Mexico is so stuffed with lovely, reasonably priced handicrafts or artesanías (pronounced "ar-tay-sah-NEE-ahs") that many crafts devotees, if given the option, might choose Mexico over heaven. A sizable number Guadalajaran families depend upon the sale of homespun items—clothing, utensils, furniture, forest herbs, religious offerings, adornments, toys, musical instruments—that either they or their neighbors make at home. Many crafts traditions reach back thousands of years to the beginnings of Mexican civilization. The work of generations of artisans has, in many instances, resulted in finery so prized that whole villages devote themselves to the manufacture of a single class of goods.

Shopping is a prime Guadalajara occupation. Many hundreds of factory shops in the municipios of Tlaquepaque and Tonalá produce a large fraction Mexico's handicrafts and art, both fine and decorative. The range of available goods is enormous, notably fine stoneware figurines and place settings, sculpture, pewter, papier-mâché, rustic wood furniture and leather-covered equipal furniture, glassware, lampshades, and antique, especially baroque, reproductions.

DAY 1
Serious shoppers should probably plan to stay at least two nights in Tlaquepaque. From the airport, check in to your Tlaquepaque hotel. Then spend the your first day exploring the shops on Avenida Independencia and Avenida Juárez.

DAY 2
After breakfast, visit some of the district's factory shops to see artisans at work. Galería Bernabe, Ken Edwards, Artesanías Erandi, and the Vidrios Jimón glass works are all highly recommended; right at the source, the prices couldn't be better. In the evening, enjoy the mariachis and folkloric dance shows at El Parián entertainment center.

DAY 3
Take a taxi from Tlaquepaque to Tonalá. Check into your Tonalá hotel, then spend the day on factory tours—glass, high-fired stoneware, woodcrafts, and fine ironwork are all here.

DAY 4
Take a break from shopping and see some of Tonalá's sights; Museo Regional Tonallán and Museo National de la Cerámica are worthy stops. After lunch, do a test run and see if you can fit all your new items in your suitcases. Not enough room? Find a shipping agent before the end of the business day and make arrangements to have your goods packed up well and shipped home.

DAY 5
Got some time before your flight leaves? If you have room left in your suitcase, stop en-route to the airport for those special items you just can't leave without and last-minute bargains.