A Week in Tlaquepaque

I went back again this summer to Tlaquepaque for another week of language school.  It was more total immersion this time because I was living with a family that demanded more Spanish conversation and because much of the time I was the only student in the class and had to do all the interaction with the teacher in Spanish.  But it was good and I made some progress increasing my unjustifiable confidence with speaking.  Of course I had plenty of time to enjoy the area, and speaking more Spanish, however badly, helped.


The Bus Ride from Nuevo Vallarta to Tlaquepaque

My lonely bag in the bus terminal in Nuevo Vallarta

 

Vallarta Plus buses are very luxurious, a good thing

because it's a long ride.

Fortunately the scenery is pretty spectacular much of

the way:  agave fields, mountains, clouds, waterfall, lava.

Where I Stayed

This is the Guadalajara Language Center

where I went to class two hours each day.

Very small classes, good teachers, lots

of personal attention.

This is the apartment building in which I

lived during my stay.

It was small and sparse, but clean and modern.  My room

is through the door on the right.  The big issue:  street noise.

Easily remedied with ear plugs.

The bathroom was shared by three of us.

Claudia, the woman who owned the apartment, was

an excellent cook and made several special dishes

for me.  This is squash flowers.  She sources the

best ingredients from local indigenous people

at the public market.

Guayaba with tajin

Chile en nogada, a traditional seasonal Mexican dish 

often served on special occasions.  Note the three colors

(red, white and green) are the colors of the Mexican

flag.

 About Town

On Monday the street market comes to Tlaquepaque.

It is about 8 blocks long, and a combination of a

swap meet and farmers market.  These are bags of

spices and dried foods.

Soap, shampoo, gels etc. sold in bulk.

Ingredients for mole.  Thanks to Claudia,

I learned that not all moles are dark or

include chocolate.

Chorizo

 A walk through the street market

It's common in Mexico to see dogs 

keeping watch from the roof.

Pigs, not so much.

Those pigs can sneak up on you!

The cows are easier to spot.

(No, it's not The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.)

Still, you never know what's lurking over your shoulder.

Some things are better than others!

This little shop sold custom dolls and doll clothes,

and offered classes in how to make them.

Wall mural

This large wall mural was a key landmark for finding

my apartment.  The wall murals are never vandalized

by graffiti.

If you can't get a mural, you can try to localize the damage.

Flowers also cover many walls.

Flowers from a street vendor

Mexicans are very adept at finding cheap ways to

transport things.

There's even a horse-drawn cart still in use to haul freight

around town.

The central plaza has a garden and is surrounded by

shops, street vendors and two churches.

The plaza is a gathering place for people and pigeons.

Music in the streets

Not music in the streets

This is Chapalita's, the favorite place in town for

nieves (gelatos).

Many flavors, all freshly made on site.

Yes, they're GOOD!

The Tequila Expo

I made the sacrifice and spent one day

at the Tequila Expo that was at the

Cultural Center for only three days.

The area around Tlaquepaque and

Guadalajara is famous for agave and

making tequila.

On display, the Guiness Record-holder for

the world's largest bottle of artisan tequila.

There were also about 1,200 bottles of tequila in the more

common sizes.

More than a dozen tequila and mescal makers

had booths and offered free tastings as well

as sales.

I tasted only about 6, but this one was

by far my favorite.  Of course I

bought a bottle.

Turns out that El Grullense is hard to find.

Not only is it not sold in the U.S., but I

didn't see any in a local tequilla store that

claims to hold the Guiness Record for the

largest variety, some 1,900 bottles!

There was also plenty of food available at the Tequilla

Expo.

The Ceramics Museum

I revisited the ceramics museum and this time

looked a bit more closely at the work.

On much of the work, it takes a close look to appreciate

the artistry.

This piece is called "The Potter's Hands."

A close look shows you why.

In a work as large, colorful and complex as

this one, it's easy to miss some of the details.

But a close look can reveal the hidden humor.

Much of the work is done in a traditional 

style.

There are also contemporary works.

Guachimontones

Teuchitlan and Presa Vega

Guachimontones is a famous archeological site about

90 minutes from Tlaquepaque.  It is the major site of

the Teuchitlan people, a society that existed from about

300 BCE to perhaps as late as 900.

A visitor center overlooks the site.

A model shows the distribution of structures and there

is an excellent movie (in English) that tells about the site

and the people.

Also on display are examples of artifacts used by the

Teuchitlan.  This is a chunk of obsidian that is found

in abundance in the area.  It was used to make blades

and other tools and as a valuable trading commodity.

The large stepped elliptical "pyramid" is the center of the

complex.

Religious ceremonies took place on and around the mound.

The central mound is encircled by a series of smaller

rectangular platforms that are believed to have had

temples on top of them.

Guachimontones has two of the most important

Ballgame Courts of ancient Mexico.  Players 

had to move a ball down the court using only

their hips.  The game was often used as a means

of settling disputes, but a loss could mean death.  

This is the larger of the two courts.

The smaller game court

After visiting Guachimontones, we had lunch at "Soky,"

a restaurant at nearby Presa Vega.

Good food, fantastic view

Back "Home"

When I got back to the boat at the end of the week, 

I discovered I had an uninvited guest on board.

The big guy was well over six feet long, but panicked when

he saw me and jumped into the water and swam away.