Guadalajara can be dead at Easter time, but the Museum of the Arts (MUSA) located in the pretty Rectoria of the University of Guadalajara (UdeG) will remain open as usual Tuesdays through Sundays, with several important shows. (See below.)

And MUSA’s environs, especially the lovely neo-Gothic Expiatorio Church, remain alive with activity during the Easter holidays, particularly Holy Week.

Yes, it’s a lively area, yet relatively tranquil and less honky-tonk than the main cathedral area about ten blocks east. There are frequent religious services in the Expiatorio (and sometimes late afternoon weddings), while food and crafts are sold in the plaza above the underground parking, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings. (On Saturday evenings, the plaza is full of puestos serving vegetarian food.) A pleasant restaurant, El Gato Cafe (with robot and human waitstaff) is at Madero 833, and several good bakeries and ice cream shops dot the area.

MUSA, in the shadow of the Expiatorio, is a gem of a building, in Spanish Renaissance style, with art deco touches inside. It houses one of Jose Clemente Orozco’s murals on the ceiling of its auditorium and currently has several exhibitions focusing on Mexican and Latin American artists.

Open until June 22 is “Del Rios Abisales” (Of Abysmal Rivers), a collection of large, extraordinarily detailed oil paintings by Ermilo Espinosa, filling two salons. Espinosa was born in 1983, the grandson of an artist from Yucatan and educated at the University of Guadalajara. He is renowned for his recent portrait of former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, but it is rather tame compared to his paintings in this exhibition that combine images of women, dark settings and fantastic elements, giving his work a weird and allegorical—although not macabre—character.

Also showing (until May 11) is “Recolectoras” (Collectors), an interesting combination of artworks, photographs, texts, poems, videos and songs by two of Chile’s most well-known singers/artists: late iconic folk singer Violeta Parra (died 1967) and the contemporary Mon Laferte, who has amassed a huge following throughout Latin America. The exhibit also includes arpilleras—embroidered paintings using a traditional technique created during the Chilean dictatorship. Both women share a passion for social justice for women.

Also until May 11 is an exhibition detailing the legacy of Raul Padilla Lopez, a local cultural icon who was rector of UdeG and a primal force in the International Book Fair (FIL) and International Film Festival. And the newest exhibition, which remains until August 3 is “Raices Creativas” (Creative Roots) focusing on Jalisco.

Museo de las Artes de la Universidad de Guadalajara (MUSA), Avenida Juárez 975. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Exhibitions actually close 45 minutes before museum closing time.) Closed Mondays. No charge to enter. The museum also boasts an excellent store.