Guadalajara Local Customs

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Sometimes, Mexicans avoid directly saying “no.” A “no” may be really mean “maybe” or “We'll see.” The North American tendency to get down to business and take direct positions can be perceived as rude and pushy.

La palabra tapatío proviene del vocablo nahuatl "tlapatiotl", que significa "que vale por tres", El "tlapatiotl" no era otra cosa que el sistema comercial que se utilizaba en los tianguis de Guadalajara (en ninguna otra parte de México) para el "trueque" o intercambio de productos durante el siglo XVII. Un "tlapatiotl", como lo dice su significado, equivalia a tres piezas y era utilizado para que el "trueque" de productos fuera justo y equitativo, de esta forma se intercambiaban tres piezas por tres piezas, independientemente del tamaño de las mismas.

En un momento dado, la gente de fuera de Guadalajara escuchaba tanto la palabra durante sus visitas a la ciudad, que creyeron que los "tlapatiotls" eran las personas y comenzaron a llamar de este modo a los habitantes de Guadalajara. Para los españoles resultaba complicado pronunciar correctamente la palabra nahuatl y la fueron adecuando hasta derivar en la palabra TAPATÍO.

El gentilicio que nos corresponde es Guadalajarense, pero esta palabra ha sido sustituida y a partir del siglo XIX el ayuntamiento de la ciudad adopta la palabra TAPATIO como gentilicio para todas las personas hechas, nacidas y vividas en Guadalajara. Esta es la razon por la cual se dice que los habitantes de Guadalajara, los TAPATIOS, valen por tres.

One of the unique foods of Guadalajara is the Torta Ahogado, or drowned sandwich. It is a long deli-type roll, split down the middle, and filled with roasted pork. It is then covered in a spicy red sauce. I wish I knew where to find one of these in Dallas. Very delicious.

Mexico as with many other countries is crazy about football ( or soccer as we call it in the U.S. )
Guadalajara has two teams, Atlas and Chivas. When I arrived into Guadalajara on Wednesday all of the bars and restaurants had banners advertising that they were showing Friday night's match between the two.
On match night all the bars and restaurants were packed. Those who couldn't get in, me included, would stand outside and watch the game on the Television through the window. It was quite a scene.
By the way Atlas won 1-0 on a second half goal, or in the words of Andres Cantor, gooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllllllllll !!!!!!!!!!

In Mexico, some of the workers live on tips alone, such as the guys that bag your groceries in Wal-Mart and Gigante. Therefore, you should tip these guys each time, even if it is just a few pesos.

However, it is not necessary to tip the cab drivers unless you want to, especially since the ones without the meters generally add a good tip to the quoted price themselves.

This is the Fountain of Minerva, Roman goddess of knowledge. Locals use to gather here to celebrate sports victories. It is also a nice picture spot.

Ask for La Fuente de la Minerva, or simply La Minerva. Everybody knows where it is.

**building structures**

Roof dogs? Yes. They live up there. I'd guess it'd probably become hot during the day, so hopefully they have access to water. No they won't jump on your head; just ignore them.