9781422286944

Mexican Facts and Figures

has many attractions to bring tourists here, and as a result, travelers who do venture here often find that the people are unusually friendly and curious. In April, however, people from around Mexico come to the city of Aguascalientes to celebrate the Feast of San Marcos. This month-long fiesta attracts artists, musicians, dancers, actors, and poets. Jalisco As you continue to travel south, you will enter the much larger state of Jalisco. Unlike the central states through which you’ve just traveled, Jalisco is bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean. Lake Chapala, Mexico’s second largest lake, also lies within its borders, and the Río Grande de Santiago flows out of the lake and across the state, providing the state with moisture. The state’s capital and largest city is Guadalajara. This city was first founded by one of the most brutal of the Spanish conquistadors, a man named Nuño de Guzmán. De Guzmán killed so many of the Amerindians in the area that very little of the native culture survived.

32

The cathedral of Guadalajara is one of the finest buildings in Mexico. Guadalajara is the capital of Jalisco, and the second-largest city in Mexico.