 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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