In the cathedral there are various altars as well as the remains of three cardinals and several bishops (there is even the heart of a Mexican president)
But it's the mummified remains of a little girl - known only as Santa Inocencia or Saint Innocence - that draws the most curious glances as well as some of the most passionate prayers from visitors. The glass showcase with her body near the main entrance of the church is always noticeable.
The real story of how Santa Inocencia came to rest publicly in Guadalajara Cathedral is open to debate. According to legend, the girl was born in Mexico in the 18th century stabbed to death by her father, who disapproved of her interest in Catholicism and grew angry when she received the Eucharist without his permission. After the father disappeared, the neighbors found the girl's body and carried her - still in the white dress she had worn for the service - to the cathedral, where it is kept to this day.
Another story - told on the little sign in the cathedral - says that the little girl's remains were removed from a cemetery in Rome in 1786 and sent to Don Vicente Flores Alatorre, a dignitary of the Catholic Church who taught divinity in 1788 the Cathedral of Guadalajara. Flores gave the remains to the Monastery of Agustinas de Santa Monica in Guadalajara. After the monastery was closed, the diocesan seminary began using the facility in 1869, and members of the seminary found the little girl's remains in the chapel. The seminary was evicted and moved to the San Sebastián de Analco temple in 1915 to bring Santa Inocencia to the new location.
When the seminarians were also kicked out of this place in 1924, Archbishop D. Francisco Orozco y Jiménez decided, to take the body to Guadalajara Cathedral. Additional information from this line of history - albeit not on public signage - claims that the girl was tortured and killed by Roman legionaries when Christianity rose in Europe - or that she was killed by her father in Rome after she went to the Christianity Converted Your body was placed in the Roman catacombs before its long journey to Guadalajara.
Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres and Regional Museum of Guadalajara
To one side of the cathedral is an esplanade with the rotunda of the illustrious Jaliscienses, a monument to honor the men and women who have transcended history. The remains of some of them can be found here
Next to the monument is the Guadalajara Regional Museum.
The museum building itself is very attractive, it dates from the colonial times and was used as a military barracks. Today you can learn a little more about the history of the area, from the first prehistoric settlements to their role in the Mexican Revolution. One of the most impressive pieces in the museum are the remains of a mammoth and the various colonial paintings.
Government palace
The government palace (Palacio de Gobierno) is located on the most beautiful of the four main squares of Guadalajara, the Plaza de Armas . This magnificent baroque building was started in 1643 and was not completed until 1774 . It is well worth a visit with its many columns with zigzag ornaments , large volutes and churrigueresque pilasters (estípites). Notable highlights in the interior include the beautiful old staircase and, in one of the council chambers, a series of murals depicting the War of Independence, as well as the heroes of the three Mexican Wars, painted by the famous fresco painter José Clemente Orozco in the state of Jalisco. In addition to the murals in the government palace, you will find a small exhibition on the history of Jalisco and Tequila.