City North America
Guadalajara
Guadalajara is a big city in Mexico. Summer brings lots of rain, and winter is dry.
Guadalajara is the capital of the state of Jalisco in Mexico. Its Spanish colonial buildings include a cathedral and the Hospicio Cabañas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mexico's 2020 census counted 1,385,621 people in the city, and many more live in the towns around it.
Guadalajara, capital of Jalisco, counted 1,385,621 people in Mexico's 2020 census, down from 1,650,042 in 1990, while Zapopan, another Jalisco city, grew. Its early-19th-century Hospicio Cabañas, with murals by José Clemente Orozco, has been a World Heritage Site since 1997.
Photo: Isacdaavid, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Guadalajara
Guadalajara is a big city in Mexico. It is the capital of a state called Jalisco.
More than a million people live there.
Guadalajara, a city that Oxford's World Encyclopedia places in southwestern Mexico, is the capital of the state of Jalisco. Mexico's 2020 census counted 1,385,621 people in the city itself, the seventh-largest city in the country. Zapopan, another city in Jalisco, had 1,257,547.
UrbanRail.Net says more than 5 million people live in the whole metropolitan area around Guadalajara.
City Population's tables from Mexico's statistics institute (INEGI) give the city (localidad) of Guadalajara 1,650,042 people in 1990, 1,646,183 in 2000, 1,495,182 in 2010 and 1,385,621 in the census of 15 March 2020, on about 142 km². Zapopan, also in Jalisco, grew from 668,323 to 1,257,547 over the same years.
In the 2020 list of Mexico's largest cities, Guadalajara ranks seventh, after Mexico City, Tijuana, Ecatepec, León, Puebla and Ciudad Juárez. Jalisco state counted 8,348,151 people.
- Country and state
- Mexico; capital of Jalisco
- People in Guadalajara (2020 census)
- 1,385,621
- People in the 1990 census
- 1,650,042
- People in Jalisco state (2020 census)
- 8,348,151
A shelter that became a treasure
Guadalajara has an old building called the Hospicio Cabañas. Long ago, it was a home for children without parents and for older people.
Its chapel has wall paintings that UNESCO calls masterpieces.
The Hospicio Cabañas was built at the beginning of the 1800s to care for people who needed help: orphans, old people, people with disabilities and people with long illnesses. UNESCO praises how its open spaces and buildings fit together, and its simple design.
In the 20th century, its chapel was painted with murals by José Clemente Orozco, which UNESCO calls some of the masterpieces of Mexican art. It has been a World Heritage Site since 1997.
UNESCO inscribed the Hospicio Cabañas in 1997 under four criteria (i, ii, iii and iv), on 2.34 ha. Built at the beginning of the 19th century to shelter orphans, the elderly, the disabled and chronic invalids, it 'incorporates several unusual features designed specifically to meet the needs of its occupants' and was unique for its time; UNESCO also notes the harmony between its open and built spaces, its simple design and its size.
Its chapel's murals by José Clemente Orozco are, in UNESCO's words, 'now considered some of the masterpieces of Mexican art'. Oxford's World Encyclopedia also names the cathedral among the city's fine Spanish colonial buildings; Wikidata dates the cathedral's start to 1561.
- Hospicio Cabañas
- UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997
- Built
- at the beginning of the 19th century
- Chapel murals
- by José Clemente Orozco
A colonial city that kept growing
Guadalajara was built by people from Spain almost 500 years ago.
It has an old cathedral and other buildings from long ago.
Oxford's World Encyclopedia says Guadalajara was founded in 1531 and has fine Spanish colonial buildings, such as its cathedral and the governor's palace. Wikidata dates the start of the cathedral to 1561.
By 1990 more than 1.6 million people lived in the city. Since then its own population has fallen, while Zapopan, another city in Jalisco, has grown.
Sources give different founding dates: Oxford's World Encyclopedia says 1531, while Wikidata records 14 February 1542. Oxford names the cathedral and the governor's palace as fine examples of Spanish colonial architecture.
The census series, which starts in 1990, shows the city itself at its highest that year, 1,650,042, falling to 1,385,621 by 2020, while Zapopan grew from 668,323 to 1,257,547; UrbanRail.Net puts the metropolitan area at over 5 million people. Oxford's encyclopedia calls Guadalajara noted for its mountain scenery and mild climate.
- Founded
- 1531 (Oxford's World Encyclopedia)
- Cathedral begun
- 1561
- Hospicio Cabañas
- built at the beginning of the 19th century
Trains under the streets
Guadalajara has trains that run under the streets and high above them.
The newest train line opened in 2025.
Instead of a big metro like Mexico City's, Guadalajara built a light rail system with long underground sections. Line 1 opened in 1989 under a wide avenue through the historic center, and Line 2, opened in 1994, runs completely underground.
Line 3, opened in 2020, runs mostly on raised tracks, with a tunnel under the city center. Line 4, a 21.7-kilometer line, opened in December 2025.
UrbanRail.Net says the SITEUR system's Line 1 opened on 1 September 1989 between Periférico Norte and Periférico Sur (15.5 km, 6.6 km underground) below Avenida del Federalismo, and was extended 1 km to Auditorio in 2018. Line 2 (Juárez–Tetlán, 8.5 km, all underground) opened on 1 July 1994.
Line 3 (Arcos de Zapopan–Central de Autobuses, 19.8 km) opened on 12 September 2020, about three-quarters elevated with just over 5.1 km in tunnel. Line 4 (Las Juntas–Tlajomulco Centro, 21.7 km), a surface line on a disused rail corridor, opened on 15 December 2025.
- Line 1 opened
- 1 September 1989 (15.5 km)
- Line 3 opened
- 12 September 2020 (19.8 km)
- Line 4 opened
- 15 December 2025 (21.7 km)
Rainy summers, dry winters
In Guadalajara, most of the rain falls in summer.
The hottest days come in May, just before the rain starts.
The World Meteorological Organization's averages for Guadalajara (1971–2000) show the warmest days in May, about 32 °C, and the coolest in January, about 25 °C. January nights average about 10 °C.
About 972 millimeters of rain fall in an average year, nearly nine-tenths of it from June to September. July is the wettest month, with about 274 millimeters, while March gets only about 4.
The WMO table for Guadalajara, 1971–2000, gives average highs from 24.7 °C in January to 32.4 °C in May, then 27–31 °C through the rainy months; average lows run from 10.2 °C in January to 17.8 °C in June.
The monthly rainfall averages add up to about 972.2 mm a year on about 87 rain days. June to September bring 844.4 mm, close to nine-tenths of the year; July is wettest (273.8 mm) and March driest (3.9 mm).
- May, average high (WMO, 1971–2000)
- 32.4 °C
- January, average low (same period)
- 10.2 °C
- Rain in a year (sum of the monthly averages)
- about 972 mm
Industry and crafts
People in Guadalajara make many things, like cloth, pots and glass.
The old Hospicio is now a place to visit and see art.
Oxford's World Encyclopedia lists engineering, textiles, pottery and glassware among Guadalajara's industries, and says the city is a popular place to rest and recover, thanks to its mild climate and mountain scenery.
The Hospicio Cabañas, once a home for people in need, is now a museum; Wikidata dates its opening to 1983.
Oxford's World Encyclopedia names engineering, textiles, pottery and glassware as Guadalajara's industries and calls it a popular health resort, noted for mountain scenery and a mild climate; its entry gives a population for 2000 and calls Guadalajara Mexico's second-largest city, while in the 2020 census list of cities it ranks seventh.
Wikidata records the Hospicio Cabañas as a museum opened in 1983, in the building begun in 1810.
- Industries (Oxford's World Encyclopedia)
- engineering, textiles, pottery, glassware
- Hospicio Cabañas museum
- opened 1983
- Metropolitan area
- over 5 million people (UrbanRail.Net)
Guadalajara on the map
Find Mexico on the globe. Look at its west side, away from the coast. Guadalajara is there!
Hills rise on the horizon around it.
Guadalajara lies in Mexico at about 21° north, inland from the Pacific coast; Oxford's World Encyclopedia notes its mountain scenery.
Measured from the cathedral in the historic center, the Hospicio Cabañas is about 1 kilometer to the east. Light rail Line 1 runs north to south under Avenida del Federalismo, through the historic center.
Guadalajara lies at about 20.7° N and 103.3° W. Measured from the cathedral (Wikidata points), the Hospicio Cabañas is about 1.0 km east.
The hero photo was taken in 2021 from the Bansi building, looking north (as the file's title says), at a camera point about 3.9 km west of the cathedral (Commons camera data).
- Latitude
- about 20.7° north
- Longitude
- about 103.3° west
- Cathedral to the Hospicio Cabañas
- about 1 km east
Amazing facts
-
Fewer people live in Guadalajara city now than in 1990.
Guadalajara had 1,650,042 people in 1990 and 1,385,621 in 2020, while Zapopan grew.
INEGI's censuses show the city of Guadalajara falling from 1,650,042 (1990) to 1,385,621 (2020), while Zapopan reached 1,257,547.
-
One of Guadalajara's train lines runs completely underground!
Line 2 of Guadalajara's light rail, opened in 1994, runs entirely underground.
UrbanRail.Net notes that Line 2 (Juárez–Tetlán, 8.5 km, opened 1 July 1994) is totally underground and so completely separated from other traffic.
-
In March, almost no rain falls in Guadalajara.
March averages only about 4 millimeters of rain in Guadalajara, but July about 274.
In the WMO's 1971–2000 averages, March brings 3.9 mm of rain and July 273.8 mm, about 70 times as much.
-
An old home for people in need is now a World Heritage Site.
The Hospicio Cabañas was built to shelter orphans and old people, and UNESCO says it was unique for its time.
UNESCO describes the Hospicio Cabañas as a complex with unusual features designed for the needs of its occupants, 'unique for its time'.
Words to know
- capital
- the city where a state's or country's government is based
- colonial
- from the time when a place was ruled by another country, here Spain
- mural
- a large painting made directly on a wall or ceiling
- orphan
- a child who has no parents to look after them
- light rail
- a city train system with lighter, tram-like trains
- rainy season
- the part of the year when most of the rain falls
Discovery challenge
-
Guadalajara is a city in which country?
Guadalajara is the capital of Jalisco, a state in which country?
Guadalajara is the capital of which Mexican state?
- Mexico
- Spain
- Peru
Show the answer
Mexico
Mexico!
Mexico.
Mexico; the state is Jalisco.
-
Long ago, who was the Hospicio Cabañas built to help?
The Hospicio Cabañas was built to care for whom?
According to UNESCO, the Hospicio Cabañas was built at the beginning of the 19th century for whom?
- Soldiers
- Orphans and old people
- Traveling merchants
Show the answer
Orphans and old people
Children without parents and old people!
Orphans, old people and people who were ill or disabled.
Orphans, the elderly, the disabled and chronic invalids.
-
When does most of Guadalajara's rain fall?
In which part of the year does Guadalajara get most of its rain?
Which months bring about 844 mm of Guadalajara's 972 mm yearly rain (WMO, 1971–2000)?
- December to March
- June to September
- Only in April
Show the answer
June to September
In summer, from June to September!
June to September.
June to September (844.4 mm); July is wettest (273.8 mm).
-
Who painted the big pictures on the Hospicio's walls?
Which Mexican artist painted the murals in the Hospicio Cabañas chapel?
Whose murals in the chapel does UNESCO call 'some of the masterpieces of Mexican art'?
- José Clemente Orozco
- Pablo Picasso
- Vincent van Gogh
Show the answer
José Clemente Orozco
José Clemente Orozco!
José Clemente Orozco.
José Clemente Orozco, one of the greatest Mexican muralists of his time, says UNESCO.
-
How did the number of people in the city change after 1990?
How did the city of Guadalajara's population change between 1990 and 2020?
Between the 1990 census (1,650,042) and the 2020 census, what happened to the city's population?
- It doubled
- It went down
- It stayed exactly the same
Show the answer
It went down
It went down a little!
It went down, to 1,385,621.
It fell to 1,385,621, while Zapopan grew.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Guadalajara and the state of Jalisco in Mexico.
- Describe how a building made to help people in need became a World Heritage Site.
- Explain why a city's own population can fall while its metropolitan area grows.
- Read a rainfall chart with a clear wet season and dry season.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Guadalajara's city population fell after 1990 while Zapopan grew. Why might families move to the edge of a big city?
- The Hospicio Cabañas was built for orphans and old people. What do people in your town do to help those in need?
- Almost all of Guadalajara's rain falls in four months. How would that change gardening or farming?
Try at home or in class
- Wet and dry chart: plot Guadalajara's monthly rainfall and shade the rainy season.
- Mural design: plan a wall painting that tells a story about your town.
- Rail map: draw four colored lines and mark which parts run underground, on the ground and above the streets.
Key vocabulary: capital, colonial, mural, orphan, light rail, rainy season
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Mexico: states and cities (censuses 1990–2020) , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from INEGI, Mexico
- Hospicio Cabañas, Guadalajara , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Guadalajara (World Encyclopedia) , Encyclopedia.com (Oxford University Press)
- Guadalajara Tren Urbano (Metro) , UrbanRail.Net (Robert Schwandl)
- World Weather Information Service: Guadalajara climatological information , World Meteorological Organization
- File:Panorámica Guadalajara desde edificio Bansi hacia norte (cropped).jpg (Isacdaavid, 2021) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.