Singing the Praises of Romantic Guadalajara

When a local swain is smitten by a town senorita , but doesn’t have the voice to serenade her in the traditional manner of Jalisco, he may hire a group to perform a serenata jalisciense outside her window. The surrogate Romeos don’t come cheap ($150 for a trio, $300 for a small symphony of 10), but love is love and never mind the pesos.

One wouldn’t normally expect the air to be heavy with romance in a city of 4 million, but Guadalajara is still very much a provincial town. According to local boosters, there are 6 million rose bushes blooming at any time; seven shades of bougainvillea cascading down the pastel walls and ironwork of colonial mansions, and more graceful fountains (147, many lighted), birds of paradise, laurel and jacaranda trees in town than you are ever likely to see elsewhere.

Guadalajara rightfully boasts that it gave Mexico its first charros (cowboys) with their handsome costumes and formalized rodeo, tequila, the Mexican hat dance, and those manic mariachis that seem to be wailing out the glories of “Guadalajara” and its state of Jalisco in every cantina in town. About the only things Mexican they don’t claim here are the Halls of Montezuma, Fernando Valenzuela and the country’s best beer, which is still brewed in Monterrey.

If all this crowing about their town strikes you as a bit much, consider that locals are also proud to call themselves Tapatios , which translates roughly from an ancient dialect as “three times worthy.” Now add that Guadalajara has the largest outdoor market in the Western Hemisphere, and--according to the considered opinion of National Geographic magazine--just about the best weather in any hemisphere.

Several visits to Jalisco’s capital city have convinced us that most of the civic pride and hoopla is deserved. The only down side, locals complain, is that the workday two-hour siesta creates four traffic jams rather than two. And a local newspaper refers to the 16th-Century cathedral as “architecturally grotesque.”

We disagree with the newspaper’s assessment of church design, although it is a trifle busy, and there’s always a cantina and frosty Mexican beer at hand to wait out the gridlock.

How long/how much? Give the considerable sights of the town at least two days, another one for surrounding attractions. Food and lodging costs in Mexico always strike us as moderate to low.

Getting settled in: Hotel De Mendoza is probably the best of three small hotels in the central part of town, where you’ll spend most of your time. Mendoza captures the charm of colonial Mexico with a fine old mural, antique chest and huge brass chandeliers in the lobby, bedrooms tastefully done in period furniture, hand-painted bedsteads and touches of wrought iron. There’s also a handsome restaurant, small pool, rooftop terrace bar and parking garage. The hotel is just across from the spectacular Degollado Theater on Plaza de la Liberacion.

Another old friend, Hotel Frances, predates our acquaintance a bit, having been built in 1610 and operated as an inn for almost four centuries. The arcaded lobby is built around a lovely marble fountain, very much in the Spanish style, and bedrooms carry on the aura with gorgeous colonial furniture and ironwork balconies overlooking Plaza de la Liberacion. Frances was rightfully raised to the status of a national monument a decade ago.

Hotel Fenix breaks the Mexican colonial mold but keeps the central-city location as a contemporary hotel and member of the Best Western chain. The long, cool lobby has a businesslike feeling, and bedrooms are attractively done in muted browns and beiges with a few touches of Mexico in antique-repro bedsteads and wall sconces. Ask for the recently redecorated new wing, where some rooms have a nice view of the cathedral.

Regional food and drink: Chiles poblanos (or chiles en nogada ) is a local favorite. It’s mild green poblano chiles stuffed with diced pork, onion, garlic and tomato, and dressed with a walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds. The red, white and green colors make it a particularly popular Independence Day dish.

Crepas con flor de calabaza (crepes stuffed with squash-flower filling) and smoked suckling pig with jalapeno peppers are two more favored dishes. Less fancy standbys include pozole , a meat-and-hominy stew given added luster here with the addition of a pig’s head.

Jalisco gave us tequila and also sangrita , a cocktail of tomato, orange juice, lime, green peppers and hot sauce, all blended together as a chaser for tequila.

Dining well: Guadalajara’s preferred gathering spot for knowledgeable diners is Rio Viejo (Ave. Americas 302), a former colonial mansion that has kept its elegant ambience with fine old tile floors, wooden santos , antiques and beautiful paintings to go with superior food and service. The mariscos (shellfish) or chile poblano soups make sensible starters, followed by red chile shrimp, kebabs with mushroom sauce or a marvelous paella. Plan on about $19 per person, plus drinks, at this handsome townhouse.

The colorful rustic surroundings in Galeria los Otates (Ave. Americas 28) fool you into expecting higher prices. Yet you may enjoy authentic Mexican food here for almost a pittance. The most expensive dish on the menu is carne asada (grilled beef, pork and chorizo sausage) for $6, pozole for $2.50, a tostada for half that. You’ll dine on pink tablecloths, with hand-painted chairs, ceiling fans and pink wooden birds all about in this very pretty place.

Cazadores Campestre, in the suburban village of Tlaquepaque, is the place to go if you want a wide selection of barbecued beef, pork, lamb and sausages, all prepared on an outdoor grill and served under laurel trees in the patios of this hacienda. Mariachis stroll about to keep things lively, and prices are very moderate. It’s open only from noon until six, the mariachis from 2:30.

Going first-class: Mexican contemporary architecture can be very exciting, and the local Fiesta Americana high-rise hotel is a marvelous example of the use of steel, stone and glass. The 11-story lobby atrium is alive with greenery, Mexican art and artifacts. Generous-sized bedrooms in crisp colors are most comfortable, and all have color TV, mini-bars, in-house movies and purified water on hand.

Fiesta Americana’s La Hacienda restaurant sticks to imaginative Mexican fare with the likes of squash-blossom, quail and tortilla soup. You’ll also find eight different steaks straight from la parrilla (the grill), and a gigantic mixed barbecue for two at $18. Steaks in the $12 range, fish fillets with fresh garlic, Guaymas shrimp, squid stuffed with mild chiles and other seafood from $8 to $13.

On your own: Much of the oldest section of Guadalajara is a pedestrians-only layout that will get you afoot from the cathedral on Plaza de la Liberacion to Plaza Tapatia, Plaza Laureles (laurels) and the gigantic Liberty Market, each with its own color and personality.

Be sure to see the murals of Jose Clemente Orozco (born in southern Jalisco) at the Cabanas Cultural Institute on Plaza Tapatia. Orozco, Diego Rivera and David Siqueiros turned the mural into a formidable political statement on behalf of Mexico’s poor and downtrodden.

Liberty Market is an exciting jumble of food, clothing, handicrafts, magic potions, used comic books and, for some reason, women sitting outside having a pedicure while they gossip. For the best handicrafts within the city, cruise the Casa de los Artesanias and expect to find plenty of silver, gold, pottery, weavings and blown glass.

Tlaquepaque is considered one of Mexico’s most noted villages for handicrafts and artifacts, with shops lining most of its cobbled streets. Some of the work is of almost museum quality, and prices run the spectrum from cheap to shocking.

When sightseeing and shopping begin to do you in, relax under the umbrellas of Plazula de los Mariachis and sip something cool while the boys strum out yet another chorus, or 10, of “Guadalajara.”

GUIDEBOOK

Guadalajara

Getting there: Mexicana, Delta and Aeromexico fly to Guadalajara. An advance-purchase, round-trip ticket should cost about $272.

Fast facts: Mexico’s floating peso recently sold at 2,973 to the dollar, so set your pocket calculator on .0003 and just multiply. The City of Eternal Spring includes some rains from June through September.

Settling in: Hotel Frances (Maestranza 35; $40 double); De Mendoza (Venustiano Carranza 16; $55 double); Fenix (Ave. Corona 160; $50-$55 double); Fiesta Americana (Aurelio Aceves 225; $100 single or double).

For more information: Contact the Mexican Government Tourism Office, 10100 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 224, Los Angeles 90067, (213) 203-8151 or (800) 262-8900.