Introduction

As the birthplace of tequila and mariachis, Jalisco is arguably Mexico’s most Mexican state. As home to those two great exports, as well as to Tlaquepaque and Tonala, the country’s busiest handicraft centers, and the world-famous beach resort of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco certainly plays a vital role in the nation’s economy.

Guadalajara, its capital, was named in honor of the Spanish hometown of conquistador Nuño Beltran de Guzman, and derives from the Arabic, meaning “river running between rocks.” The city, now Mexico’s second largest, with some 5 million inhabitants, suffered a difficult birth, and was founded three times, in between battles with the natives, before the definitive settlement was established in 1542 on the site it occupies now. An important city since its creation, Guadalajara functioned as the capital of the region known as Nueva Galicia, which extended as far north as present day San Francisco, California.

Considered by many to be a cutting edge center of high-tech growth, it has earned the nickname “Mexico’s Silicon Valley” for the sheer number of electronic multinationals that have established operations here in the last 15 years: Siemens, Intel, Motorola and Hewlett-Packard, just to mention four of the most important.

By all accounts, Guadalajara’s future promises to be a bright one, having been selected as the site of the first Guggenheim Museum in Latin America and other architectural projects, including the world’s tenth-tallest skyscraper, a sports stadium and a vast cultural center.

It's home to one of Mexico’s most beloved soccer teams, Chivas de Guadalajara, and its residents — friendly, notoriously good looking and with a penchant for partying — are known throughout Mexico as tapatios.