There is a jewel in downtown Guadalajara that should be a standard stop on the tourist circuit — and sometimes is, mostly because of the José Clemente Orozco mural of Hidalgo brandishing a flaming sword that is too famous to even bother including its photo here. Check your Frommer’s.
In reality, though, the Palacio de Gobierno is sometimes overlooked, perhaps because it has nothing to sell — entrance is free and there is no gift shop. (Not to mention that on more than one occasion, the entrance on Corona was fully obstructed by waist-high barricades and bristling with guards whom one had to gingerly approach and beg to enter.)
However, guards or no guards, an exhibit of 33 delightful, gleaming objects created by renowned Guadalajara artisan Jesús Guerrero Santos should put the Palacio on the map for foreign tourists this Christmas season. Not only is the show a fine example of authentically Mexican artesania, some of it religious, but the Palacio, which houses the governor’s official office (you might see him walking by, which may explain the unfriendly guards), is open most of the holiday season, unlike some purely cultural institutions that close for nearly two weeks in late December. (As a further incentive to visit, the Palacio has nice bathrooms.)
But lest we stray too far into the mundane, let’s focus on the Jesús Guerrero Santos show, a collection of many useful objects (if monstrances and pulpits can be considered useful) along with purely decorative items. There are imaginative urns, mirrors, plates and a few pure flights of fancy, such as a gleaming birdcage filled with ceramic birds. Guerrero Santos is renowned for his clever fusion of metal work and ceramics, combined with impeccable technique, and he is frequently commissioned to create stunning pieces as gifts for visiting dignitaries.
A statue of the Virgin Mary and a cross are so highly embellished with rays, scrollwork and jewel-like or painted ceramic decoration that one could understand why Guerrero Santos was chosen to make Christmas ornamentation for the Vatican in 2007, bringing honor to Mexico.
The exhibit fills just one lovely room in the Palacio, but visitors might take advantage of the other delights there, particularly a 12-room historical exhibit covering the history of Guadalajara.
This is no dusty, mildewing collection of artifacts but a lively, relatively new and somewhat interactive exhibit designed with children in mind, making it ideal for second-language-challenged tourists who would flee the verbose explanations one sometimes finds in historical museums but would still like to learn a bit about Western Mexico and brush up their Spanish.
For me, the best part of the historical exhibit was the appearance of 9-year-old Vero, who popped out like a little smurf, offering to give me a tour and telling me to enter a tiny room in which, lo and behold, there were two large holes piercing the Palacio’s thick, outer walls — for cannons! to shoot enemies! she explained. Vero is the daughter of one of the real guides and is sometimes there while her mother is working and before she heads off to school.
One can also head up the grand staircase and go into the old State Congress chamber (now used only for meetings and official ceremonies), and see the two more imposing fresco murals by Orozco. And relax on some of the benches or concrete planters, taking in the ambiance of the patio and its spectacular view of the spires of the nearby cathedral.
Back outside, glance up at the clock above the entrance to the building and you will see two bullet holes in its face – a legacy of the Mexican Revolution and the country’s turbulent history. The clock hasn’t functioned for some time, it should be said.
The exhibit “Jesús Guerrero Santos” shows until February at the Palacio de Gobierno’s Museo de Sitio, Ramón Corona 32, Colonia Centro near the cathedral, Guadalajara. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. except December 24, 25, 31 and January 1. Free entrance. (33) 3668-1800, ext. 31026 or 31006.