Guadalajara - Day 2

Street Scenes From Tour Bus

We started the day with large coffees and sweet rolls at a local bakery then headed off to see the cathedral a few blocks away.  But then we noticed the tourist buses and soon we were aboard a double decker Tapatio Tour bus for a one hour tour of the city with descriptions in English via head phones.  It was a clear and temperate day so Brenda and I got good views from the open upper deck.  At 50 pesos each (geriatric rate) it represented great value, especially since we are allowed to hop on and off wherever it suits us, which means a cheap ride to the biggest shopping centers in the city and even the U.S. Consulate.

Guadalajara Cathedral

Note Baroque Candle Sticks

The Crypt Below the Altar

Brenda Not Too Comfortable In The Crypt

After lunch and a nap we visited the cathedral, which is the jewel in the crown of Guadalajara's historic center.  To quote the tour guide, "Guadalajara's twin towered cathedral is the city's most beloved and conspicuous landmark.  Begun in 1558 and consecrated in 1618, it's almost as old as the city itself."  The cathedral is open to the public and we walked around with quiet respect because there were quite a few people praying and contemplating.  A man approached us out of nowhere and led us the the crypt below the altar, where we found ourselves standing on the graves of past luminaries and looking at the coffins of various cardinals and bishops.

We then walked around the district admiring various parks and historical buildings the visited the historic Palacio de Gobierno, the seat of government of the state of Jalisco.  It is a working building and we are fortunate that the public is allowed to visit.  And historic it is!  It was completed in 1774 and is where Hidalgo proclaimed the new republic and constitution.  It was also the residence of Benito Juarez for a while.  On one ceiling is an enormous mural by the artist Jose Clemente Orozco where "Hidalgo brandishes a torch in one fist while the masses struggle at his feet."  The imagery is brutal, reflecting the literally hundreds of years of struggle to achieve democracy.  (An estimated 2 million Mexicans died during the incessant struggles, and during the revolutionary period an estimated 8 percent of the population perished.)  One section of the mural depicts the struggle between fascism and communism.  Another section, to quote the guide, shows that "... he obviously has a point of view on religion.

Mural by Jose Clemente Orozco

For the evening meal we went to a nearby small Taco stand that Brenda had spotted earlier in the day.  The place was called "Gay's Tacos".  It was on  the corner Ocampo and Priscilliano.  Across the street was the Ye Ye and Priscilliano gay bars.  The guide states that "Mexico is more broad minded about sexuality than you might think. ... There are large, growing, and confident gay communities in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Puerto Vallarta."