Guadalajara
Guadalajara is the capital of the central state of Jalisco in Mexico, with about a million and a half citizens (known as "Tapatíos"). It is considered a colonial city, though much of its architecture dates from the independence period. It is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country. This growth has been driven in part by the booming electronics industry in the industrial outskirts of the city. Other important and growing industries are pharmaceuticals, food processing, and fashion.
About the city
Guadalajara is divided into four districts corresponding approximately to the northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast quarters of the city. At the center of everything is the main area of interest to tourists, the Centro Histórico, or the historic downtown. Most of your time will probably be spent here. It is filled with colonial-era buildings and, famously, also boasts several important mural paintings by Jalisco-born José Clemente Orozco, one of Mexico's most important artists and one of the "Big Three" artists of the muralism period.
Currently there are two top division football teams: Club Deportivo / Chivas de Guadalajara (with a home-grown players policy) and Los Zorros de Atlas. Chivas is one of the 10 founding members of the Mexican first Division and used to also own Chivas USA which played from 2005 to 2014 in Major League Soccer in Los Angeles.
As in most Mexican cities, football is played every day in the streets and parks. But the city of Guadalajara is helping push that even further, having established numerous projects to promote sports in schools in order to teach children healthy lifestyles, develop social values and generate teamwork habits.
Guadalajara Subway
There is a light-rail subway system (Tren Ligero or Mi Tren) that can be useful for travelers. There are three lines with two that meet at the western edge of the Centro Histórico, and a third that runs diagonally across the city.