It’s a fun name to learn to pronounce; Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos. It’s easier if you pretend it’s two words, Ixtla and then huacán.
The “x” is pronounced as an English-speaking person would expect it to sound, the “h” is silent, and the emphasis is on the last syllable. The word Ixtlahuacán is of the indigenous Nahuatl language and can have various translations, but likely means low flatlands and/or place of the mill. Ixtlahuacán is known as a major producer of membrillo (quince), which resembles a lumpy, hard, dry apple. They are most popularly prepared as a cordial (ponche de membrillo) and as a thick, gelatinous preserve, called ate, similar to a fruit paté.
The patron saint of Ixtlahuacán is Santiago, and his special days are centered around July 25. There is an impressively tall monument to him at the entrance to the town, with a life-size full-color statue of him astride his white horse. The choice of saint most likely originates from the Río Grande de Santiago which meanders through the municipality. It’s also very convenient that this saint’s special days happen at the peak of the membrillo harvest. This gives the village an excuse to have a huge ten-day fiesta that is matched in this region only by nearby Atotonilquillo, a delegación of Chapala, that also holds a quince fair in August, but with a much longer history.
Ixtlahuacán is located on the Chapala-Guadalajara highway just ten minutes north of Chapala and 20 minutes south of the Guadalajara airport. It is just far enough from the big city to be out of range of the pollution and traffic, but close enough to be very convenient. Residents of the area who trvel by car appreciate the proximity to the new Macrolibramiento, which provides handy access to destinations such as Puerto Vallarta and Guanajuato.
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