MUSEO REGIONAL DE LA CERÁMICA DE TLAQUEPAQUE

For a further treat, cross the street to the Regional Museum of Ceramics, open Tues.–Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–3 p.m., tel. 33/3635-5404. The building itself is historically significant, being the former home of infamous hacendado Francisco Velarde, who was a close associate of the notorious President Santa Anna and who later collaborated with the French imperialists, a crime for which he was executed by republican authorities during the 1860s.

Times change, however, and now his former house brims with super-fine examples of Jalisco ceramics and other handicrafts. Examination of all the outstanding examples in the eight galleries constitutes a mini-education in fine Jalisco handicrafts, from bruñido and blown glass to petatillo and papier-mâché. A ninth for-sale gallery sells fine examples of all the above and much more.