Guadalajara
Guadalajara is Mexico's 3rd largest city, both, in terms of population and its extension. It is home to some of Mexico's main cultural representations, like the Mariachi, the charros and the Tequila. Its name comes from the arab word Wad-al-Jahara (River of stones). The name was given by Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán, who named it after the Spanish city of the same name.
The Mariachi was originated in Guadalajara, the first groups of Mariachis were field workers who dresses from cotton clothes and straw hats. During the beginning of the XXth century, these mariachis started to wear the suit of Mexico's wealthy elite or "Hacendados", until it became what is known today as the typical "Charro" suit. The original Mariachi hat is an exquisite work of art, an is not at all related to the Mariachi hats sold at souvenir shops. The original Mariachi used to play music from the Jalisco Region, like the "Jarabe Tapatio" or the "Son de la negra", however, as this cultural phemomenon started moving toward Mexico City, they started to play songs from other parts of Mexico like "El Rey" and "Cielito Lindo", who are one of the most important Mariachi representations today.
Every year, the "Encuentro Nacional de Mariachi y Charreria", or "National Charro and Mariachi encounter" takes place in the city. It is divided in two parts, the sport side and the musical side. At this event, you will be able to hear Mariachis coming from places like Japan, Serbia, Colombia, Spain and Finland.
Mexico's most famous drink, the tequila, does not exactly come from Guadalajara, but the region is close enough to be considered as native from this place. Tequila is also the name of the region in which the beverage is produced. In order for a Tequila to be named as such it must be produced in this region, and it must count with at least 51% of Agave, which is a typical cactus of the region. The hilarious legend of its origin is worth a couple of paragraphs.
In Prehispanic times, some native Indians from Jalisco were looking for a shelter during a Thunderstorm, when suddenly a thunder landed in the top of a Cactus. One of this Indians perceived a nice smell coming from the plant, and he liked its taste so much that he took with home the juice of the plant. For various weeks, he forgot about the juice and when he found it again, it had another enriched taste which caused a change in his natural behaviour. This change made him think that the juice was a gift from the gods. The popularity of this drink extended towards other places in prehispanic Mexico, to the Extent that Moctezuma II offered it to Hernán Cortés when he arrived to Tenochtitlan.
Other typical Mexican expressions have been originated in Guadalajara, like the famous dance of the "Jarabe Tapatio", who was mainly created out of spanish flamenco influences from the colonial period. Guadalajara is also considered one of the richest cities in Mexico in terms of its gastronomic heritage.
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