Location
Guadalajara is one of the few cities around the world that actually retains its provincial warmth. Despite its massive size, you will find that locals in the city are very friendly and embracing to foreign people. Don’t be surprised if you have a “tapatio” occasionally say hello on the street or talk to you about the landmark you are standing on.The city of Guadalajara has many parks in which you can spend weekends enjoying a book under the shade of a tree or do so climbing. The “Barranca de Huentitan” (Huentitan Canyon) is a really good place to do some hard rock-climbing and enjoy some fresh air. It is very popular with local athletes for training and has some very impressive geological formations. On Sundays, one of the city’s largest avenues completely closes to traffic and opens for residents to use their bicycles, rollerblades, skateboards, or simply for jogging.
Open air markets are a very common and distinguishing feature of Mexico. While you are taking the TEFL course you will be able to wiz by some of the city’s most important “mercados” to observe day to day life in full bustle. Merchants showing their wares and shops exhibiting their produce will allure you into the way of life in Latin-America and give a new definition to the word “shopping”.
Infrastructure in the city of Guadalajara is very good. While you are in the city you will find many of the commodities that you find in any developed economy. First class shopping malls, BRT and subway public transportation, ATM machines, major international restaurant and store franchises, and much more are readily available. The cultural twist of course will be quite visible especially in the products and service. Your experience here will be culturally enriching but not culturally shocking.
Nightlife is very vibrant in Guadalajara. During the weekends, usually starting on Thursdays, you will discover that the city does not seem to sleep. You can enjoy a cold beer in small bars, dance the night away at a vibrant salsa club, or party until dawn at an electrifying night club. Guadalajara caters to all tastes when it comes to having a night on the town.
Travel
While you are taking the TEFL course you will also be able to visit some great locations over the weekends. Weekend excursions to colonial towns like Morelia, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato, San Miguel Allende, and many more are completely possible. Weekends at beaches like Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Manzanillo are also a great way to catch some coastline during your time with us. We will be more than happy to help you make the arrangements.
You will be interested to know that taking one day excursions to nearby locations is completely possible. Just because the course is very intensive doesn’t mean that you can’t explore the region. We can gladly assist you in arranging excursions to places like Lake Chapala (largest lake in the country), the town of Tequila (birth place of the national drink), or the Guachimonton Round Pyramids.
Have you thought about how you will be traveling to the city? Getting to Guadalajara is not difficult at all. When flying from North America you will discover that virtually all airlines fly into Guadalajara’s international airport. When flying in from anywhere around the world you will most likely have a connecting flight from Mexico City. Highways in Mexico are also in good condition in case you wish to travel by bus or drive.
Moving around the city in public transportation is a very simple task. Buses, light-rail, BRT, and taxis are readily available and can take you anywhere in the city, not to mention that public transportation is super cheap compared to other cities in the world. While you are taking the course we are more than happy to give you information on how to get anywhere you wish to go.
Getting up and about in Guadalajara will occasionally only mean walking. The city of Guadalajara is modeled after European cities in its compact nature. This means that you can walk to some of the most important sites of interest without even breaking a sweat especially if you are staying in the downtown area. If you enjoy walking we can provide you with maps for you to easily navigate to any location you wish to get to by foot.
Culture
Guadalajara is the cultural center of western Mexico. While it is a modern city, it has kept many of the rural traditions of Jalisco, such as mariachi and a strong sense of Catholicism. Guadalajara is a center of learning with six universities, two culinary institutes and a thriving art scene. The city has twenty two museums, which include the Regional Museum of Jalisco, the Wax Museum, the Trompo Mágico children’s museum and the Museum of Anthropology. The Hospicio Cabañas in the historic center is a World Heritage Site. For these attributes and others, the city was named an American Capital of Culture in 2005.
This city has been the cradle and dwelling of distinguished poets, writers, painters, actors, film directors and representatives of the arts, etc., such as: José Clemente Orozco, Dr. Atl, Roberto Montenegro, Alejandro Zohn, Luis Barragán, Carlos Orozco Romero, Federico Fabregat, Raul Anguiano, among others. Film directors like Felipe Cazals, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, Erik Stahl, Guillermo del Toro and actors like Katy Jurado, Enrique Alvarez Felix and actual exponents like Gael García Bernal represent Guadalajara on the big screen.
The cuisine in Guadalajara is a mix of pre-Hispanic and Spanish influences, like the rest of Mexico, but dishes here have their own flavors and are made with their own techniques. One of the main distinguishing dishes is “birria”. This is goat, lamb, or beef meat cooked in a spicy sauce seasoned with chili peppers, ginger, cumin, black pepper, oregano and cloves. The traditional way of preparing “birria” is to pit roast the meat and spices wrapped in maguey leaves. It is served in bowls along with minced onion, limes and tortillas.
Mariachi music is strongly associated with Guadalajara both in Mexico and abroad. The connection between the city and mariachi began in 1907 when an eight-piece mariachi band and four dancers from the city performed on stage at the president’s residence for both Porfirio Díaz and the secretary of State of the United States. This made the music a symbol of western Mexico, and after the migration of many people from the Guadalajara area to Mexico City (mostly settling near Plaza Garibaldi), it then became a symbol of Mexican identity as well. Guadalajara hosts the Festival of Mariachi and Charreria, which began in 1994. It attracts personages in the fields of art, culture and politics from both Mexico and abroad.
Guadalajara is also known for several large cultural festivals. The International Film Festival of Guadalajara is a yearly event which happens in March. It mostly focuses on Mexican and Latin American films; however films from all over the world are shown. The Guadalajara International Book Fair is the largest Spanish language book fair in the world held each year over nine days at the Expo Guadalajara. Over 300 publishing firms from 35 different countries regularly attend, demonstrating the most recent productions in books, videos and new communications technologies.
