Slowly Shaking off Stereotypes

Guadalajarans have a tough time shaking their reputation as the most socially conservative people in Mexico. Staunch Catholic moralists are routinely elected into office, and a dominant pharmacy chain refuses to sell contraceptives. Government and church leaders reportedly brush off human rights violations, including allegations of police torture by Amnesty International in 2004. Yet, there are signs of change. A large, vocal gay community is steadily establishing a niche with bars and other establishments. Non-Catholic congregations hold public celebrations with little protest from the public, which is over 90% Catholic.

Called Tapatíos (a name possibly derived from the Nahuatl word tlapatiotl, a pre-Hispanic measure of payment), Guadalajarans admit to a long-standing rivalry with chilangos, a mildly derogatory term for Mexico City natives. Decades of official neglect from the government have made this derision commonplace in the "provinces," the term used by capital dwellers to refer to the country outside of Mexico City. The provincial stereotype dogs Guadalajara. Despite having a population of 4.1 million (which locals often exaggerate to six or seven), Guadalajara remains a cultural backwater relative to the capital. Major art expositions rarely open here, in part due to a dearth of galleries and energetic curators, and touring international performing artists usually skip the city.