Museo Chivas

Lore & Background

A settlement was established in the region of Guadalajara in early 1532 by a Basque conquistador in the expedition of Nuño de Guzmán. The settlement was renamed and moved several times before assuming the name Guadalajara after the birthplace of Guzmán and ending up at its current location in the Atemajac Valley in 1542. On November 8, 1539, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V had granted a coat of arms and the title of city to the new town and established it as the capital of the Kingdom of Nueva Galicia, part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

Reader's Guide

Guadalajara is home to numerous landmarks, including the Guadalajara Cathedral, Degollado Theatre, the Templo Expiatorio, the UNESCO World Heritage site Hospicio Cabañas, and the San Juan de Dios Market—the largest indoor market in Latin America. The city is home to numerous universities and research institutions, including the University of Guadalajara and another of the highest-ranked universities in Mexico.

Did You Know?

• Guadalajara is one of the most densely populated cities in Mexico, though other municipalities like Nezahualcóyotl have higher population densities.
• The city was the American Capital of Culture in 2005.
• Guadalajara hosted matches of the 1970 and 1986 FIFA World Cups, and will host matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
• The Guadalajara International Book Fair is the largest book fair in the Americas.