If you’re looking for two good reasons to visit the charming town of Guachinango, let me offer you two questions to consider:
Does Guachinango have the prettiest plaza in all of Mexico?
Is Guachinango’s church the most beautiful building in the world, after the Taj Mahal?
These were the questions I found myself pondering after hearing about this small town in the Sierra Occidental, located about 40 kilometers west of Ameca.
One not-so-sunny day during the rainy season, my wife Susy and I set off to explore Guachinango, which is less than a two-hour drive from Guadalajara. We were immediately struck by the breathtaking beauty of the church, which is adorned with hundreds of thousands of pieces of porcelain, and utterly charmed by the peaceful beauty of the town’s plaza. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take pictures due to the dark clouds hanging above, and the local museum was closed since it was a Sunday.
Determined to return, we planned a visit in December, this time on a weekday morning when the sun illuminated the dazzling façade of the church. The sight left us speechless. Upon closer inspection, we noticed that the shards of plates, cups, and knickknacks embedded in the church’s walls had their own unique stories to tell—some in Spanish, some in English, and even in Chinese!
Inside the church, we discovered the first clue to how such a small community could afford such a magnificent building: the altar, covered in real gold, is a product of the many mines in the hills surrounding the town.
For a stunning view of these hills, we climbed an extremely narrow, one-person-at-a-time circular staircase leading up to the bell tower. From there, you can venture out onto the roof of the church—if you’re brave enough!
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