Many of the traditions considered characteristically 'Mexican' were created  in Guadalajara, the country's second-largest city. Guadalajara can be held  responsible for the mixed blessings of mariachi music, tequila, the Mexican Hat  Dance, broad-brimmed sombrero hats and the Mexican rodeo. Part of Guadalajara's huge appeal is that it has many of the attractions of Mexico City - a vibrant culture, fine museums and galleries, handsome historic buildings, exciting nightlife and good places to stay and eat - but few of the capital's problems.

 It's a bright, modern, well-organized and unpolluted place, with  enough attractions to please even the pickiest visitor. Highlights include the giant, twin-towered cathedral and the lovely plazas that surround it, the Instituto Cultural de Cabañas and its frescoes by José Clemente Orozco,  the Plaza de los Mariachis if you're a masochist, and the twin handicraft-filled suburbs of Tlaquepaque and Tonalá

Guadalajara is not only the capital of Jalisco state and the second largest metropolis in Mexico,  it's one of the most serenely beautiful and stately cities in North America.  Blessed with an ideal climate and a location convenient to much of what Mexico has to offer, the city and its surroundings have attracted many American and  Canadian expatriates.

Guadalajara's  intangible combination of qualities makes many foreigners naturally feel at home. It is a city of parks and fountains, of monuments and rose-lined boulevards, a city alive with color, especially in the flowers that bloom nearly  year-round.

Best of all, Guadalajara is a modern city of some five million people that still retains much of its colonial charm. Its rich heritage dates back to 1542 and is evident throughout the city. Amid new skyscrapers, attractive residential areas, fine  hotels, and outstanding golf and country clubs, are colonial mansions and lovely old churches.

Unlike the Mexico  City area, where the Aztec civilisation flourished, the Guadalajara region was wilderness when the Spanish arrived. This they discovered in 1542 when,  following the destruction of Moctezuma's Aztec empire, Hernan Cortes sent Nuño Beltran de Guzman to conquer the lands to the west. Conquer he did, but only after a long and bloody campaign. It was not until 1551 that the Spaniards considered the area secure. Then the province of Nueva Galicia established Guadalajara, named after the Moorish city in Spain, as its capital.

Today, poets call  Guadalajara the Pearl of the West, boasting she still has the soul of a provincial maiden. But the road from the city's obscurity in colonial times to today's splendor has been long and hard.

Traditionally, Guadalajara has thrived on agriculture. It lies in Mexico's breadbasket, an area that includes, along with Jalisco, the states of Michoacan, Nayarit, Colima, Guanajuato and Querétaro, and is home to a quarter of the nation's population. Grapes, melons, strawberries, bananas, coconuts, jicama, vegetables and grains grow abundantly.

Guadalajara can  easily be the focal point of an entire Mexican vacation. It's ideal for those  who want to get off the usual tourist track, yet expect good hotels and comfortable living.