BASÍLICA DE NUESTRA SEÑORA DE ZAPOPAN

Arrive first at the soaring baroque basilica (begun in 1690, finished in 1730), home of the beloved Virgin of Zapopan. The volcanic stone facade’s richly ornate style is called “plateresque” because it resembles the scroll designs first found on elaborate 17th-century silver-plated tableware.

Inside the basilica, the legendary image, one of the beloved “three sister” virgins (see sidebar, The Three Sisters of Jalisco in the Lake Chapala and Other Getaways chapter), has enjoyed generations of popularity so enormous that it must be seen to be believed. Local folks, whenever they happen by, often stop to say a prayer (or at least make the sign of the cross as they pass) in front of the cathedral gate. Some faithful crawl the length of the sanctuary to pay their respects to the diminutive blue-and-white figure. The adoration climaxes on October 12, when a rollicking crowd of many hundreds of thousands accompanies the Virgin of Zapopan (affectionately known as “La Generala”) from the downtown Guadalajara cathedral home to Zapopan, where she stays October 13–May 20.