Our Visit to Lake Chapala, Mexico (Part 3 of 3)

During the month that we spent in the Lake Chapala area, we went to Guadalajara two times.  The first time was with our group from Focus on Mexico (the seminar we attended in November, 2016).  We went to several places, one of them being an upscale open-air shopping district called Tlaquepaque.

Tlaquepaque is one of those places that shoppers dream of. This Guadalajara suburb is a “must-see” on any vacationers agenda. The main shopping area has been closed off to traffic so that you can stroll and shop at a leisurely pace. Specialty shops are everywhere you look. Over three hundred quaint shops will make your shopping experience a real pleasure. This seemingly small town offers some great bargains and an incredible variety of items in just about anything in the way of quality handmade goods, from fine crystal to furniture, and almost everything in between.

Plan on at least one full day for your visit to Tlaquepaque. Take your time and explore the shops that really interest you. Make time to enjoy a fabulous lunch at one of the sidewalk or patio cafes (we had a delicious lunch at the Casa Fuerte restaurant -- I highly recommend it!).  A few of the shops have their own restaurants so that if you are so inclined, you may shop during your meal.

We also visited the town of Tonalá.  A few minutes from Tlaquepaque and a bit smaller, Tonalá offers another shopping experience that you are sure to remember fondly. Tonalá is a village of craftsmen, it is where many of the artists make and sell their goods. Tonalá is not as glitzy as Tlaquepaque, this is more a city of factories than stores but most are open and willing to sell to the public. Much of the ceramics, pottery and some of the finest dinnerware sold all over México, is made by the estimated six thousand artisans living in Tonalá.

We went to the main plaza in Tonalá where we toured the gallery of the famous ceramist, Candelario Medrano.

Our second trip to Guadalajara was to Costco, Home Depot, and a store called Mega.  This was a bus trip with the Lake Chapala Society, which is the way to do it if you are not familiar with the area.