"Mexico's second largest city, the City of Roses, is a tourist and retirement center offering stately architecture, colonial plazas, outstanding weather and a charm not found in many large cities. Parks, fountains and wide boulevards dot the city. Many expatriates, mainly Canadian and American, reside here, and the city is a center for education, the arts and native crafts.

There is always something to do, from attending the Folklorico Ballet to dining in dozens of elegant restaurants that represent a variety of international cuisines. Guadalajara has at least six championship-quality golf courses, most of which are usually vacant during the week, and visitors will find five professional soccer teams. The Mexican rodeo (Charreadas) performs every Sunday at noon, and not to be missed is the Mercado Libertad, a sprawling covered market where vendors sell just about everything imaginable. Several nearby towns, including Tlaquepaque and Tonola, are world-famous for their folk art, including blown-glass, pottery and leather goods. Lake Chapala, home to the largest North American expatriate retirement community in the world, is just 30 miles to the south.