From expansive and distinctive landscapes of blue agave to the distinctive neo-Gothic architecture of Catedral de Guadalajara, Guadalajara has landmark attractions for everyone.
Agave Landscape
Known as the Tequila Valley, the area features world-renowned distilleries with a distinctive vista that has inspired literary works, films, and art. It is around an hour’s drive outside the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. Between the foothills of the Tequila Volcano and the deep valley of the Rio Grande River is an expansive and distinctive landscape of blue agave, which is shaped by the culture of the plant used since the 16th century to produce tequila. The area includes working fields and urban settlements with large distilleries and is a testimony to the Teuchitlan cultures that shaped Tequila from 200 to 900 BCE.
Bosque Los Colomos
The urban park is located on the borders of Guadalajara and Zapopan, forming one of the lungs of the Metropolitan Area. It began as a hydrological zone project in the late 1800s to supply drinking water to the city. Today, it is protected and has a wide variety of trees from all over the world, lakes, and myriad species of fauna. The Japanese Garden celebrates the friendship between the cities of Guadalajara and Kyoto.
Catedral de Guadalajara
The city’s cathedral is its most conspicuous landmark, with distinctive neo-Gothic spired twin towers. The building is nearly as old as Guadalajara, as work began in 1561 and was consecrated in 1618. At the right time of day, light filters through the stained glass of the Last Supper above the altar, and frequently, a pipe organ will rumble sweetly from the rafters. There is also a Gothic crypt, where three archbishops are buried, set within the richly decorated interior, which includes Tuscan-style gold-leaf pillars.
