Top Flight 03/04-2022 | Page 101

CONTRIBUTED BY : MARIA ZELIKHOVSKAYA

GUADALAJARA

While in Russia Moscow and St . Petersburg are locked together in eternal competition , in Mexico this plays out between Mexico City and Guadalajara . The latter is one of the most developed regions in Latin America , the country ’ s third largest urban agglomeration , and a center of art , culture , fashion , science , and hightech industry . Guadalajara is home to a regular international film festival and international book fair and has twice hosted the FIFA World Cup . Home to Mexico ’ s second oldest and North America ’ s fifth oldest university , Guadalajara was named the American Capital of Culture in 2005 , a title bestowed each year on a city in both Americas by the Organization of American States .
Guadalajara originates from the like-named Spanish city , and not by chance : its founder , the Basque explorer and conquistador Cristóbal de Oñate , named it after the homeland of the conqueror of Western Mexico , Niño de Guzmán . Guadalajara originally comes from the Arabic wadi al-Hajarah , meaning “ valley of stones ”.
The city was founded in 1542 as the capital of New Galicia , part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain . During colonial times , Guadalajara grew rapidly thanks to its proximity to silver deposits , and during the Mexican War of Independence in the 18th century , the country ’ s national hero Miguel Hidalgo established the first revolutionary government in Guadalajara .
The statue of Minerva , located at the junction of the city ’ s three central avenues and one of its iconic symbols , is a great place to start your tour around this Guadalajara . No one knows exactly why the ancient Roman goddess of wisdom , warfare and the arts was chosen as the symbol of Guadalajara . In 1956 , the governor of Jalisco , Augustín Yáñez , ordered that a monument of some kind be erected in the state capital . The sculptor Julio de Peña created a statue of Minerva based on a sketch by the artist Joaquín Arias . It is said that Yáñez liked the idea because he wanted to turn Guadalajara into the “ Athens of Mexico ”. The woman ’ s face , peering out from under a late Roman crested helmet , is easily identifiable with features of native Americans – the artist used photographs of indigenous Jalisco inhabitants to create the image . The 74-metre bronze Minerva , which rises above a fountain and agave shrubs ( we will talk about this later ), soon became the centerpiece of the city , attracting locals who come dressed up to celebrate special occasions , and hordes of camera-snapping tourists . The Arches of Guadalajara , a stylised neoclassical gateway , are a short five-minute walk from the statue , were built in 1938 by architect Aurelio Aceves and symbolize the entry point to the city in colonial times . The prototype was the Arc de Triomphe in Paris , but Guadalajara decided to think big and build two arches at once .
099