As the homeland of mariachi music, the jarabe tapatío (the Mexican hat dance), and tequila, Guadalajara is widely considered the most Mexican of cities. Despite the fact that it's the nation's second-largest metropolis (with 3.5 million inhabitants, it's a very distant second to Mexico City), it isn't hard to navigate, and residents are friendly and helpful. Visitors can enjoy big-city pleasures without the big-city hassles that would beset them in the capital.
While in Guadalajara, you will undoubtedly come across the word tapatío (or tapatía). In the early days, people from the area were known to trade in threes, called tapatíos. The locals came to be called Tapatíos as well, and now the word tapatío has come to mean any person, thing, or even style that comes from Guadalajara.
