The
name "Jalisco" is derived from the Nahuatl words
(the prehispanic language of the Mexica or Aztecs) "xalli"
- meaning sand or gravel - and "ixtli" - meaning
face, or by extension, plane. Thus, Jalisco, remarkable
for its sandy soil literally means "sandy plain."
Separated from the country's
colonial heartland by the craggy peaks of the Sierra Madre,
the semitropical state of Jalisco have an unhurried ease
of their own. Cursed by a complex landscape - now lofty
plain, now rugged sierra - the area is, nevertheless, blessed
with supreme fertility and is as beautiful and varied as
any in Mexico, ranging from fresh pine woods and cool pastures
to lush tropical forest. This state stretches all the way
to the coast, with resorts and beaches that vary from the
sophistication of Puerto Vallarta to the simplicity of Barra
de Navidad.
Something of a backwater
until well into the 18th century, the high valleys of Jalisco
were left to develop their own strong regional traditions
and solid agricultural economy: there's a wealth of local
produce, both agricultural and traditionally manufactured,
from avocados to tequila, and glassware to guitars. Relative
isolation also made the region a bastion of conservatism
- in the years following the Revolution the Catholic Cristero
counterrevolutionary guerrilla movement enjoyed its strongest
support here.
Easygoing Guadalajara
- Mexico's second city - is the area's best-known destination,
packed with elegant buildings and surrounded by scenic country.
Further afield the land spreads spectacularly green and
mountainous, studded with volcanoes and lakes, including
Lake Chapala. Fiestas around here - and there are many -
are among the most vital in Mexico, and there's a legacy
of village handicrafts that survives from the earliest days
of the Conquest.
Jalisco is the
most serene state in the country - relaxing, easy to get
about, and free of urban hassle. Add to this the fact that
Jalisco is the home of mariachi and of tequila and you've
got a region where you could easily spend a couple of weeks
exploring without even beginning to see it all.
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