Tlaquepaque’s yearly fair - which kicked off last Saturday, June 17 - continues its myriad cultural, gastronomical and recreational goings-on through Tuesday, July 2. Coinciding with the festival is the 41st edition of the National Ceramic Awards, a big deal in a town which counts the manufacture and sale of assorted crafts among its most important sources of revenue.
Along with all things food, craft and rec-related, a program of performances by a wide range of artists is presented in the town’s main plaza, Jardin Hidalgo, and elsewhere. Shows include: Ricardo Rodriguez “El Zanate” and Jazmin Mendoza, a duo offering “contempory sacred music”, Saturday, June 24, 8 p.m. at the Capilla del Museo Pantaleon Panduro, Calle Prisciliano Sanchez 191; Singer, actress and - according to her Facebook page - sociologist Lieden and her act, entitled “Los Muertos Tambien Dejan Flores”, Sunday, June 25, 8 p.m. in Jardin Hidalgo; Grammy-winning singer Jaramar Soto, who’s voice was called “other-worldly” by the L.A. Times, Saturday, July 1, 8 p.m. in Jardin Hidalgo.
One of Tlaquepaque’s lesser known attractions is the Centro Cultural El Refugio, a warren of courtyards, hallways and chambers sprawling over an entire city block which, after its past life as a convent, was re-purposed as a center for education on a variety of subjects, including art and theater. An art school found within its cooling walls, called Angel Carranza, plays host during the fair to a series of free workshops for children, scheduled to continue through Sunday, July 2.
For more information, see Cultura Tlaquepaque on Facebook or Tlaquepaque.gob.mx.