Tlaquepaque Day

Recently I went into Tlaquepaque, a charming upscale area on the edge of Guadalajara, with some girl friends. We got there on a quiet Monday morning, and enjoyed strolling through many shops. They sell items from all over Mexico: blown glass, ceramic dishes, pewter, handwoven tablecloths, and so on, all evidence of Mexico's rich tradition of artesania. One shop did have what I coined "schlockypaque" but that was rare.

There are some very nice walking streets. I was delighted to come across Maria de Guadalajara, a small clothing store specializing in solid color cotton gauze clothing cut in playful designs. In the 80s I had bought a two-piece outfit in Guadalajara from this company (though not this store) and I still have it, albeit a bit tattered. I added to my collection by getting a flowing top in the same salmon tone that the woman in the doorway is wearing, for about $27 US.



This set of tiles was nicely displayed. I'd love to buy a set, though not in this particular design. One of these days Kelly and I will make a trip to nearby Tonala to buy a nice set of dishes, and maybe I'll find some tiles there. Tonala is more of the factory town, and prices are lower there.


We had lunch at one of the many elegant restaurants:


I didn't notice till I got up close that the fountain had flowers carefully arranged in it:

I didn't think to take a picture of my red snapper lunch, as photography wasn't uppermost on my mind when it arrived. But one friend joined us a little later and kindly delayed her first bite for me to get this picture. She's having a beefsteak with rice, a decorative bit of salad, guacamole, and an enchilada covered with white cheese. Our meals with beverages came out to about $10 US each.



As we walked through Tlaquepaque after lunch, this purple building caught my eye. I got lucky in catching two Mexican men in a very characteristic Mexican action: talking on their cellphones while doing something else: