GUADALAJARA

metropolitan area and capital, Jalisco state, west central Mexico, in the Atemajac Valley, near the Ro Grande de Santiago, at 5,141 ft (1,567 m) above sea level. Except for the rainy season, which extends from July 1 to September 15, its climate is dry and mild. Guadalajara was founded in 1531 and was relocated several times in the following decade, under pressure from Indians. During the 16th century the city was the centre for Indian slave hunting. In 1810 it was occupied briefly by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, who initiated the independence movement and decreed the abolition of slavery in Mexico. Since 1940 Guadalajara has become a major industrial producer, in addition to its traditional functions as political capital and commercial entrept for an extensive agricultural region (devoted primarily to corn growing and livestock raising). It produces textiles, shoes, chemicals, building materials, tobacco products, and soft drinks. Handicraft industries are also important. There are many ultramodern industrial and commercial buildings, and modern residential suburbs have attracted members of the upper classes and of the rapidly expanding middle classes from the older parts of the city. Guadalajara was made the seat of a bishopric in 1549, and the cathedral, completed in 1618, is richly decorated. Many of the city's more than 50 churches also date from the colonial period. The governor's palace, begun in 1743, is one of the finest examples of Spanish architecture in Mexico. The city has two universities: the University of Guadalajara (1792) and the Autonomous University of Guadalajara (1935). The Teatro Degollado is one of the largest and most ornate in Latin America. Guadalajara was the home of the painter Jos Clemente Orozco (18831949) and houses many of his finest works. Guadalajara is connected by railroad and highway with Nogales, Ariz., on the United States border, to the northwest, and with Mexico City, to the east-southeast. Roads also lead to communities on the central and Pan-American highways. National and international airlines serve Guadalajara. Lake Chapala, a popular resort and retirement centre for U.S. citizens (some 5,000 in the late 1970s), is 23 mi (37 km) south of the city. Guadalajara experienced substantial growth after the 1930s, and by 1970 it was Mexico's second largest city. Pop. (1980) metropolitan area, 2,178,000. city, capital of Guadalajara province, in the autonomous community (region) of Castile-La Mancha, central Spain, northeast of Madrid, situated on the Ro Henares. The city, the ancient Arriaca, is Iberian in origin and was for a time held by the Romans, but its name is derived from Arabic (Wadi al-Hijarah, River of Stones). Taken by Christian forces in 1085, the city from the 15th to the 17th century was the seat of the Mendoza family, duques del Infantado, who were munificent patrons of Spanish artists and writers. The facade of their palace (begun 1461), now an orphanage, is the city's chief artistic monument; the churches of Santa Mara de la Fuente (13th century), San Gins, once part of a Dominican monastery, and San Nicols (1691) are also notable. A commercial centre (woollens) in the Middle Ages, modern Guadalajara has only agricultural industries. It is the site of a military airfield. Pop. (1981) 56,922. province, in the autonomous community (region) of Castile-La Mancha, central Spain, occupying part of the uptilted northeastern edge of the Meseta Central (plateau), with an area of 4,707 sq mi (12,190 sq km). In the north are highlands that reach their greatest elevations in Cerro de San Felipe (7,214 ft ), and other spurs of the Sierra de Guadarrama. In the south, the land slopes into the plateau basin of New Castile. In the extreme southeast, the land rises again to form the Sierra de Albarracn. Guadalajara is crossed by several tributaries of the Tagus River, including the Henares, Jarama, and Tajua, which have been utilized for hydroelectric power and irrigation through the dams of Entrepeas, Buenda, and Bolarque. There is a nuclear power plant at Zorita, opened in 1968; a second was under construction at Trillo. The provincial capital, Guadalajara (q.v.) city, and the towns of Hita, Sigenza, and Atienza were important as economic and cultural centres in medieval times, but only Guadalajara is now a major population centre. Molina in the northeast is considered to be Spain's coldest city. About half the province is unproductive, but sheep raising on the pastures provides the biggest contribution to the economy. Tourism, based on hunting and fishing, is also important. Cereals are widely grown; olives and vines are cultivated. The Alcarria plain in the southwest is noted for its honey. Pop. (1981) 143,124.