Travel

This Mexican Art Town Is Like Alice in Wonderland Meets Palm Trees

And the artist is like a surrealist mad hatter.

Photo by Nick Hilden
Photo by Nick Hilden
Photo by Nick Hilden

You’re wandering the streets of downtown Tlaquepaque-a charming little district on the southern edge of Guadalajara, Mexico-where you check out the wares offered by street vendors, poke your head into shops owned by local craft makers, and take some photos of the looming cathedral on the edge of the bustling central plaza, all the while keeping an eye out for which of the many restaurant terraces catches your fancy. Then you come upon something… unusual: a blue and purple-lit block, at the head of which stands a bronze statue of a face emerging from what appears to be a sort of half-sun. Intriguing. You continue on.

The further down the colorful block you venture, the more strange art you find: A figure with a triangle head holding the hands of a similarly-triangled person, the former preventing the latter from blowing away. Another triangular person holding an umbrella in one hand and waving with the other. A triangle-headed woman, her dress falling about her legs like the ridges of a clamshell. Turns out you’re in luck-you’ve stumbled upon the gallery of the renowned Mexican surrealist Sergio Bustamonte, and now you’re in for a real treat.

No matter if you’re coming to Guadalajara (or the greater Jalisco state) for the tequila, turquoise agave fields against purple mountains, ridiculously good tacos, colonial architecture, or to get into some mind-bending art, you should definitely consider dedicating a few days of your itinerary to the gorgeous magic town of Tlaquepaque. We’ll tell you everything you need to know-plus what to eat and where to stay-to intentionally throw yourself into a surrealist wonderland.

Sergio Bustamante
Sergio Bustamante
Sergio Bustamante

Meet the mad hatter: Sergio Bustamante

While many visitors to Mexico make their way to Guadalajara, few foreigners know to check out Tlaquepaque. Largely a residential region, it has a pleasantly local vibe that suggests you’ve meandered off the beaten tourist track. We’ll dive into Tlaquepaque more below, but first we have to ask: who is this mad hatter genius and the town’s most famous resident, Sergio Bustamante?

Well first off, he’s one of Mexico‘s most renowned artists. Bustamante’s surrealist sculptures lean into fantasy and a somewhat playful sense of whimsy, and many if not most boast his iconic triangular-headed imagery. You’ll see his work lining the streets of Tlaquepaque, though you can also go directly to his gallery in town as well-which you absolutely should do. There, you can purchase his work in a variety of formats, from small items of jewelry to expansive sculptures and furniture pieces. But more importantly, just by walking around, you can submerge yourself in a trippy dreamworld.

Sergio Bustamante
Sergio Bustamante
Sergio Bustamante

Enter a Mexican Wonderland

Visiting Galeria Sergio Bustamante is an outright delightful experience. The further you descend into its rabbit hole, the deeper into wonderland you are.

At the entrance you find a more or less typical salesroom in which you can browse jewelry and smaller statues. Venture into the next room and the surrealism cranks up a notch thanks to its abundant array of larger-scale statues portraying a variety of fantastic imagery. But you’re just getting started.

Follow the hallway into the depths of the building, and you encounter more and more strange, fun, beautiful art. And then you emerge into the garden: a dazzling landscape of smiling astrological figures hanging from tree branches; a stream flanked by lights and faces and smaller statues; bamboo and a little bridge; and of course a smattering of the triangle-headed people standing (and sometimes hand-standing) here and there.

La Villa del Ensueño Boutique Hotel
La Villa del Ensueño Boutique Hotel
La Villa del Ensueño Boutique Hotel

Navigate the shops and art of Tlaquepaque

The Tlaquepaque Centro region isn’t large-you can likely experience most of what it has to offer within a day or two. Pop down if you happen to be visiting Guadalajara, or fly in for a couple of nights if you’re staying in Mexico City.

Calle Independencia runs through the heart of the Centro area, and it’s going to provide the majority of your shopping, eating, and general enjoyment opportunities. It’s here-in the Plaza Pavo Real stretch-that you’ll find the block boasting the Bustamante statues and his gallery. Next door, you’ll also find Almacén Central Arte en Cobre Tlaquepaque: a mall containing several smaller galleries where you can browse a wide variety of art and handicrafts from local creatives. Just down the street is Gallery el Dorado, where they offer outright gorgeous handmade furniture, as well as smaller art pieces and crafts.

Once evening arrives, the sidewalks of Calle Independencia become lined with handicraft vendors and food stalls, and the whole place becomes a vibrant bustle of shopping, eating, and general merriment. Music and booze flow freely in a festive atmosphere.

El Patio Tlaquepaque
El Patio Tlaquepaque
El Patio Tlaquepaque

Eat birria and tacos with a side of guitar

Speaking of eating, music, and booze, it’s imperative to do all three at once. The state of Jalisco is famous for its mariachi music, which is often played during meal times. Get a taste of the tunes by sitting down to eat at either El Patio Tlaquepaque or Real San Pedro, which are side by side along Calle Independencia and offer a wide selection of regional and national deliciousnesses. At El Patio Tlaquepaque, you can order juicy birria or try a stuffed chile with decadent creamy sauce and sprinkled with pomegranates. Meanwhile at Real San Pedro, venture into some duck tacos or wild boar loin, and top it off with some cheesecake drizzled in passion fruit.

Or if you’re in the mood for pizza with a view, head over to La Valentina Pizza Santuario, a multi-storied joint with a stunning vista of the cathedral and plaza from the rooftop seating. In fact, rooftop bars and restaurants with charming vibes abound in this area, so look up and keep an eye out for whichever snags your interest.

La Villa del Ensueño Boutique Hotel
La Villa del Ensueño Boutique Hotel
La Villa del Ensueño Boutique Hotel

Where to stay in Tlaquepaque

There are a number of hotels in the area with quality reputations-Hotel Tlaquepaque, La Villa del Ensueno, and Quinta Don Jose Boutique Hotel being among the standouts.

La Villa del Ensueno has some fun pops of color along its neo-colonial architecture, reminiscent of Frida Kahlo’s La Casa Azul in CDMX. It has just 20 rooms spread across two mansions, full of terraces, patios, fountains, and gardens-not to mention a bar, pool, and jacuzzis. You’ll find couches outside in the many corridors, inviting guests to spend as much time outdoors as possible in the ideal weather.

Over at Quinta Don Jose, you’ll see vines and all kinds of plants climbing the walls of the hotel and pool, all the way to the terracotta-shingle roof, looking like gorgeously preserved ruins swallowed up by a jungle. Many of the rooms have warm brick ceilings and a splash of colorful Mexican print pillows, plus an on-site Italian and Mexican restaurant.

If you end up going the Airbnb route, just be sure to find a place with close proximity to Calle Independencia or the Centro region in general. That way you’ll always be within a few steps of the vibrant action.Want more Thrillist? Follow us on InstagramTwitterPinterestYouTubeTikTok, and Snapchat.

Nick Hilden is a contributor for Thrillist.

Travel

Ditch your Phone for ‘Dome Life’ in this Pastoral Paradise Outside Port Macquarie 

A responsible, sustainable travel choice for escaping big city life for a few days.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

The urge to get as far away as possible from the incessant noise and pressures of ‘big city life’ has witnessed increasingly more of us turn to off-grid adventures for our holidays: Booking.com polled travellers at the start of 2023 and 55% of us wanted to spend our holidays ‘off-grid’.  Achieving total disconnection from the unyielding demands of our digitised lives via some kind of off-grid nature time—soft or adventurous—is positioned not only as a holiday but, indeed, a necessity for our mental health. 

Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, an accommodation collection of geodesic domes dotted across a lush rural property in Greater Port Macquarie (a few hours’ drive from Sydney, NSW), offers a travel experience that is truly ‘off-grid’. In the figurative ‘wellness travel’ sense of the word, and literally, they run on their own independent power supply—bolstered by solar—and rely not on the town grid. 

Ten minutes before you arrive at the gates for a stay at Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, your phone goes into ‘SOS ONLY’. Apple Maps gives up, and you’re pushed out of your comfort zone, driving down unsealed roads in the dark, dodging dozens of dozing cows. Then, you must ditch your car altogether and hoist yourself into an open-air, all-terrain 4WD with gargantuan wheels. It’s great fun being driven through muddy gullies in this buggy; you feel like Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park.  As your buggy pulls in front of your personal Nature Dome, it’s not far off that “Welcome…to Jurassic Park” jaw-dropping moment—your futuristic-looking home is completely engulfed by thriving native bushland; beyond the outdoor campfire lie expansive hills and valleys of green farmland, dotted with sheep and trees. You’re almost waiting to see a roaming brachiosaurus glide past, munching on a towering gum tree…instead, a few inquisitive llamas trot past your Dome to check out their new visitor. 

To fully capture the awe of inhabiting a geodesic dome for a few days, a little history of these futuristic-looking spherical structures helps. Consisting of interlocking triangular skeletal struts supported by (often transparent) light walls, geodesic domes were developed in the 20th century by American engineer and architect R. Buckminster Fuller, and were used for arenas. Smaller incarnations have evolved into a ‘future-proof’ form of modern housing: domes are able to withstand harsh elements due to the stability provided by the durable materials of their construction and their large surface area to volume ratio (which helps minimize wind impact and prevents the structure from collapsing). As housing, they’re also hugely energy efficient – their curved shape helps to conserve heat and reduce energy costs, making them less susceptible to temperature changes outside. The ample light let in by their panels further reduces the need for artificial power. 

Due to their low environmental impact, they’re an ideal sustainable travel choice. Of course, Tom’s Creek Nature Domes’ owner-operators, Cardia and Lee Forsyth, know all this, which is why they have set up their one-of-a-kind Nature Domes experience for the modern traveller. It’s also no surprise to learn that owner Lee is an electrical engineer—experienced in renewable energy—and that he designed the whole set-up. As well as the off-grid power supply, rainwater tanks are used, and the outdoor hot tub is heated by a wood fire—your campfire heats up your tub water via a large metal coil. Like most places in regional Australia, the nights get cold – but rather than blast a heater, the Domes provide you with hot water bottles, warm blankets, lush robes and heavy curtains to ward off the chill.

nature domes port macquarie
Photo: Nature Domes

You’ll need to be self-sufficient during your stay at the Domes, bringing your own food. Support local businesses and stock up in the town of Wauchope on your drive-in (and grab some pastries and coffee at Baked Culture while you’re at it). There’s a stovetop, fridge (stocked as per a mini bar), BBQs, lanterns and mozzie coils, and you can even order DIY S’More packs for fireside fun. The interiors of the Domes have a cosy, stylish fit-out, with a modern bathroom (and a proper flushing toilet—none of that drop bush toilet stuff). As there’s no mobile reception, pack a good book or make the most of treasures that lie waiting to be discovered at every turn: a bed chest full of board games, a cupboard crammed with retro DVDs, a stargazing telescope (the skies are ablaze come night time). Many of these activities are ideal for couples, but there’s plenty on offer for solo travellers, such as yoga mats, locally-made face masks and bath bombs for hot tub soaks. 

It’s these thoughtful human touches that reinforce the benefit of making a responsible travel choice by booking local and giving your money to a tourism operator in the Greater Port Macquarie Region, such as Tom’s Creek Nature Domes. The owners are still working on the property following the setbacks of COVID-19, and flooding in the region —a new series of Domes designed with families and groups in mind is under construction, along with an open-air, barn-style dining hall and garden stage. Once ready, the venue will be ideal for wedding celebrations, with wedding parties able to book out the property. They’ve already got one couple—who honeymooned at the Domes—ready and waiting. Just need to train up the llamas for ring-bearer duties! 

An abundance of favourite moments come to mind from my two-night stay at Tom’s Creek: sipping champagne and gourmet picnicking at the top of a hill on a giant swing under a tree, with a bird’s eye view of the entire property (the ‘Mountain Top picnic’ is a must-do activity add on during your stay), lying on a deckchair at night wrapped in a blanket gazing up at starry constellations and eating hot melted marshmallows, to revelling in the joys of travellers before me, scrawled on notes in a jar of wishes left by the telescope (you’re encouraged to write your own to add to the jar). But I’ll leave you with a gratitude journal entry I made while staying there. I will preface this by saying that I don’t actually keep a gratitude journal, but Tom’s Creek Nature Domes is just the kind of place that makes you want to start one. And so, waking up on my second morning at Tom’s —lacking any 4G bars to facilitate my bad habit of a morning Instagram scroll—I finally opened up a notebook and made my first journal entry:

‘I am grateful to wake up after a deep sleep and breathe in the biggest breaths of this clean air, purified by nature and scented with eucalyptus and rain. I am grateful for this steaming hot coffee brewed on a fire. I feel accomplished at having made myself. I am grateful for the skittish sheep that made me laugh as I enjoyed a long nature walk at dawn and the animated billy goats and friendly llamas overlooking my shoulder as I write this: agreeable company for any solo traveller. I’m grateful for total peace, absolute stillness.” 

Off-grid holiday status: unlocked.

Where: Tom’s Creek Nature Domes, Port Macquarie, 2001 Toms Creek Rd
Price: $450 per night, book at the Natura Domes website.

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