Tonalá travel guide
Thursday and Sunday crafts market, barro bruñido and the Cerro de la Reina
A crafts town on the eastern edge of Guadalajara, home to generations of potters and a giant Thursday and Sunday handicraft market. Go between November and March for dry, mild weather, and plan a day trip from Guadalajara or Tlaquepaque. Costs are moderate, and many nationalities need no visa.
Tonalá is the potters' town of the Guadalajara metropolitan area, on its eastern edge beyond Tlaquepaque. Several hundred thousand people live here, but the reason to come is clay. Workshops all over town shape and fire the burnished, painted ware that fills craft shops across Mexico, and twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, a huge street market of handicrafts spreads across the centre.
Long before the Spanish arrived, Tonallan was ruled by a queen, Cihualpilli, who met the conquistadors in 1530; the hill that overlooks the town, the Cerro de la Reina, is named after her. Pottery traditions here are older still, and local workshops keep distinct styles alive, from glossy burnished pieces to the green, white and red barro bandera.
Plan a half day or a full day from Guadalajara, timed for a market day. Come with an empty bag and some patience for wrapping fragile buys.
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Top things to do in Tonalá
A twice-weekly crafts market, potters' workshops, a national ceramics museum and a hill named after a queen.
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Best time to visit Tonalá
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Sunny days in the mid to high 20s C and cool nights, almost no rain; the best months for the open-air tianguis.
April and May are the hottest, in the low 30s C; storms arrive in June and fall most afternoons until September, so shop the market in the morning.
Around 25 July Tonalá honours its patron, Santiago Apóstol, with the masked tastoanes dance, a mock battle between Santiago and indigenous warriors, in the streets near the parish church.
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Getting there
From GDL airport, the Nueva Central Camionera or Line 3
Tonalá is reached through Guadalajara. A taxi or app ride from Guadalajara airport (GDL) takes about 30 minutes, with taxi tickets sold at the official desk, and long-distance coaches use the nearby Nueva Central Camionera, about 10 minutes away; Light Rail Line 3 also serves the area. Long-distance coaches from across Mexico arrive at the Nueva Central Camionera, Guadalajara's main bus terminal, which lies on the Tlaquepaque side close to Tonalá; a taxi from there to the market takes about 10 minutes. From central Guadalajara, Light Rail Line 3 runs south-east to its terminus at the Central de Autobuses, beside the bus station, and a short taxi ride completes the trip. City buses also run from the Guadalajara and Tlaquepaque centres to Tonalá, labelled with the destination on the windscreen. By taxi or Uber, the centre of Guadalajara is about 30 to 40 minutes away, more in traffic.
- GDL airport to Tonalá
- Taxi or app, about 30 minutes
- Nueva Central Camionera
- Taxi to the market, about 10 minutes
- Light Rail Line 3
- To the Central de Autobuses terminus, then taxi
- Go early on market days; by late morning traffic around the tianguis slows to a crawl.
Where to stay
Tlaquepaque's pedestrian streets or Guadalajara's Centro
Tonalá has only a few simple hotels, so most visitors come for the day. Tlaquepaque next door has boutique hotels around its pedestrian streets, 15 minutes from the market, and Guadalajara's Centro Histórico is the best base for a wider trip, about 40 minutes away in traffic. Staying in Tonalá itself suits shoppers who want to be at the stalls at dawn on a market day.
- Tlaquepaque centre
- Boutique hotels, crafts and mariachi; 15 minutes away
- Guadalajara Centro Histórico
- Best base for sightseeing; longer ride
- Tonalá centre
- Few, simple hotels; first at the market
Getting around
On foot around Avenida Tonaltecas, by taxi to the workshops
Central Tonalá is compact and flat, and on market days walking is the only sensible way around, since stalls fill Avenida Tonaltecas and its side streets and cars barely move. Taxis and Uber reach the workshops around town and the Cerro de la Reina. City buses link Tonalá with Tlaquepaque and Guadalajara; pay the driver in cash. If you buy something large, many shops will pack it securely or arrange shipping.
- Walking
- Best on market days around Avenida Tonaltecas
- Taxi and Uber
- For workshops, the Cerro de la Reina and the trip back
- Ask stallholders to wrap pottery in newspaper and box it before you carry it.
Know before you go
What makes Tonalá worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Thursday and Sunday tianguis, stretching for blocks with pottery, glass, furniture and papier-mâché.
- Watching a potter at work in one of the family workshops, burnishing pieces by hand with a stone.
- The view from the Cerro de la Reina over the rooftops toward Guadalajara.
Good to know
- Market days are Thursday and Sunday; other days are much quieter, and many stalls are shut.
- Check pottery for lead-free glazes if you plan to cook or eat from it; ask the seller.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Tonalá, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Tonalá are being researched.
Market morning on Avenida Tonaltecas and sunset on the Cerro de la Reina
Come to Tonalá on a Thursday or Sunday by 9:00, before the crowds and midday sun, for the tianguis on Avenida Tonaltecas and its side streets: pottery and stoneware, blown glass, wrought iron, carved wood, papier-mâché, wicker and furniture. Walk the whole length before buying, compare prices, and ask whether pieces were made in Tonalá itself.
Late morning. Step away to the Museo Nacional de la Cerámica, a few blocks from the market, to learn what to look for. Its rooms explain Tonalá's main styles: barro bruñido, polished by hand with a stone to a soft sheen and painted with birds and flowers; barro bandera, decorated in the green, white and red of the flag; barro canelo, cinnamon-toned ware; and petatillo, covered in a fine crosshatch pattern that imitates woven palm mats.
Afternoon. Have lunch near the main plaza, then visit a family workshop; some open their doors to visitors and sell straight from the kiln. The Parroquia de Santiago Apóstol, the town's parish church, stands close to the plaza.
Evening. Take a taxi up the Cerro de la Reina, the hill named after the queen Cihualpilli, for a view over Tonalá and the spread of Guadalajara as the light fades. Then head back to Tlaquepaque for dinner and mariachi.
Tortas ahogadas, birria and tejuino between the pottery stalls
Tonalá eats like the rest of the Guadalajara area, and market days, with food stands among the crafts, are the time to try it. The local classic is the torta ahogada, a crusty birote roll stuffed with fried pork carnitas and drowned in thin tomato sauce, with fiery chile de árbol sauce to taste; eat it with a spoon.
The local classic is the torta ahogada, a crusty birote roll stuffed with fried pork carnitas and drowned in a thin tomato sauce, with fiery chile de árbol sauce added to taste. Eat it with a spoon and plenty of napkins. Birria, goat or beef stewed with dried chiles and spices, is a weekend breakfast, served with tortillas, onion and lime, and its broth is sipped from a cup on the side.
Look for pozole, the hominy soup with pork, garnished with radish, oregano and lettuce, at fondas around the plaza, and tacos de barbacoa or lengua at morning stands. In the heat, drink tejuino, a cold, slightly fermented corn drink with lime and salt, sold from carts with a scoop of lime sherbet. Jericalla, a baked custard with a scorched top, is the Guadalajara dessert to finish with.
Food also ties back to pottery: many dishes are still cooked in clay cazuelas and served in clay bowls made here, and the market is a good place to buy a pot of your own. Choose lead-free glazes for cooking.
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How we research our Tonalá travel guide
Tonalá's market days, ceramics museum and transport links are checked against the official Tonalá website and the town's Wikipedia record, with entry rules from Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Migración.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of TonaláInstituto Nacional de MigraciónUNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Tonalá.
Timing & weather
The big tianguis runs on Thursdays and Sundays, on Avenida Tonaltecas and the streets around it. Go in the morning.
The best time to visit Tonalá is Nov to Mar. Dry, sunny and mild, comfortable for browsing the open-air market.
- Dry and mild: November - March (Sunny days in the mid to high 20s C and cool nights, almost no rain; the best months for the open-air tianguis)
- Hot and wet: April - October (April and May are the hottest, in the low 30s C; storms arrive in June and fall most afternoons until September, so shop the market in the morning)
General
Tonalá's burnished pottery: unglazed clay polished by hand with a stone to a soft shine, usually painted with animals and flowers.
No. They are neighbouring municipalities of the Guadalajara metro area. Tlaquepaque is more polished, with galleries and boutique hotels; Tonalá is where much of the pottery is made and sold more cheaply.
At the Museo Nacional de la Cerámica, a few blocks from the market, which explains styles such as barro bruñido, barro bandera and petatillo.
Cihualpilli, the ruler of Tonallan when the Spanish arrived in 1530. The hill above town is named after her and has views across the metro area.
Many larger shops pack and ship purchases; for small items, ask stallholders to wrap and box them and carry them in your hand luggage.
A masked dance-drama performed around the feast of Santiago Apóstol in late July, re-enacting battles between Santiago and indigenous warriors.
Central Tonalá is compact and flat, and on market days walking is the only sensible way around, since stalls fill Avenida Tonaltecas and its side streets and cars barely move. Taxis and Uber reach the workshops around town and the Cerro de la Reina. City buses link Tonalá with Tlaquepaque and Guadalajara; pay the driver in cash.
Tonalá is best known for:
- The Thursday and Sunday tianguis, stretching for blocks with pottery, glass, furniture and papier-mâché
- Watching a potter at work in one of the family workshops, burnishing pieces by hand with a stone
- The view from the Cerro de la Reina over the rooftops toward Guadalajara
Tonalá has only a few simple hotels, so most visitors come for the day. Tlaquepaque next door has boutique hotels around its pedestrian streets, 15 minutes from the market, and Guadalajara's Centro Histórico is the best base for a wider trip, about 40 minutes away in traffic. Staying in Tonalá itself suits shoppers who want to be at the stalls at dawn on a market day.
Getting there
By taxi or app in about 30 to 40 minutes, by city bus, or by Light Rail Line 3 to the Central de Autobuses terminus and then a short taxi.
About 30 minutes by taxi or app from Guadalajara airport, depending on traffic.
Health & safety
Some traditional glazes contain lead. Ask for lead-free pieces (sin plomo) if you plan to cook or serve food in them.
Visa & documents
Tourist stays in Mexico are visa-free for citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, the EU and many other countries. Immigration officers decide how many days you can stay (up to 180) and stamp your passport or issue a digital record. Holders of valid US, UK, Canadian or Schengen visas may also be exempt.
