Discover Arandas: Architecture, Festivals, and Regional Cuisine

Get to know Arandas through a variety of discoveries: architecture from the Baroque to the Gothic Revival, plazas with kiosks and arcades, regional dishes, and festivals held at different times of the year. There is also a museum featuring archaeology, ethnography, and an interactive area developed specifically for children. You can decide whether to focus your stay more on architecture, local traditions, food, or museum exhibits.

Architecture with stories to tell

The Parroquia de Santa María de Guadalupe is a religious building in the Baroque style. It is the resting place of the remains of Blessed Luis Magaña Servín, who was born in Arandas and died as a martyr in 1928. The Parroquia de San José Obrero offers a different architectural style: it is a Gothic Revival building dating from 1879. Anyone interested in religious buildings and their varied designs will find concrete examples of Baroque and Gothic Revival architecture in these two churches.

Another striking building is the Puente de Guadalupe. Its turrets and brick arches give it a distinctive appearance. The Campana Reina del Silencio is also on display in the atrium of the Parroquia de San José Obrero. The bell weighs 15 tonnes and has a diameter of 3 metres. Its size and exact location make it a special feature for anyone who pays attention to individual architectural and cultural details when sightseeing.

Plazas, a museum, and festivals

The Plaza de Armas is one of the city’s notable places. It features a kiosk and arcades. The Plaza Principal is a good place for a stroll, and there are cafés in the surrounding arcades. These two plazas offer distinct points of reference if you are interested in public life and architectural design in Arandas.

The Museo de Sitio del Sauz de Cajigal (MUSAC) is located near the community of Sauz de Cajigal, within the municipality of Arandas. One exhibition room is devoted to archaeology and another to ethnography. The museum has hundreds of archaeological finds and an interactive area designed specifically for children. The MUSAC thus offers different ways to engage with archaeological and ethnographic subjects, with the children’s area providing a focus of its own.

Festivals also mark special dates in Arandas throughout the year. During the Fiestas Patronales in January, there is live banda music, and the arcades are home to bar terraces. The Fiestas de Abril take place in late April and early May in honor of San José Obrero. If you would like to plan your trip around festivals, these dates help distinguish between the two celebrations.

Regional cuisine and planning your trip

Arandas’s regional cuisine includes pork carnitas and birria. Other local products include artisanally made cheese, butter, cream, and requesón. A distinctive local specialty is served at Bramido restaurant: Coquitas, cocktails made with dark soda that draw on a local custom among farmworkers. These dishes and this drink offer different ways to explore regional food culture alongside the architecture and festivals.

Discover more destinations

You can also discover Mascota, Chapala, Aguacate, Chacala, Tenacatita, Ahualulco de Mercado, San Nicolás, and Ocotlán as other travel destinations.

For the broader travel overview: Jalisco.