Jalisco

Jalisco, state in western Mexico. Politically and economically, Jalisco is one of Mexico’s most important states. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west and by the states of Colima on the south, Michoacán on the southeast, Guanajuato and a tiny portion of San Luis Potosí on the east, and Zacatecas, Aquascalientes, and Nayarit on the north.

Jalisco is the sixth largest of 31 Mexican states and has a varied topography and climate. The Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range crosses Jalisco north to south, and much of the state is part of Mexico’s high central plateau. Volcán Nevado de Colima National Park, which straddles the border with the state of Colima in southern Jalisco, contains two of Mexico’s highest volcanic peaks—Volcán de Fuego (3820 m/12,533 ft) and Nevado de Colima (4,339 m/14,236 ft). Jalisco’s narrow coastal plain is heavily forested and receives substantial precipitation; the higher inland areas are drier and support less vegetation. Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest lake, forms part of Jalisco’s southeastern boundary with Michoacán. The state covers an area of 78,389 sq km (30,266 sq mi).

In the early 1990s, Jalisco was the fourth most populous state in Mexico. The capital city of Guadalajara is a cultural, religious, and economic center second only to Mexico City. The capital dominates the state’s political and economic activity. Guadalajara has an important Roman Catholic diocese (a geographic subdivision of the Catholic Church). The diocese has long been the home of a Cardinal, one of the highest officials in the Catholic Church. The public University of Guadalajara (1792) is one of the country’s most prestigious academic institutions. Jalisco has produced some leading international cultural figures, including the novelist Agustín Yáñez, whose work is set in rural Jalisco, and the painter and muralist José Clemente Orozco, whose former studio is now a museum. Some of Orozco’s work can be found in public buildings in Guadalajara.

Other significant cities in Jalisco include Puerto Vallarta, a resort city in the northwest corner of the state; Lagos de Moreno, a farming and ranching center in the northeast corner of the state; Ameca, a city known for its production of sugarcane and dairy products west of Guadalajara; Ciudad Guzmán, a logging and ranching city directly south of Guadalajara; and Autlán, a farming and logging town at the foot of the Sierra Madre Occidental range in the western part of the state. The state’s population in 2005 was 6,752,113.

Jalisco is the country’s second largest producer of corn, and has significant production of other crops, including beans, wheat, sorghum, sugarcane, cotton, rice, and tobacco. Livestock, textiles, beverages, and electrical equipment are other important products. Guadalajara hosts a major international airport that is connected via direct flights to the western United States and Mexico City. Although the state’s coastline is largely unpopulated, Puerto Vallarta also boasts direct flights to the United States and is connected by ferry to the state of Baja California Sur.

The Spanish conquest of the area that is present-day Jalisco was especially devastating to Native Americans. It is estimated that fighting and disease reduced the Native American population in the region by at least 90 percent between the 1520s and 1560s. As a result, there are few Native Americans in modern-day Jalisco.

The state played a significant role in 19th- and 20th-century Mexican history. It was the site of fierce fighting during the country’s struggles for independence from Spain, as well as during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). Jalisco was probably most prominent, however, during the Cristero Rebellion (1926-1929), a violent and religiously motivated conflict between the national government and Mexicans who opposed government efforts to limit the power of the Catholic Church. The state is a stronghold for the National Action Party (PAN), the most prominent opposition party competing against the historically dominant Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).