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Guadalajara

City in MexicoGuadalajara lies inland in western Mexico, in the Atemajac Valley at about 1,570 m above sea level. Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest freshwater lake, is about 45 km to the southeast.

What it's known for

Guadalajara is the capital of the state of Jalisco and home to many symbols of Mexican culture, such as mariachi music, tequila and birria. It hosts the Guadalajara International Book Fair and has staged matches at the 1970, 1986 and 2026 FIFA World Cups.

Fun facts

  1. The name goes back to the Arabic wadi al-hijara, which means 'valley of the stones'.
  2. Guadalajara was founded in 1532 and moved three times before it settled on its present site in 1542.
  3. In the Hospicio Cabañas, a former orphanage and hospital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, José Clemente Orozco painted the mural 'The Man of Fire'.

Finding it on the globe

Start at Mexico City and go about 470 km west-northwest. Guadalajara is there, inland, just north-west of Lake Chapala and well before you reach the Pacific coast.

Easy to mix up

Guadalajara is named after Guadalajara in Spain, the hometown of the conquistador Nuño de Guzmán, so do not confuse the two. Mexico's capital is Mexico City.

Sources: Wikipedia: Guadalajara, Wikipedia: Hospicio Cabañas, Wikipedia: Lake Chapala