A guide to Guadalajara, the alternative Mexican city hosting this year's Gay Games

The birthplace of tequila and mariachi music, Guadalajara plays a big part in Mexico’s cultural identity. Yet while Mexico City and Cancun pulse with visitors year-round, the capital of the west-coast state of Jalisco has retained a laid-back charm. Its streets are a mixture of grand colonial cathedrals, vendors slathering chilli sauce onto tortas ahogadas (‘drowned sandwiches’) and a sprinkling of galleries and brunch spots. And with the 11th Gay Games — an international sporting competition for LGBTQ+ athletes — being co-hosted here (along with Hong Kong) in November, there’s a fresh global focus on Guadalajara.

This is a spread-out city that merits exploration. Start the day just west of the centre with breakfast at Panadería de Barrio, a bakery that offer a contemporary twist on Mexican classics, such as chilaquiles (tortilla chips cooked in salsa and sprinkled with cheese). From there, head into historic Zona Centro and stroll the tree-lined boulevards, beginning at the Plaza de Armas. Take a look inside the majestic 17th-century Guadalajara Cathedral, then head to Plaza de la Liberación, marked by a statue of the 1800s Mexican independence campaigner Miguel Hidalgo. This historic square is among the venues that plays host to the annual Guadalajara Film Festival, a week-long event usually held in June that showcases the best of Latin American cinema. 

Make your way to the Teatro Degollado to marvel at the neoclassical theatre’s design, then head on to the Hospicio Cabañas, one of the oldest hospital complexes in the Americas, now a World Heritage Site and cultural centre. In the early 20th century, Mexican painter José Clemente Orozco decorated its chapel with striking political murals.   

Soak up the sounds of mariachi music in the Plaza de los Mariachis before refuelling at Birriería Las 9 Esquinas, a local favourite for birria, the spicy, slow-cooked stew, usually of lamb or goat, for which the city is famed. If the restaurant’s colourful locally made crockery has you hankering to take a piece of Guadalajara home, nearby Mercado Libertad (also known as Mercado San Juan de Dios), Latin America’s largest indoor market, has you covered: the stalls at this three-floor metropolis sell every handicraft and foodstuff imaginable. 

The wider Jalisco region provides great day trips, too. Tequila has been produced here since the late 18th century and family-run distilleries are popular spots to visit. The Jose Cuervo Express train service runs from Guadalajara to Latin America’s oldest distillery, La Rojena, as well as to agave fields and the town of Tequila itself. Many bus tours stop for a roadside cantarito (a clay jug of tequila, orange juice and grapefruit soda). 

For Guadalajaran culture of a different kind, visit Tlaquepaque, south of the city centre. One of the country’s Pueblos Mágicos (‘Magic Towns’, a designation given to places rich in Mexican history), its colonial-era streets burst with colour. Known for its ceramics and lined with boutique galleries and shops, food vendors of every stripe and, yes, more mariachi bands, it feels like a window into the past.

If you haven’t yet filled up on tortas ahogadas or pozole (a traditional meat soup), have dinner at Puerto Arrecife, in the quieter Santa Teresita neighbourhood. The aguachile (similar to prawn ceviche, but spicier) is among the best you’ll find. Walk it off on the way to Colonia Americana, a neighbourhood that’s fast earning a hipster reputation. Now Guadalajara’s nightlife centre, Avenida Chapultepec and its surrounds have a host of options that can fit any budget: try Cerveceria Chapultepec — where everything on the menu costs 23 pesos (£1) — or the upscale El Gallo Altanero for perfectly crafted agave-based cocktails. Partying stretches long into the morning — and, whatever time you leave, the snack vendors will be ready.