Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres

On the north side of the Guadalajara Cathedral, you’ll find a little park that contains the Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres, or the Rotunda of the Illustrious Jaliscans. Ringed by bronze statues and flowering trees, the neoclassical rotunda houses the remains of the state’s luminaries. Inside the rotunda, the coffin of Enrique Díaz de León, the first rector of the University of Guadalajara, sits in state. You’ll also see urns containing the ashes of Jalisco’s honored dead; additional empty urns await their occupants. A crypt below the floor contains the mummified remains of General Ramón Corona, who defended Mexico during the French invasion, served as a popular reform governor, and was murdered in 1889.

Statues of Jaliscan movers and shakers encircle the monument. Wander the park to gaze upon the great muralist José Clemente Orozco, the architect Luis Barragán, the governor Ignacio Vallarta (of Puerto Vallarta fame), and the writer, philosopher, avant-garde landscape painter and Nazi sympathizer, Dr. Atl.

Practical Info

The rotunda is directly across the street from the north side of the Guadalajara’s primary cathedral.