Shopping in Tlaquepaque, Tonala & Lake Chapala

On Saturday afternoon, we went to the town of Tlaquepaque to start our shopping adventure. This town is home to over 300 shops and art galleries. For the most part, they're high-end, with jewellers, glass blowers, painters, ironworkers, and furniture makers exhibiting and selling their wares. Much of it is made in another suburb, Tonala, where an estimated 6,000 artisans reside. This is the other town we actually stayed in and where we shopped the Sunday market. Almost every house in that town has a workshop, and what's produced can be found throughout the country. Artwork lines the outdoor market, which runs for several blocks. Prices are lower and there is more room for negotiation in Tonala than in Tlaquepaque.

Here are a few photos of both of these very interesting towns. We were successful in finding a painting in Tonala for our living room. Also, a few other items that will work well for our condo in Yakima. Just incredible prices!



Fountain in the entry to the town of Tlaquepaque.



Cathedral in Tlaquepaque

Cathedral in Tonala

We toured a pottery factory in Tonala. They explained how the pottery go through to firings after they are painted. Just beauiful patterns.

Before and after shot of the pottery after fired twice. It was interesting how much smaller it got.

This is what happens to the pottery that doesn't come out quite perfect. Becomes part of the floor in the store.

How about a mosaic tiled cactus chair for your patio? You can find it in Tlaquepaque.

Lots of interesting decor on homes.

Meat for sale at the open market.

Veggies too.



Everything you can imagine for sale.





Not sure what this sign meant, but it was interesting to see.

Lots of music to entertain us while we shopped. The clothes the mariachi band wore had more of an Indian flare than in Mazatlan.

While I continued to shop the market in Tonala, Greg took the bus to Lake Chapala.

Lake Chapala is about a 30 minute drive from Tonala. Greg said the lake is about 7 times the size of Lake Chelan in Washington state. It's the largest natural lake in Mexico. It is a popular place for American and Canadian retirees. Here are a couple of videos Greg took of the lake and surroundings. A man playing a flute and another a guitar were performing on the boardwalk as Greg took the videos. Some really nice music. Enjoy.






More photos Greg took of the area around the lake.

Surprisingly, there was even a 7-Eleven store nearby.