Mexico: All about Jalisco Trivia Quiz

Answer: Barranca de Huentitán

Guadalajara is among the busiest and most populous cities of Mexico. It has the third-largest economy of Mexico, and contributes just under 40% of Jalisco's GDP to the state. Guadalajara is the top producer of electronics

The area that became the city has been populated since 1532 when Cristóbal de Oñate (1504-1567) a Spanish explorer and coloniser, discovered the area.

Guadalajara was designated city status and a coat of arms under the orders of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1539. It was made the capital of Nuevo Reino de Galicia, an autonomous region of the Viceroyalty of New Spain.

Barranca de Huentitán, also known as Barranca de Oblatos, is a canyon to the northeast of Guadalajara. It was carved by flow of the Río Grande de Santiago, also known as the Santiago River. The canyon was designated a protected nature reserve in 1997, and is home several types of forest, such as tropical forest, riparian forest and deciduous forest.

Answer: Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is a beach city named after Ignacio Vallarta (1830-1893) who was Governor of Jalisco from 1872-1876. A statue of him stands in the city's Plaza de Armas in Centro, that is, downtown Puerto Vallarta. The statue was inaugurated by then mayor of the city, Carlos Arreola Lima, in 1964.

Due to its location on the western coast of North America, Puerto Vallarta experiences earthquakes. Its climate produces rainy summers and dry winters.

The Bahía de Banderas is a bay located between both Jalisco and neighbouring Mexican state, Nayarit. Its coastline is just over 60 miles (100 km) long. It is the largest bay in Mexico, and one of the deepest in the world, the deepest point descending around 2,950 feet (900 m) deep.

Humpback whales use Bahía de Banderas as both a birthing place and a breeding ground. They are particularly present between November and March.

Answer: "Over a sandy surface"

Nahuatl, also known as Aztec and Mexicano, is a language or a mixture of languages belonging to the Uto-Aztecan language family. There were just under 2 million speakers of this language left according to a 2020 census. Central Mexico has had Nahuatl speakers residing in it since 7 CE.

"Xalisco" was how the area was spelled until 1836, and the name and pronunciation changed slightly over time with Spanish influence.

Jalisco's area accounts for around 4.1% of Mexico's total territory.

Answer: Michoacán

Michoacán lies south and southeast of Jalisco.

Lake Chapala is a shallow lake, with a maximum depth of around 35 feet (10 m). The lake is located just under 30 miles (45 km) southeast of Guadalajara. East to west, Lake Chapala stretches for around 50 miles (80 km), and is just under 8 miles (12.5 km) south to north. Lake Chapala's total size encompasses an area of around 420 square miles (1,100 square km). Since the 1950s, Guadalajara has used the lake as a drinking source.

The source of Lake Chapala, the Lerma River, is being diverted to serve as drinking water for Mexico City, and for crop irrigation.

Isla de los Alacranes (Scorpion Island) is located on Lake Chapala, named for its scorpion-like shape.

Answer: San Juan de los Lagos

San Juan de los Lagoss is located in the northeast of Jalisco, around 75 miles (120 km) northeast of the state capital, Guadalajara. It is located in an eastern region of the state that can be referred to as Altos de Jalisco, Los Altos or the Jaliscan Highlands.

San Juan de los Lagoss features many pink sandstone buildings that have stood since the 17th century. Fields for agriculture take up around half of the city's land, with just over 20% of the population being involved in the agricultural industry.

San Juan de los Lagos has been home to the small statue since the 16th century. The first miracle associated with the statue occurred in 1632. It was sent to Guadalajara to be refurbished after this and then returned to the city. Now coined the "Chapel of the First Miracle," the first chapel built for the statue was constructed in 1638. The Basilica of San Juan de los Lagos has been a major pilgrimage for Christians as well as a popular tourist attraction for centuries, as a result of showcasing the statue.

Pope John Pope II visited the statue in 1990; a crowd of six million worshippers witnessed him perform mass. Between 7-9 million Christian pilgrims travel to the site annually.

Answer: Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve

The Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1988. Parts of the Sierra Madre del Sur are included in the reserve. The Cerro Grande mountain range is located in the reserve, and is home to the jaguar, the puma, the wild boar, the gray fox, the white-tailed deer, the false scorpion and the coati.

The Sierra de Manantlán Biosphere Reserve is home to a variety of types of forest, including dry deciduous and semi-deciduous tropical forests, cloud forests/water forests and mesophytic forests.

Answer: Eggs

Jalisco is home to around 95 million hens used for egg production. This constitutes around half of Mexico's hen population. Overcrowding and unhygienic conditions in the farms has been described as a problem by animal rights groups.

Jalisco produces over half of Mexico's eggs annually.

Answer: Santiago de Tequila

Santiago de Tequila began as a village established in 1530 by Franciscan friars. The friars had the monumental task of relocating many people to their new village from what is now called Tequila volcano, then called Chiquihuitillo Mountain.

Pedro Sánchez de Tagle established the first tequila brewery in the area, using the locally growing blue agave plant. The escalating popularity of the drink led to both economic growth and the town being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.

The agricultural industry employs just under half of Tequila's population.

Answer: Teuchitlán

The town of Teuchitlán is named for Mexico's Teuchitlán culture. Teuchitlán culture was born in around 300 BC during the Late Formative Period. The population of the area was over over 9,000 0eople during the Early Classic Period between 100 BC- 200 AD.

Los Guachimontones is the largest of the Teuchitlán sites in Jalisco's Tequila Valley. These large, circular pyramid buildings were occupied by the Teuchitlán people until around 350 AD. There were 10 circular pyramids around a larger, centre circular pyramid. Los Guachimontones is believed to have been a religious complex, built for rituals to honour Ehecatl, god of wind.

Answer: Zapopan

Zapopan gets its name from the Nahuatl phrase for "place of the sapote trees."

The construction of Estadio Akron started in 2004, becoming open to the public in 2010. It has a capacity just under 50,000.

The beginning of the stadium opening was not without problems, with both players and coaches complaining about the grass on the pitch being artificial material as opposed to real grass. This became such an issue that real grass was implemented in place of the artificial original in 2012.

The stadium also sometimes hosts musical concerts, with the Weeknd performing here in 2023.

C.D. Guadalajara's previous stadium was Estadio Jalisco (or, Jalisco Stadium) in Guadalajara, which has a capacity of just under 57,000, one of the largest in Mexico.

Answer: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

Now a hotel, Casa Kimberly was once the residence of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The hotel features a pool and nine suits, with French sculptor Gustave Deloye's work on display. The hotel is home to the Iguana Restaurant, named after the film "Night of the Iguana."

Elizabeth Taylor sold Casa Kimberly in the 1990s, leaving behind furniture and personal items.

Answer: Tonalá

Tonalá is located in the east of Jalisco, with the Santiago River flowing through the north and west of the city. The city gets its name from the Nahuatl word "tonallán," translating to "where the Sun rises."

The four most common finishing methods used in Tonalá clay pottery are: petatillo (woven straw) clay, bruñido (burnished) clay, bandera (flag) clay and canelo (cinnamon) clay. Techniques are used from Mexico's pre-Hispanic ancestors. One can also buy blown or embossed glass at the Tonalá handicraft market.

The city of Tonalá features bust statues of revolutionary Mexican Roman Catholic priest and leader Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753-1811), and Mexican statesman and attorney Benito Juárez (1806-1872). The city also features the National Museum of Ceramics.

The city of Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, is also known for its pottery and gets its name from the Nahuatl language, translating to "place above clay land."

Answer: Guadalajara

Located on the eastern edge of Guadalajara's Plaza Tapatía, Hospicio Cabañas was constructed in the early 19th century as a sanctuary for orphans, the disadvantaged, disabled and elderly. Between 1805-1810, the labyrinth was designed by Spanish architect, Manuel Tolsá. At one point the complex was home to 500 children, and served the purpose of being a sanctuary for around 150 years.

The complex is full of exhibition areas areas and courtyards. The main chapel is home to murals by Mexican artist, José Clemente Orozco (1883-1949).

Outside the complex stand the sculptures, "La sala de los magos" by Mexican sculptor, Alejandro Colunga, and his bronze bench sculptures, "Los magos universales."

Bishop don Juan Cruz Ruiz de Cabañas (1752-1824) was the founder of Hospicio Cabañas. Hospicio Cabañas was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Answer: Diana Theatre

Teatro Diana, that is, Diana Theatre, is situated in Guadalajara's city centre. The building was once a cinema called Cine Diana, which was opened with a performance of "Cleopatra" starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in 1965, falling into abandonment and closure in 1995. The dilapidated building went under renovation starting in 2001, transforming the building into the Diana Theatre.

Larger than its predecessor, the Diana Theatre's seating features 8 sections, with an altogether 2,345 seating capacity.

Pink Floyd and Morrissey have performed in the Diana Theatre, and the opening concert in 2005 was a performance by Irish dancer, Michael Flatley.

Answer: Basilica of Our Lady of Zapopan

Located in downtown Zapopan, the Basilica of Our Lady of Zapopan's construction began in 1690 and ended in 1730. The basilica is a good example of colonial Baroque style architecture.

The pilgrimage of Our Lady of Zapopan takes place every year in October, and involves walking from the Cathedral of Guadalajara to the Basilica of Our Lady of Zapopan.

The revered statue of the Virgin Mary is located in a chapel near the main altar. The statue was brought to the chapel in 1541 by Father Antonio de Segovia. The statue is only around 14 inches tall, and has been attributed to miracles during its time in Zapopan.

Answer: Donkey

Entitled "Salud" and created by American sculpture, Jim Demetro, the donkey drinking a margarita has been a feature of Puerto Vallarta since 2023.

Zona Romántica is the LGBT-focused part of Puerto Vallarta, and features Los Muertos Pier, which is the replacement pier for the old pier that was captured in John Huston's 1964 film, "The Night of the Iguana." The pier is regarded as a symbol of the city and features a sculpture of a ship's sail.

Answer: Guadalajara International Airport

Also known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport, Guadalajara International Airport was opened to the public in 1951.

Mexican low-budget airline Volaris uses Guadalajara International Airport as its main base for travelling to the U.S.A. 15.5 million passengers passed through the airport in 2022.

Born in 1926, Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo was Archbishop of Guadalajara from 1987 until he was shot and killed at Guadalajara International Airport in 1993. He was in the airport's carpark and shot 14 times, and although it is purported that he was not the intended target and simply got caught in the crossfire of cartel warfare, the case has never been officially solved. It is also speculated that the cardinal was unfortunately mistaken for notorious Mexican cartel kingpin, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán.

Answer: Guadalajara

Located near Guadalajara's Parque Alcalde park, Acuario Michin Aqaurium was opened to the public in 2017. The aquarium is involved in several conservation projects, including breeding programmes for otters and axolotls.

The aquarium features crocodiles, flamingos, clownfish, bull sharks, capybaras, miniature pigs, blacktip reef sharks, nurse sharks, etc.

Answer: Teatro Degollado

Designed by Mexican architect Jacobo Gálvez, construction of the neoclassical style theatre, Teatro Degollado, began in 1856. Building the theatre was slow, due to the political climate at the time featuring changing governments and wars between Mexican Conservatives and Liberals. A mosaic of Apollo and the Nine Muses features above a Corinthian column of the theatre.

The theatre was originally meant to be called Alarcón" after Mexican author and playwright, Juan Ruiz de Alarcón y Mendoza. This was changed after the passing of Mexican priest and military leader, General Degolladoit, with the theatre being named after him instead.

The inside of the theatre is five floors of red and gold velvet decor, featuring a mural of fourth canto of Dante's Divine Comedy, by Carlos Villaseñor and Gerardo Suárez.

The first performance during the inauguration of the Teatro Theatre was the Italian opera, "Lucia di Lammermoor."

Answer: Guadalajara International Book Fair

Also known as the Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara, the Guadalajara International Book Fair is the largest book fair in the world dedicated to Spanish literature. Organised by the second largest university of Mexico, the University of Guadalajara, the fair has been in operation since 1987.