Civilizations & archaeology

Founding of Guadalajara

14 February 1542

Guadalajara, now the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco and one of the country's largest cities, was founded by Spanish settlers several times before it found its lasting site. The first settlement was set up in 1532 under Cristóbal de Oñate, in the name of Nuño de Guzmán, who named it after his own home town in Spain, but it was moved because of poor conditions and attacks by indigenous people. In February 1542 the town was refounded in the Atemajac valley, where it stayed. It became the seat of a royal court and a bishopric and the main city of western Mexico. Guadalajara is associated today with mariachi music, tequila and the Hospicio Cabañas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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