Take a Design-Centric Shopping Detour to Tlaquepaque, Guadalajara

Multicolored bunting, handmade pottery and an abundance of boutiques: that’s how best to sum up the laidback Pueblo Mágico of San Pedro Tlaquepaque. Better known as, simply, Tlaquepaque, the Náhuatl name of this sprawling residential area southeast of Guadalajara proper translates to “place above clay land.”

As you might expect then, Tlaquepaque is both one of the most important Mexican pottery regions as well as a popular tourist attraction for travelers looking for a change of pace, and the historic center has become a treasure trove for design fans and souvenir hunters alike.

Striped with parallel pedestrianized pathways, which cut like broad brush strokes across the core of the center, the Tlaquepaque streets are lined with homeware boutiques, pottery studios, and art galleries, not to mention some of the region’s most important ceramics museums.

So whether you’re looking for the perfect pottery memento, an opportunity to learn about the artisanal history of the region, or just some good old fashioned interior design inspiration when in Tlaquepaque, here are six places you can’t miss.

Taller Paco Padilla

Light, airy and inconspicuous, the bright white exterior of Taller Paco Padilla is easily breezed past.

However, keep your eyes peeled for the selection of colorful plates which stud the wall and surround the blue gate, because, once inside, not only can you stroll around the small gallery and showroom at the front of the property, you can also watch the artisans at work in the sunny courtyard.

Browse the shelf after shelf of handmade and hand-painted ceramics—from plant pots to plates—before picking up the perfect present for friends back home.

Cantú

Tiles, tiles and more tiles are on the menu at Cantú, a ceramics workshop and showroom-of-sorts, which you’ll find on a side street just a few blocks from the central pedestrianized Tlaquepaque drag.

Perhaps best suited to serious shoppers looking to ship ceramics home in bulk or those looking for design inspiration for their wall-to-wall tiled kitchen, nosing around Cantú is still worth a few minutes of your day.

Galería Sergio Bustamante

Free to enter and explore, Galería Sergio Bustamante is both jewelry store and art gallery, as well as an ideal stop for those of you who would prefer to wear your design pieces round your neck, rather than display them on a windowsill.

And while the Bustamante-designed jewelry—often characterized by hands, moons, and faces—is impressive, the rest of the store is also attractive in its own right, dedicated to displaying several Bustamante works, from paintings to sculptures.

Blown Krystal

Although nearby Tonalá, sometimes regarded as a more affordable but less tourist-friendly version of Tlaquepaque, is better-known for handblown glass, you can also find stores in Tlaquepaque selling beautiful glassware.

Blown Krystal is one of them—there you’ll find a showroom filled with delicate and detailed examples of their work, from milky white goblets to sets of shot glasses.

Amanoarte

For exquisitely designed clothing—and slow-fashion antidotes to our fast-fashion world—Amanoarte is one of the best places to shop in Tlaquepaque.

Replete with elaborately embroidered blouses, dresses and accessories handmade in Oaxaca, Chiapas and Jalisco (as well as several other Mexican states), you’re sure to find a wearable memento to take home with you.

Museo Pantaleón Panduro

If you’d rather learn about the ceramic legacy of Tlaquepaque and wider Mexico, as well as marvel over some of the best pieces of clay pottery produced in the country, Museo Pantaleón Panduro is the place to be.

Filled to the rafters with award-winning artesanías, such as intricate Trees of Life from Metepec, barro negro from Oaxaca, and the classic bruñido from Jalisco, it’s a haven of traditional handicrafts in the heart of Tlaquepaque. And of course, Pueblan talavera also makes an appearance.

What else?

Once you’re done with the design, round out your day in Tlaquepaque with a visit to El Parián. This traditional collection of bars and restaurants circled around a bandstand is well-known for tequila-filled cocktails and regular live mariachi shows that will leave you charmed.