes was a contemporary of Spain's conquest and early rule of Mexico. He and his famous character Don Quixote are very popular in today's Mexico. The city of Guanajuato conducts the annual Cervantino Festival to celebrate him.

Large urns grace the entrance of a pottery shop. These urns are partially painted, and partially decorated with intricate mosaics. They are quite large, standing perhaps 4 feet tall, and 2 feet wide at the widest parts. Works like this take a long time to create and are fairly expensive. A wide variety of pottery styles are created and sold in Tlaquepaque.

An unusual fountain burbles at one end of the pedestrian-only walkway. In Mexican plazas, I am used to finding traditional fountains, but I found this one intriguingly different. In addition to the water spraying up from the main fountain in the middle, there are several others surrounding it and still more spraying from the small nodules around the circumference. One thing is sure, it is rare to find a Mexican plaza without a fountain, whatever the style.

"C'mon, you can do it!" A little girl encourages her reluctant puppy to pose for the nice gringo with the camera. The puppy was somewhat less than enthusiastic at the prospect. This dog seems well cared-for and probably has a nice future with its family. As a dog-lover, I am sometimes distressed by Mexico's neglect of its innumerable street dogs. One the other hand, I am willing to admit that the US culture, where I originate, is rather nutty in our over-indulgence of our pets upon whom we lavish billions of dollars while millions of human children in the US go without health care or adequate nutrition.

A huge portrait of Fred Kahlo broods over the pedestrian walkway. Freda Kahlo, or just "Freda" as she is widely known, was the wife of Diego Rivera, one of Mexico's foremost muralists. Freda was a great artist in her own right, but her work has often been overshadowed by the flamboyant and highly political work of her husband. Freda painted many self-portraits, and this appears to be a copy of one. It hung from the second story of one of the buildings along the walkway, about 10 feet long and 5 feet wide.

This concludes my posting on San Pedro Tlaquepaque. I hope you will be encouraged to visit this little jewel of a town if you are staying in the Guadalajara area. It is definitely worth at least a day's ramble. If you'd like to make a comment or ask a question, you can either use the comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please also leave your email so that I can answer.

Hasta luego! Jim

Guadalajara's El Centro - Part 2

One of Guadalajara's "Founding Fathers". The statue above shows an arrogant, confident Spanish conquistador who exemplifies the spirit and attitude of the early settlers of Guadalajara. I believe the statue is of Miguel Ibarra, a Basque who was one of conquistador Nuno Beltran de Guzman's lieutenants when he passed through the area in March 1530. Ibarra later became the first mayor of Guadalajara. The city, which was named after de Guzman's home town in Spain, actually had three other locations before the present one was selected. The first was in the State of Zacatecas and is now called Nochistlan, the second was Tonala (a current suburb of Guadalajara famous for folk art), and the third was northeast of present Guadalajara in a town now known as Tlacotan.

When Beltran de Guzman had first visited the area, the settled Indians lived in a small kingdom ruled by a gentle queen named Cihuapilli Tzapapotzinco. She surrendered peacefully, which was a good thing because de Guzman was known as Bloody de Guzman for a reason. His propensity for rape, pillage, slaughter and enslavement earned him the enmity of the nomadic Chichimec Indians, who happened to be fierce warriors in their own right. The Chichimec's name was actually a Spanish catch-all for a variety of hunter-gatherer peoples populating western and northern Mexico. Because of their nomadic lifestyle, they were much more difficult to conquer than people who grew crops and lived in cities. They were used to what is now called guerilla warfare, and plagued the Spanish and their silver caravans for at least a couple of hundred years.

In the early days of Guadalajara, the Chichimecs attacked the Spanish so continuously that the settlers repeatedly changed locations until they finally found a defensible spot in the current site of Guadalajara's El Centro. The city was founded by a relatively small group of Spanish settlers on February 14, 1542, on a plateau more than 5000 feet above sea level. By this time de Guzman was so thoroughly discredited, even in the eyes of the Spanish, that he was arrested and eventually died in prison in Spain. A relief sculpture of the founding event by sculptor Rafael Zamarriga can be seen on the back wall of the Degollado Theatre facing Plaza de Fundadores (Founders' Plaza)

Beatriz Hernandez played a role in the founding of Guadalajara. Portrayed with a flag above, she was one of the few Spanish women who accompanied the settlers in their wanderings from location to location. Presumably, most of the Spanish men took Indian wives. Only 63 survivors from the Spanish Iberian peninsula remained, including 13 from Andalusia, 6 from Estramadura, 8 Portuguese, 16 identified as "Spanish" and 9 as "mountain" (presumably the Pyrenees). Spain had only been unified as a kingdom for about 50 years, so the Spanish more readily identified themselves by their region than by the national name. Apparently many of the settlers were dissatisfied with the final site because they thought it offered little other than a defensible location. The leader, Cristobal de Onate, took out his sword at one point and stuck the blade in a tree to emphasize his determination that they should stay. The crowd was still restive and unhappy until Beatriz, apparently a woman with a powerful voice to match a powerful personality, stepped up and cried out "Here we stay, by hook or by crook!" The settlers were moved by this and decided to stay.

Stately 19th Century architecture adjoins that of the 16th, 17th, and 18th. As it turned out, the settlers had made a good decision because the land was ideal for farming and ranching and Guadalajara grew to be the capital of one of the richest provinces of Spain's Nueva Hispania and later of Mexico. The city became capital of Nueva Galicia (later Jalisco) and eventually the seat of the Catholic diocese. Guadalajara's economic importance grew not only from the agricultural bounty, but because of its location along the silver caravan route from Zacatecas. In addition, it became a strategic bridge between the ports on the Pacific Coast and those serving Europe on the Gulf of Mexico Coast. Local residents like to call Guadalajara "the Pearl of the West."

Water burbles from a carved stone fountain, green with moss. Fountains abound in the long corridor of interconnecting plazas between the Teatro Degollado and the Hospicio Cabanas. Some have an ancient patina like this one. Others evoke the 18th and 19th Centuries' fixation on Greek and Roman themes. Still others are very modernistic, even as they celebrate pre-hispanic legends.

Fountain of the Four Boys. Shown above is one of four young nude boys in playful poses, this one with a fish in his lap. The sculptor has used the fish's mouth as one the nozzles for the fountain. While Mexico has its share of monumental sculpture, generals and politicians and the like, there is also a playful aspect that pops up everywhere. The kid above looks like he's having a great time.

Anybody hungry yet? El Centro is not just about architecture and statues. The plazas are lined with delightful little restaurants built into the historic buildings, many of them with tables out front. We checked out some of the menus, and sampled a bit of the food here and there. There are selections for a variety of tastes and budgets. No one need perish from hunger pangs in this area.

Steel flame ascends from fountain in the plaza's Central Esplanade. This is a very modernist part of the plaza, both in the sculpture and the building in the background. Ironically, the theme of the sculpture is rooted in an ancient legend common to a variety of pre-hispanic civilizations including the Aztec, Mayan, and Toltec. Quetzelcoatl was an important god-figure to these cultures, represented by the plumed serpent found in many ruins. At one point in the mythology, he was burned, only to be reborn later. The steel flame represents the burning of Quetzelcoatl. He was portrayed in the myth as light-skinned with a beard, and he was supposed to return from the eastern sea. Ironically, the light-skinned, bearded Spanish under Cortes first landed on Mexico's east coast. Reports of this event, and the possibility of an encounter with an actual god, made Aztec ruler Moctezuma very cautious with these strangers. His caution led to his overthrow and death and the destruction of the Aztec empire.

Looking down the Central Esplanade from the Four Boys Fountain to Hospice Cabanas. This whole area is designed for walking, so you'd better bring the shoes for it. I am often amazed at the choice of shoes by Mexicans I see. The women often prefer the spikiest of heels, and the men tight-fitting shoes made for style rather than comfort. They must have feet made of rhinoceros leather. They seem to manage o.k., but I certainly couldn't do it. In the distance you can see the front of the Hospicio Cabanas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hospicio Cabanas

View from the inner courtyard of Hospicio Cabanas. After a series of disasters in the Guadalajara area left many people in misery and destitution, the Hospicio was founded by Bishop Fray Antionio Alcalde of Guadalajara in 1791. The purpose was to house a variety of social services including a workhouse, hospital, orphanage, and almshouse. In 1796, Bishop Juan Ruiz de Cabanas, Alcalde's successor, retained renowned architect Manual Tolsa to build the magnificent structure. In part, Tolsa used the famous Les Invalides in Paris, and El Escorial near Madrid, as his models. The construction process lasted almost 30 years until 1829, outlasting Bishop Ruiz de Cabanas who died in 1823. However, he was able to leave the structure his name.

Hospicio Cabanas has many rooms, built around 23 courtyards. Tolsa designed the building to accommodate the needs of children, the aged and the sick. The vast majority of the structure is on one floor, with covered walkways connecting the different sections. Two-thirds of the Hospicio's area are either open space or covered, but open-air. This made movement within the building easy for the residents. At various times in the mid-19th Century, Hospice Cabanas served as a military barracks and stables, but later resumed its function as a hospital. In 1980 the Cabanas Cultural Institute took over and the building became a center for the arts. The Hospicio has achieved World Heritage Site status in part because it is one of the earliest structures built specifically for the needs of the socially and economically disadvantaged. Nothing else at the time either in the New World or in Europe compared to the Hospicio in its perfect design for its purposes and in its beauty.

Man of Fire is considered one of muralist Jose Clemente Orozco's masterpieces. After the chaos of the Mexican Revolution of 1910-20, followed by the Catholic Cristero insurgency in the mid-1920s against the revolutionary government, Mexico was desperately in need of national cohesion and unity. In the 1930s the muralist movement exemplified by Orozco, Diego Rivera, Zulce, and others emerged as a major factor in pulling the nation together. Various levels of the Mexican government commissioned these talented muralists to decorate public buildings all over Mexico. In addition to his work at the Palacio Gobierno, the State of Jalisco commissioned Orozco for the murals at the Hospicio. The Man of Fire, seen above, represents artists as a transcendent figures, rising above the chaos, violence and intrigue of the time. Fittingly, the Man of Fire is the central figure in the area of Orozco's work at the Hospicio, covering the interior of the central dome.

Orozco's view of the church/state relationship in Mexico's history. A grim-faced figure of secular Spanish authority clutches the cross closely, significantly resting his crown at the top. The Spanish authorities used the Church as both an ideological justification for their brutal conquest, and as a mechanism of social control over the Indian populations. Most of the time, the Church hierarchy was glad to go along, although there were sometimes conflicts when the brutality became too spectacular to ignore, such as the reign of terror by Beltran de Guzman.

Speaking of reigns of terror. The panel above gives Orozco's view of the Conquest and the centuries of repression that followed. Faceless knights cleave about them with bloody swords and ride over the bodies of crushed Indians, while flames roar in the background. That pretty much covers how the Indians must have seen it.

Orozco focused on larger themes too, such as the rise and dominance of technology. Above, a steel wheel, shimmering brilliantly, rolls over crushed and buried human and animal figures. I was particularly interested in these panels, because they rise above the conflict of Left versus Right, common artistic themes of the muralists of Orozco's day. Here he addresses even more basic issues of humanity versus technology. Film maker/actor Charlie Chaplin, an Orozco contemporary, captured a similar vision in his film "Modern Times" with the little hobo caught up in vast impersonal machinery.

Sinister clowns. Many of the political figures in Orozco's work appear clownish, but are chilling nonetheless. These figures stand, as if on a reviewing dias, as abstract multitudes march by carrying banners. This mural calls to mind Nazi Nuremburg rallies, and Soviet masses marching by the Kremlin. Orozco is warning us against blindly responding to calls for "patriotism" issued by those who very likely have ulterior motives and personal agendas. My home country, the United States, has had some bitter experience with this in recent years.

Nazi Gauleiter, Soviet Commissar, or Capitalist boss? Orozco portrayed the true meaning of the brutal regimes of his time in this mural panel. A figure, whip clenched in his hand, stands over what appears to be a factory production line, surrounded by barbed wire. Significantly, the head of the figure is covered by the arch, so that the true identity of the oppressor could be any number of possibilities: capitalist, fascist, or communist. Viewing this, I was reminded of Orozco-contemporary George Orwell's vision of the future as a hob-nailed boot stomping on a human face forever.

While Orozco's work might seem depressing, it does reflect the reality of the mid-20th Century in which he lived, and much of history since. Artists are not meant to paint only pretty pictures. Also keep in mind that, although the lower panels are filled with all this violence, intrigue, and chicanery, towering over them is the transcendent figure of the Man of Fire, a figure of hope.

On that note, Part 2 of my Guadalajara El Centro posting is completed. Once again, if you are ever in a position to visit this wonderful area, I strongly urge you to build in some time for it. You'll be very glad you did.

Hasta luego! Jim

Guadalajara's Centro Historico - Part 1

Towers and dome of Guadalajara's Cathedral peep above blossoming jacaranda trees. The old colonial center of Guadalajara, called El Centro, is rich in history and architecture. Carole and I have visited this area several times over the last two years, but I have not until now published my photos of those trips. I guess that which is close and easily accessed is sometimes not valued as highly as that which is more difficult to reach. Anyone visiting the Lake Chapala area or Guadalajara itself should certainly take some time to visit El Centro.

Because there are so many places to visit in the area, I broke this posting into two parts. Part 1 focuses on the Cathedral, the Palacio Gobierno, and the Teatro Degollado. In Part 2, I will explore the eastern part of El Centro plaza down to Las Cabanas, the museum containing some of muralist Jose Clemente Orozco's masterpieces. In a previous post I covered the Museo Regional, a wonderful museum of history, anthropology, and paleontology across Avenida Hidalgo from the Cathedral. You may want to visit that post as a complement to this one.

Guadalajara Cathedral

Guadalajara's Cathedral is the anchor-point of the El Centro area. Also called Catedral de la Asuncion de Maria Santisima, the first simple adobe cathedral was built in 1541. This was about 10 years after Nuno Beltran de Guzman founded Guadalajara, naming it after the city of his birth in Spain. Beltran de Guzman was Spain's most horrendously bloody conquistador, the 16th Century's equivalent to Heinrich Himmler. Like Guadalajara itself, the Cathedral had several locations until the present magnificent building was begun in 1571. Above, the 60 foot towers of the Cathedral loom above Plaza de Armas, one of four plazas that radiate from the north, south, east, and west sides of the Cathedral.

Interior of the Cathedral. This is the area under the dome. For more pictures of the interior of the Cathedral, as well as some of the still-existing churches which were the Cathedral's predecessors, click here. Although I am not a Catholic, or even a religious person, I have always been fascinated by the magnificence of these colonial churches. They represent the height of Spanish power and glory in the 16th and 17th Centuries, which all started with its Conquest of Mexico.

Liberation Square, east of the Cathedral. This plaza is often used for fiestas, folk art displays and other activities, for which these white tents were erected. One of the popular activities we haven't yet tried is a ride around El Centro in one of these coaches.

Sculptors at work. One day we were walking in the plaza and encountered a large group of sculptors scattered around the plaza, all working on their creations. This was part of a contest to see who could make the best sculpture during the fiesta that was underway. Mexicans are devoted to their art, an aspect of their national personality you will find everywhere.

Palacio de Gobierno

Palacio de Gobierno is one of Guadalajara's most ornate buildings. Palacio de Gobierno, or Government Palace, is the administrative headquarters of Jalisco State. It faces Plaza de Armas, across from the Cathedral. It was begun in 1643 and completed in 1774. The style is Baroque with ornate Churrigueresque touches. The clock on the front of the building still bears a bullet hole from the gun of Mexican Revolutionary Pancho Villa.

Cathedral dome and steeples from the top of the courtyard of the Palacio. The Palacio was built, as usual in colonial Mexico, around a courtyard surrounded by arched passageways called portales.

Chairs await Mexican officials in the great meeting room. Every inch of this building speaks of history, power, and a deep levels of culture.

Father Hidalgo signs his proclamation freeing Mexico's indigenous people. This mural is found on the wall facing the chairs in the previous photo. It was in this building in 1810 that Father Miguel Hidalgo, a leader of the War of Independence from Spain, declared Mexico's indigenous population free. This was the beginning of the end of what was, in effect, slavery in Mexico. It took 52 more years before Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the United States. In the mural, a hooded figure, bound at the wrists, reaches beseechingly for the document proclaiming Libertad--Liberty! As with the United States, it took another century after the proclamation before the more subtle forms of bondage were eliminated. That came with the 1910 Revolution.

Muralist Orozco took a dim view of the politics of his era. Jose Clemente Orozco was one of a group of great muralists in Mexico during the first half of the 20th Century. Orozco grew up during the violent struggles of the Mexican Revolution, and witnessed the rise of Communism and Nazism. The scene above, part of a larger mural in the well of the great stairway of the building, depicts the wildly disorganized struggle of all the political factions of his day. Looking closely, you will see some figures dressed as clowns, while others wear the Nazi swastika, the hammer and sickle, and a cross all at the same time. Although Orozco demonstrated a deep feeling for the oppressed, he apparently viewed most politicians of his day as clownish opportunists.

Some of Orozco's murals show startling levels of violence. This is another scene in the same mural shown previously. One must remember that the Mexican Revolution caused the deaths of more than 2 million people, and the revolution was less than a generation old when this was painted. The Spanish Civil War was raging, Fascism had won in Italy, Nazis were in power in Germany, and Stalin ruled Russia.

Political violence has a long history in Mexico. The statue above, found in the Palacio de Gobierno, portrays a famous incident in Mexican history. Benito Juarez became President of Mexico after drafting a modern liberal constitution. Wealthy elites and the Church lost power under the new constitution and this led to a conservative revolt known as the Reform War of 1858-61. Conservative-backed troops broke into Juarez's office, bent on killing him. They were stopped by a brave subordinate of Juarez who threw himself in front of the president and denounced the troops as assassins. Shamefaced, they withdrew. Juarez went on to win the Reform War and later to lead the successful resistance to the French who had been invited to invade by the losers of the Reform War. Benito Juarez was the first full-blooded Indian to serve as President of Mexico, and became one of the nation's greatest heroes. It would be another 150 years before the United States elected a non-white president.

Teatro Degollado

Teatro Degollado is one of the great performing arts venues in Guadalajara. The Degollado Theatre was built almost exactly on the site of the earliest Spanish settlement of present-day Guadalajara. The Indian inhabitants of the area had held a tianguis (open market) every 5 days on the site since ancient times. The cultural leaders of Guadalajara in the 19th Century yearned for a theatre, and submitted 16 proposals to various governors between 1838 and 1854. The construction was started in 1856, but was repeatedly halted because of the Reform War and the French invasion. The portico contains 16 Corinthian columns.

The facade above the portico. This beautiful marble relief facade depicts Apollo with the nine Muses, which are the patron deities of the arts. When the theatre first opened in 1856, it was called the Alarcon, after Mexican author Juan Ruiz de Alarcon. The name was changed to honor Jalisco Governor Santos Degollado who signed the decree authorizing the construction. The marble relief was carved by stone workers in Tlaquepaque, an area of Guadalajara known for its fine craftsmanship. The relief was designed by artist Agustin Yanez Roberto Montenegro.

A huge glass chandelier adorns the oval multi-story atrium. Delicate wrought-iron railings frame the chandelier at each floor in the picture above.

Stained glass lamp glows in the ceiling above the audience seats. Electric lighting was installed in 1897. Many structures around the Degollado were burned in a great fire in 1909, but the theatre itself was relatively untouched.

A horseshoe of box seats faces the stage. In addition to the ground floor audience seats, 4 stories of box seats rise majestically above. The very first performance in 1856 was the opera "Lucia di Lammermoor", with Angela Peralta in the lead role. Today the theatre hosts the Guadalajara Philharmonic, the University of Guadalajara Ballet Folklorico, and the ballet of the Municipality of Guadalajara, as well as countless concerts, operas, and recitals. Some of the great international artists who have performed include Anna Pavlova, Andres Segovia, Pablo Casals, Placido Domingo, Rudolf Nureyev, and Marcel Marceau.

Statue in the lobby expresses the 19th Century elegance of the Degollado. The theatre is one of the great prides of the City of Guadalajara. It has been rebuilt or refurbished numerous times over its 150 year history. In fact, it may be the only theatre that has had a total of 6 grand openings, including those in 1856, 1866, 1880, 1910, 1941, and 1964.

This concludes Part 1 of my two-part series on Guadalajara's El Centro. We love hearing from people, so if you'd like to respond, please leave a comment below, or send us an email directly.

Hasta luego! Jim