The museum offerings of Guadalajara are vast and diverse, with unique topics to explore at each one. Here, read about four Guadalajara museums worth visiting.
Extra, Extra! Centuries of Journalism in One Place
One of Mexico’s oldest printing presses was established in Guadalajara, and the first independentista (independence-seeking) newspaper on the American continent was printed here. You’ll learn about all this and more when you visit the Museo del Periodismo y las Artes Gráficas (Museum of Journalism and Graphic Arts), which occupies the building of the first printing press in former New Galicia.
This museum chronicles the history of journalism, printing, graphic arts, and local and national media. Rooms include permanent exhibitions on the history of commercial media and printing in Guadalajara, with several printing technologies and a television set donated by local media groups, as well as temporary exhibitions on topics ranging from photojournalism to engraving.
Ancient History Through Art
The Wixaritari or Huicholes are one of the most recognizable indigenous groups in western Mexico, thanks to their handcrafts made with colorful chaquira beads. You can learn about the group’s culture, and therefore the region’s, through these stunning items.
Located next to the Zapopan Basilica, northwest of Guadalajara, the Museo de Arte Huichol Wixárika (Huichol Wixárika Museum of Art) delves into the group’s beliefs and traditions through their artwork.
Art occupies the central part of this museum; there are masks, textiles, musical instruments, and, of course, beautiful pieces made with chaquira beads.
A Tribute to Ingenuity: Palacio de la Cultura y los Congreso
Venture inside the stunningly futuristic Palacio de la Cultura y los Congresos (Palace of Culture and Congresses) to see the heart of the city’s culture. This multi-purpose cultural center houses indoor and outdoor performing arts venues, multiple spaces for arts and music schools, a radio and television museum, and art galleries with distinct rotating exhibitions.
Explore the Museo de exposiciones temporales (museum of temporary exhibitions) to see large-format exhibitions that make you see art in a new light, with past exhibitions spanning Renaissance art and modern surrealist pieces.
While exploring the Museo de la radio y la televisión (radio and television museum), you can see hundreds of years of artifacts representing the history of communications in Jalisco and around the world.
Before leaving the museum, visit their performance spaces and see if you can stop by for a show.
When the Walls Talk: Museo de Sitio del Palacio de Gobierno
The Museo de Sitio del Palacio de Gobierno (Government Palace Site Museum) delves into the social, cultural, and political history of Guadalajara.
Located in front of the Plaza de Armas, the museum occupies an eighteenth-century baroque building with courtyards, balconies, and elegant arcades.
The rooms guide you through Guadalajara’s history, highlighting Mexico’s fight for independence and Guadalajara’s key position in it, political eras and the Mexican Revolution, and the artist José Clemente Orozco and his iconic frescoes in the building.
Every step delves deeper into the foundations on which the city was built, making this museum a must-see.
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