Culturally vibrant, very centrally located, yet not in the centro historico of Guadalajara — that describes the few blocks centered around the soaring, neo-gothic church referred to as “El Expiatorio,” the University of Guadalajara (UdeG) Museo de las Artes and adjacent Paraninfo (which houses a famed Orozco mural in its interior), and the small Mercado Juarez a few blocks away.
So if the dead center of Guadalajara disappoints you with its clutter, the Expiatorio area offers more in the way of tranquility, polish, wider streets and a variety of cultural events. This is doubtless due to the presence of the University of Guadalajara, which, although it pops up wherever you look around metropolitan Guadalajara, is rooted here in its tall, modern headquarters at Avenida Vallarta and Enrique Diaz de Leon (a mouthful of a street but one that is worth remembering as your orientation point).
Danzon lessons & Expiatorio For some time, the large plaza on the Expiatorio’s south side has featured free, outdoor classes in danzon, salsa, cumbia, merengue, etc. on Sunday evenings, 6 p.m. (Classes also often happen Saturday evenings.) Organized by the owner of the adjacent restaurant El Fenix, with its varied, inexpensive menu served at tables shaded by green umbrellas, the classes draw couples and singles of all ages and levels of ability, some in dance garb and some not.
Of course, when you are not dancing, look inside the impressive Expiatorio or up at its tower. From its clock, a parade of miniature figures march out on the hour. The Expiatorio may look ancient, but it is not, unless you consider about 50 years to be old.
Corredor Cultural Expiatorio Giving the plaza outside the Expiatorio a higher profile recently is a new event Saturdays and Sundays, a sort of cultural tianguis featuring all types of art from painting and photography to theater, dance and Huichol handicrafts. Of course, in the plaza you are always likely to find artisans have thrown down blankets to sell their wares, but the new weekend events go well beyond this, with organic food, high-quality handmade designer clothing, plants, even a health group doing ear candling once. On weekdays, the plaza offers table games to the public, such as a giant chess set.
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