Photo map of Tlaquepaque. Click on image for interactive map.

There is a certain pride and sense of accomplishment I feel when I do whatever it takes to reach a difficult destination. Arranging complex transoceanic flights. Rendezvousing with the big guy on a different continent. Strapping on my snake guards and getting in that boat, girl.

Your girl, however, does not need to experience this on every trip. Sometimes your girl just wants an easy win. Asked and answered: Tlaquepaque.

The brief for this trip was straightforward: wherever we went, I wanted to step outside the door into a land of photographic plenty. The ideal location would be giving chaos, color, and charisma. Relative proximity was also key; this would be a 2-night trip, so efforts would be made to keep it in this hemisphere (as always, no promises there). As suerte would have it, flights to Guadalajara looked great. So we returned to the well that never runs dry: Mexico.

Guadalajara is a big city, so we needed to find the right neighborhood. As I perused Google Images, I stumbled upon a city-within-a-city that instantly gripped my eyeballs in its psychedelic clutches: Tlaquepaque. It’s its own municipality, conveniently located between Guadalara Airport and the city of Guadalajara. Too easy.

We arrived on Sunday afternoon. After a quick check-in at the gorgeous La Villa del Ensueño, we hit the streets to catch Tlaquepaque in full swing. Calle Independencia was the place to be for families and friends spending a gorgeous afternoon relaxing together. Market stalls, street performers, even a bird telling fortunes. The elotes were grilling and the music was bumping. The best part? It was weird. The surrealist sculptures of Sergio Bustamante poked their heads out among the crowds. Everything was a little wilder, a little more colorful, a little more overscale than you would expect. And it worked. There were enough distractions to make me forget that I had woken up at 2:30 am for my flight, discovered the power was out, and had to shower by the light of my phone’s flashlight. My second wind whisked me down the street as I fired off shot after shot of the quirky, colorful fiesta I seemed to have crashed.

In the past year, I have made the transition from using a 40mm prime lens for street photography to a 24-105mm zoom. I purchased the zoom for our trip to Brazil last year, wanting something in a wide-to-moderate focal length range for close- distance wildlife photography. I gave it a trial run in Valle de Guadalupe and Tijuana just to get used to the new-to-me lens. That sucker weaseled its way into my heart, and I have come to love it for street photography in particular and travel photography in general. On this trip, I threw the 40mm into my bag and started out with it on that first day. I made it about 5 blocks before I swapped it for the 24-105mm, and I never went back. I tried mixing things up by incorporating some close-ups using the longer end of the zoom range, and I really like the variety they added to the completed project. I still love my primes and continue to use the 40mm at home (it’s great for indoor photos of the cats with its f/2.8 aperture and minimum focus distance of less than one foot). But there’s no question that the versatility of the zoom has expanded my vision for framing and depth of field when I’m on the move.

Taking close-ups for a whirl in front of the Sergio Bustamante Galleries.

In photography, the term dynamic range refers to the difference between the lightest and darkest areas of a photograph. This concept is also present in the energy of each location. I chose Tlaquepaque in part because it is compact. Based on surface area alone, you would think I had covered the whole place on Day 1. Geographically speaking, yes. But my practice of Time Zone Denial would show me an entirely different town just a few hours later. Rising early and hitting the streets before the coffee shops were even open, we found an ethereal calm enveloping the same lively street from the day before. As dawn broke over Calle Independencia, I shot some of my favorite images from the trip. By breakfast on Day 2, and after only 18 hours in the city, I had two sets of photos that showed two completely different faces of this cyclic city.

Full of chilaquiles and a few cups of coffee, we set out again. By this time, Tequilas El Buho was open. This iconic store has been a fixture in Tlaquepaque for many years. We spent an hour or so with the owner, Emilio, as he taught us about tequila, mezcal, and the history of the region. We even met Pancha, the feline perpetual employee of the month who soaked up sunbeams on the lower shelves near the door.

Guarding the merchandise at Tequilas El Buho.

Our final stop before calling it an early night was a late lunch at Restaurante Casa Luna. We were enticed by photos we had seen online of the enchanted-forest-themed interior. It was every bit as beautiful as advertised, and the food was absolutely incredible. It was the perfect end to our whirlwind trip through the Tlaquepaque fever dream.

Lunch and a show at Restaurante Casa Luna.

Sometimes you get home and wonder, “Did I really see that? Was it really that wild?” Through the gift of photography, I can be sure the answer is yes on all counts. Admittedly, I chose Tlaquepaque because it was easy. Maybe I picked the low-hanging fruit, but it was damned delicious. It’s not a struggle every time. You don’t always have to “earn it”. We work hard enough; just take the magic when you find it.

Boarding Pass: GDL

Boarding Pass: FDF

Boarding Pass: BCN