We spent two weeks in Guadalajara in August 2023. One of the highlights was a day trip to the pueblo of Tequila and a visit to the Jose Cuervo La Rojeña Distillery.
As a side-note, we have discovered that the on-off bus system is a great way to get an overview of a large city. We have found that most cities have them. The main company in Mexico is Turibus. If you are not familiar with this system, the buses generally have several routes and make multiple stops. A guide is also on the bus providing information about various sights along the route. You can buy a relatively inexpensive day pass and get off and back on the bus at any of the stops. Generally, there is a bus passing each stop in no more than 30 minutes. If you want to spend some time in a section of the city, hop off the bus, go exploring and then get back on whenever you are ready.
The visit to the Jose Cuervo distillery was a highlight. The bus took us through field after field of agave before we arrived at the Tequila pueblo. The tour and the tasting were interesting and fun. We had the opportunity to taste some very highend tequila. The distillation process is fascinating.
Also, we happened to be in Guadalajara during the annual international mariachi festival. I have never been a huge fan of this style of music associating it mainly with birthdays in Mexican restaurants. The mariachi groups at this festival and the musicians that comprised them were excellent. We only were able to see a couple but the talent was obvious.
Tlaquepaque is one of the most interesting and vibrant neighborhoods in the city. Yes, sill more statues.
Taco Fish La Paz was our favorite restaurant in Guadalajara. It is a fast-paced joint and you better be ready with your order by the time you get to the head of the line. Many taco choices and maybe 20 different types of salsas. Grab a spot on a bench and hang on for dear life.
Other posts from around the city and more incredible artwork from inside one of the many catholic churches.
Thanks for the post and pictures! we were in Guadalajara in 1980. We loved the big church plaza and the music there, but we didn't know about a tequila distillery tour. I bet it wasn't there 43 years ago ;-)
Such interesting stuff. Was the tequila process anything like the bourbon? No corn in this for sure! The murals in the church are fascinating. Modernistic. Janice
We did the Jose Cuervo tour back in 2017 and remember it well. There's more to tequila than I realised, both in terms of the complexity of the production process and the different levels of quality.