Agave plants removed at Minerva

The field of agave that has graced Guadalajara’s Minerva traffic circle since 21011 now is just a memory. Jimadores harvested

980 Agave Azul plants for Tequila Herradura, which will replant some 25,000 ornamental bushes and flowers around the city’s guardian in the coming weeks.

French film fest

Movie buffs have until February 13 to catch free screenings of French films or until February 16 to watch them online. MyFrenchFilmFestival.com is designed to showcase upcoming talent. Ten features and ten shorts are in competition during the festival, and people are invited to leave their comments on the website.

The jury of directors and journalists will meet in Paris to vote for the winning films which will then be shown aboard Air France flights for six months. 

Free screenings of selected films are taking place in the auditorium Alianza Francesa in Guadalajara, on Avenida Lopez Cotilla 1199, Colonia Americana. Films start at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. 

Alternatively, you can access them online by creating an account and signing in at http://www.myfrenchfilmfestival.com.

French film screenings

Friday 23 January - “The Sadness Club”

Tuesday 27 January and Friday 30 January - “Hippocrates”

Tuesday 03 February and Friday 06 February – “A Place on Earth”

Tuesday 10 and Friday 13 February – “Breathe”

Keeping up with the Jones

If you’ve spent a mint restoring your colonial mansion, now is time to go for the gold. The City’s Urban Planning Commision (Coplaur) gives hefty cash prizes to the top winners of the 12th annual conservation and restoration of historic and architecturally notable homes. Last day to enter your castle is February 16. See www.coplaurguadalajara.gob.mx for more information.

New elderly center opens

The Vidavi Day Center for the Elderly opened in the Jardines del Sol neighborhood of Zapopan this week. The center uses the Hoffmann method to impart a personalized therapy that helps visitors in their physical, cognitive, social, and psycological well-being, focusing on preventative and rehabilitation.

“The center’s objective is to help the elderly maintain their independence,” said director Milka Dominguez. The center, located at  Moctezuma 317, is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and can service up to 60 people per day. Transportation is available. 

Tamal festival in Tlajomulco

Tamales made in the style of Oaxaca, Chiapas, Zacatecas and the Yucatan will share space with Jalisco’s own spicy corn cakes at the 2nd annual Feria del Tamal in San Juan Evangelista on the shores of Lake Cajititlan. Champurrado, atole, hot chocolate, cheeses, creams and salsas will also be sold. The good eating begins Saturday, January 31 beginning at 4 p.m. and Sunday, February 1 starting at 10 a.m.

Presentation

Reporter columnist John Pint, and his wife Suzy, will present their new book,” Outdoors in Western Mexico 2,” at the Guadalajara Museum of Paleontology on Saturday, January 24, noon. 

Solar

The Guadalajara Cathedral may be one of the city’s most ancient landmarks, but that does not mean it cannot move with the times, as the recent installation of an eSun Energy solar power system proves.

To allow the archdiocese to make substantial savings on their electricity expenditure, eSun Energy came up with a plan that involved replacing all the Cathedral’s lighting with led lights, changing the organ’s compression engine and installing a photovoltaic system.

On the day of installation, the eSun team carried all the material – including the 40 high-quality photovoltaic modules – up the 76 steps leading to the Cathedral’s roof, taking extreme care to not damage any part of the iconic structure. The installation took two days to complete – a lot quicker than the 50 years it took to build the Cathedral!

Estudiantina

A pleasant way to see the city center is to take a night walk accompanied by a musical troupe known as an estudiantina. The guided walks, which leave every Saturday at 8 p.m. from the Guadalajara Palacio Municipal (Av. Hidalgo 400), follow the tradition established in the colonial city of Guanajuato, where a band of serenading students guides visitors through the streets. The tours are free of charge and will take place each Saturday until January 25.  

Zoo happenings

The Guadalajara Zoo continues to spread seasonal joy with a variety of special holiday events, as well as its bizarre underwater Santa spectacle.

Church holiday schedules

Reverend Carlos Catalan will conduct a bilingual service at All Saint’s Lutheran Church on Christmas Eve (Wednesday, December 24), 6 p.m. All Saint’s bilingual choir will present a selection of hymns. All Saints’s is located at Tepeyac 4600 on the corner of Prados de Tepeyac in Colonia Tepeyac Casino, Zapopan. Call 3121-6741 for more information.