Guadalajara

Guadalajara, (1) an old and decayed town of Spain, capital of the province of the same name, on the Henares, 35 miles NE. of Madrid by rail, with some unimportant manufactures of flannel and serge, and a royal college of engineering. Here is the quaint, neglected palace of the Mendozas, whose tombs, in the Panteon below the chapel of San Francisco, were barbarously mutilated by the French. Pop. 8524.—The province occupies the northern part of New Castile (see CASTILE), is in the great central plain, and has an area of 4870 sq. m., with a pop. of 203,000.—(2) Capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the third city of the republic, lies in a fertile valley by the Rio Grande de Santiago, here crossed by a fine bridge of 26 arches, 280 miles WNW. of Mexico city, with which the place is connected by rail. Though most of the houses are of only one story, the town presents a pleasing appearance, with wide streets crossing at right angles, numerous public squares, and a fine shaded alameda; there are several lines of tramway, and water is supplied by an aqueduct over 20 miles long. Guadalajara is the seat of an archbishop, and possesses a handsome cathedral, besides the government palace, a mint, university, hospitals, and school of art. Its industries are important: it is the chief seat of the cotton and woollen manufactures of the country; and the Guadalajara pottery and metal wares, like the confectionery, have a reputation all over Mexico. Pop. (1895) 95,000.