Guadalajara Mariachi Festival and Charrería

The XXII Annual Festival

August 28th until the 6th of September

The website has schedules of activities, parade route and time and the dates for the Charro in the Lienzo Charro "Nito Aceves" located in the municipality of Tlajomulco de Zuniga

Guadalajara Mariachi Festival and Charrería Website

New highway Guadalajara-Vallarta is 40% complete

Travel between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta in two hours, may soon be a reality with the new highway 40% finished.  Note that Puerto Vallarta is the only beach resort of the country that is not arriving or departing at through a highway as it does in Los Cabos, Mazatlan, Manzanillo, Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Acapulco, Huatulco, Cancun, among others.

The new highway connecting Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara, bypass to ensure travel time at just two and a half hours, is 40% complete, the delegate in Jalisco Secretariat of Communications and Transportation, Bernardo Gutierrez Navarro said in Puerto Vallarta.

Bernardo Gutierrez Navarro noted that this year 2015 could a first stretch of this highway be used. "There is a possibility that the usable stretch this year may be the stretch of Jala junction with Compostela to again connect with the old road, the 200". He added that everything will depend on the rainy season to allow the works, which will now focus mainly on the junctions in both the new highway, as in the "old", ie, the current in the Compostela. 

New highway Guadalajara-Vallarta is 40% complete

IN 2016 HIGHWAY WILL BE READY BETWEEN COMPOSTELA AND LAS VARAS

Tlajomulco hosts the Nacional Charro Competition

Guadalajara, Mexico (October 2, 2014) .- From October 25 to November 16, Rancho Santa Maria de Tlajomulco will host 70 edition of Congress and National Charro Championship 2014, which will have the presence of the top teams the country and the United States. 

A total of 135 teams charros, 94 casts of skirmishes and charros are 15 full participants in this competition, Jalisco returns after the last time it was held in the state was in 2009, at the Arena VFG. 

"Scoring with the support of all will be a great tournament, and have everything ready, well organized, and have the mares, all stock, it will certainly be one of the best tournaments in recent years" He explained in a press conference Salvador Sánchez, president of the Charros Association of Jalisco and member of the organizing committee. 

To cover all the rodeos, the organizers have made ​​available 400 mares pial, jockeying and Mangano and 800 bulls tails and repair , weighing between 380 and 480 kilos. 

The ticket price is 90 pesos for the three day rodeo, which will be at 12:00, 16:00 and 20:00. 

"The National Charro is a tool first order to promote the good image and Jalisco, it is estimated that some 10 000 delegates will come to be several days in the city and represents a major economic benefit, "explained Enrique Ramos, Secretary of Tourism of Jalisco.

Recibirá Tlajomulco el Nacional Charro

New treatment plant for Guadalajara

New treatment plant to serve 3 million people in Guadalajara

The opening of a new treatment plant this week in the state of Jalisco means that nearly 80% of sewage from the metropolitan zone of Guadalajara will be treated.

Agua Prieta, officially opened yesterday by President Peña Nieto, is Mexico’s largest and was completed at a cost of more than 3 billion pesos.

The plant brings to 54%, an increase of four points, the amount of sewage waste which is now being treated in Mexico. The project is part of the National Infrastructure Program, whose goal is to raise that figure of 54% to 63% by the time Peña Nieto finishes his term in office.

New treatment plant to serve 3 million people in Guadalajara

Semana Santa Escape

Want to go in the opposite direction from everyone else this Semana Santa?  Want to let others have the beach for a few days while you explore other parts of Jalisco.  Guachimontones ruins, Tequila, Magdalena opals, Guadalajara, Tonala, Tlaquepaque.  Pick up in Melaque or Manzanillo or call or email for options.   Tour with Mex-ECO Tours

Santana - December 14th

The Vincente Fernandez Arena in Guadalajara

This concert is a homecoming for Carlos and a festive kickoff event to mark his forthcoming album project close to his heart entitled CORAZÓN. In addition to the superstars performing at the December 14th show, Lila Downs, Ziggy Marley, Pitbull, and Romeo Santos will also be joining Santana on this star-studded album project CORAZÓN, release date to be announced soon.

Santana to perform in Guadalajara, Mexico on December 14th at Arena VFG

Ringo Starr concert November 16th

Sale of tickets for Ringo Starr concert in GDL 2013

Concert Location: Auditorio Telmex, Guadalajara, México

Concert Date: Friday November 16, 2013

Time: 20:30

The tickets for Ringo Starr Auditorio Telmex in 2013 have a cost or price from: $ 310 pesos

Ticketmaster for Ringo Starr and His-All Starr Band

The 17th annual French Film Tour comes to Guadalajara

From the 6th of September to the 19th  the  Seventeenth Annual French Cinema Tour comes to Guadalajara , which presents a selection of 7 French films and 19 Mexican films.

The French Film Tour will be held in the art rooms of Cinepolis and Cineforo of the University of Guadalajara.

Agavero Landscape and The Tequila Trail

The Ruta del Tequila Cuervo train from Guadalajara only delivers passengers to the distilleries of Jose Cuervo and Herradura.  "For those two companies the people and local producers are not important and there is no general support for the region, "explains the director of Tourism Amatitán, Azucena Torres Valencia, who along with representatives of Arenal, Tequila, Magdalena and Hostotipaquillo, have formed the new council called Agavero Landscape.

The goal of the project is to help increase the competitiveness of micro, small, and medium companies (MiPymes) in the selected area where Tequila originated as well as to develop the Tequila Trail to the Agavero Landscape, creating a business network for the promotion of cultural and rural tourism. With a common vision we will develop and market tourist based products and services according to demands of the market. 

This project is an opportunity for the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) or ´Fondo Multilateral de Inversiones´ (FOMIN) to closely collaborate with the private sector of Jalisco State, specifically with micro, small, and medium businesses (MiPymes) for the development of a specific region which is expected to produce a model capable of being copied- not only for other regions of Mexico but also other Latin American countries. 

The Tequila Regulatory Council is responsible for managing The Tequila Trail for the Agavero Landscape. Tourists will have the opportunity to explore archaeological sites, old style houses, opal and obsidian mines, distilleries and the magnificent Agavero Landscape. Familiarizing yourself with the route will show you what Jalisco tourism has to offer to world culture.

La Ruta del Tequila

Origin, History and Geology of El bosque La Primavera

The origin is very recent and started when volcanic eruptions occurred (between 14,000 and 27,000 years ago), during which issued a series of pyroclastic flows estimated in the order of 20 km3 which covered an area of approximately 700 km2 and, volcanic activity ended after forming the Cerro El Colli 27,000 years ago, which is the most recent dome.

The forest La Primavera with 140,000 years of existence, is the largest ecological reserve that is near Guadalajara Metropolitan Area; has survived thousands of years to multiple adverse circumstances, however, has been diminished by the action of human, you should want to learn the lesson of which is of great importance, and care for it and preserve it.

The Exciting Geology of Bosque La Primavera

Origen, Historia y Geologia - in Spanish

Jalisco or Xalisco or both

I was reading an article on the Primavera Forest just out side of Guadalajara and it mentioned that the major rock formation is of volcanic ash hardened into pumice, also known as Jal.   This pumice formation is one of the largest in the world and gave rise to the state name of Jalisco.

With only that one reference I wasn't convinced that Jal was even a word let alone the origin of the name.   Looking further I did find a few well respected authors making the same claim.   Jal is also used in advertisements when sold for industrial purposes.

So what can you do at this point but search Jalisco and up pops Wikipedia with it's version which is:

The name is derived from the Nahuatl Xalisco, which means over a sandy surface. Until about 1836, the name was spelled “Xalisco,” with the “x” used to indicate the “sh” sound from Nahuatl.

Could the sandy soil and pumice be one and the same

Jocotepec on the way to Tonala

Glen's GPS wanted us to take the along the Lake Chapala route rather than heading straight into Guadalajara on Lopez Mateos. We obediently obeyed without questioning why and will never know. Glen hadn't seen the new Jocotepec Malecon and I hadn't seen the newer work done there. It gave us a chance to stretch our legs and grab a beer.

The first thing we noticed was the lake level was way down. That tour boat that is usually tied up to the Malecon was a couple hundred yards away and the other little pier off to the left had a new extension.

They've added some nice touches to the park with much more grass, raised the level behind the walkway that used to flood, added a beach front walk, a kids playground to the far left and replaced all the water sculptures they removed for the Folklorico Festival they had a few years ago. Very nice job.

Tour boat

Pier extension

New fountain and bridge

Replaced water sculptures

Street Band Guadalajara

We saw these kids playing downtown Guadalajara on one of the plazas and they really had a crowd.   All the instruments were home made except for a cow bell and a cymbal.  Paint buckets for drums and a PVC tuba.   The smaller wind instruments I'm not sure.   Bass drum was a carboard tube.

Cofradia distillery tour - Tequila

A distillery tour in Tequila was a first for both of us so early afternoon we stopped at the little bar "Arte en Juego" to ask for a suggested tour and to have a beer. That bar happened to be owned by Cofradia and the very cute bartender sold us two tickets (150 pesos) and called a van to pick us up.

The Cofradia distillery is on the edge of town where most of the larger ones are in town or on the highway. Cofradia is a boutique brand that is not mass marketed like the others. That generally means more  expensive products but their tour is first class and very personal.

We arrived about two miles out into the country and there were about 10 Mexicans waiting to start the tour. Our guide spoke both languages so took time for us gringos after she explained in Spanish. We saw the process from the raw "pinas" (peen-yas) (pineapple), cooking them, tasting how sweet after cooked and had the distilling process explained. Freshly distilled Tequila is illegal to sell because it's 100 proof and has to be deluded with water before it is aged. We did taste it and it was quite good.

Their aging room is also their store for some more tasting. They built the place around trees that protrude thru the roof to provide shade. There is also a large underground cavern that has been converted to a restaurant but must have originally been for aging. We ate there and about 2 1/2 hours total the van took us back to town.

Bar Arte en Juego

Cofradia van

Cofradia entrance bar

Raw pinas ready for the oven

Cooked pinas in the oven

Fermentation vats

Getting some 100 proof for us to try

Our guide

Beautiful grounds

Cofradia logo on the hill

Tonala for a few days

A little disappointed with the quality of the artenesia but glad we went. We had two choices for hotels and we went with the less expensive Hacienda del Sol which turned out well. The other option was the Casa de las Palomas for about 100 pesos more. Hacienda del Sol was 450 pesos for 2 people, had a nice restaurant in the lobby and large indoor parking. Both are close to downtown and the Art Tianguis.

We had planned on staying 3 days and seeing more of Guadalajara but we found Tonala not very interesting and lacking decent restaurants and a taxi to Guad Centro was 150 pesos. Didn't want to deal with buses or park downtown. Walked a lot Saturday and did the Artisania Tianguis on Sunday morning. The tianguis goes on for blocks and blocks but I found very little was special. The shops that are there every day are not real easy to find. I'm sure we missed a few good stores but maybe another time

Sunday afternoon we took a taxi to downtown Guad, walked alot more and took one of the Tapatio tour buses around the city center. More on downtown and the tour on another post.

Casa de las Palomas

Hacienda del Sol

Hacienda del Sol restaurant

First church on the Tonala plaza

Opposing church across the plaza

Upscale artesenia shop

The endless tianguis (market)

Mercado Corona - Guadalajara

Mention that you’re going to Mercado Corona — that riot of honey, clothing, flowers, uncommon fruit such as black capulines and light green arrayanes, steaming food stands and what-not, all peeking out in glorious disarray from a concrete structure two blocks from Guadalajara’s cathedral — and your friends’ reactions may range from, “It’s a nice place to go ... once” to “Horrible!”

It is true that in this market you rub shoulders — literally — with ordinary folk and that here you are more likely to glimpse a sleeping borracho [drunk] than a well-dressed anorexic, as you might in a tonier mall.

But if it is medicinal herbs you are after, and knowledgeable merchants to instruct you in their use, Mercado Corona is your mecca.

Guadalajara Reporter Article

Ixtepete Pyramid - Guadalajara

The Ixtepete pyramid,  the only archaeological site within Guadalajara , remains unknown despite the amount of existing plans to excavate the ruins properly and build a museum on site before the Pan American Games.

The pre-Hispanic ruins dating from Epiclassic period, around the year 650, is located on Avenida Mariano Otero, on the ring road of the city, the site is open to the public free of charge, but only popular among visitors during the Spring Equinox.

In 2007, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) announced it would make available 52 million Mexican pesos to transform Ixtepete to be a major tourist attraction before the Pan American Games, but these plans never materialized.

A lone sign reveals the age of the ruins and provides basic information about how they were built, but the only sign of life in recent times is the visit of a group of local children who participate in a football team among the remains of the ancient pyramid.

Fifth Anual Beer Fest - Guadalajara

In the Metropolitan Park this Friday 19, Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 October 2012

2008 was the first festival of the brewing revolution in Mexico aiming to promote economic activity in the industry and make Guadalajara the Cradle of Premium Beer. The fifth year celebration hopes advance toward the most important festival in Latin America.

Like last year, we continued to generate a genuine search experience, so again it will be in the Parque Metropolitano de Zapopan as the natural setting for experiencing an authentic Bier-garten, German-style.

A natural environment to enjoy and share responsibly cultural activities focused on beer

Festival de la Cerveza

A drive into Guadalajara and back

A drive from Chapala to Guadalajara and return video

Mariachi Festival in Guadalajara

Mariachi Festival in Guadalajara starting Today

For who like Mariachi, today starts the yearly Mariachi festival here in Guadalajara. There are performers from all over the world in various location through out Guadalajara performing till the 9th of septermber

Internacional del Mariachi Website