The Guadalajara Reporter
Guadalajara's Largest English Newspaper
Having discovered – to my amazement – that there is only one place in the MegaGuadalajaropolis that issues driver licenses to foreigners, I decided to rise bright and early the day I set out for Transito, imagining I was at the start of an arduous and lengthy trial: the quest for my very first Jalisco licencia de conducir.
When I signed up for a night-time walk in the Primavera Forest, I knew I would encounter the unexpected and that’s exactly what happened.
Friday, June 15 marked the first public screening of “Phil Weigand, an Explorer for All Times” at Hospicio Cabañas in Guadalajara. The historical documentary was created by the team of Pascual Aldana, Daniel Aldana and Alberto Fuentes of Explora México under the auspices of El Colegio de Michoacán and TV UNAM. The film focuses on the life and discoveries of the late archaeologist Phil Weigand (1937-2011) who, together with his wife Acelia García, spent more than forty years unraveling some of the mysteries of a great and hitherto unknown civilization which flourished in western Mexico 2000 years ago.
Recently my canyoneering friends – members of the group Jalisco Vertical – decided to rappel all the waterfalls of the Jalpa River as it passes through Aquetzalli Canyon, close to the town of Chiquilistlán, located 65 kilometers southwest of Guadalajara. Although I’m not a canyoneer, I decided to tag along hoping to catch up on my writing in full view of a spectacular cascade where I could periodically cool off in a deep pool of deliciously refreshing, clean water. After all, the word Aquetzalli, I was told, means “crystal-clear water” in Nahuatl.
More than 300 players and fans of Ultimate Frisbee gathered at the Universidad de Guadalajara Sports Club last weekend for the 2012 Mexican National Tournament in this fast-moving team sport, which uses a flying disk instead of a ball.
This marvelous ecotourism center and camping area is beautiful, safe and, believe it or not, located only 40 minutes from Guadalajara.
The Jalisco State Water Commission has asked Guadalajara muralist Jorge Monroy for a painting to grace its new building on the shores of Lake Chapala. The painting, tentatively entitled “Tlaloc Reigns Over Chapala,” will hang in a large stairwell where it will be visible from two floors. Although Monroy turned the completed work over to Commission authorities on May 14, dedication of the new building – a training center – will not take place until sometime in July, after the upcoming Mexican presidential elections. Inaugurations and other ceremonies which could be used as political platforms, are forbidden by law during this pre-election period. The Reporter’s JOHN PINT stopped by Monroy’s rustic studio in Pinar de la Venta to ask him about his newest creation.
