Why visit Tonalá
Townapedia lists 16 museums and landmarks, 47 parks and trails, 34 places to eat, 4 places to stay and 11 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Puente Artesanal, Museo Regional de la Ceramica, Tlaquepaque and Terraza.
Weather in Tonalá
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Tonalá
Tonalá (Spanish pronunciation: [tonaˈla]) is a city and municipality within the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area in the state of Jalisco in Mexico. With a population of 442,440, it is the fourth largest city in the state, the other three being the other major population centres in the metro area: Guadalajara, Zapopan, and Tlaquepaque. It is best known as a major handcrafts center for Jalisco, especially pottery, as well as its very large Thursday and Sunday street market, dedicated to handcrafts.
From the Wikipedia article Tonalá, Jalisco (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do11
Puente Artesanal
Bridge · 7.5 km
Bridge in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico
Cinemex Tlaquepaque
Cinema and theater · 5.4 km
720 Niños Héroes
Museums and landmarks16
Museo Regional de la Ceramica, Tlaquepaque
Museum · 7.8 km
Ceramic museum in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico
4 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds47
Área de Protección Estatal Barrancas de los Ríos Santiago y Verde
Hiking and trails · 5.1 km
35 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes34
mariscos veracruzanos el chino
Restaurant · Seafood · 3.5 km
34 Avenida Juan Gil Preciado, tonala
El Alazán y El Rosillo
Restaurant · Mexican · 2.2 km
317 Carretera Libre a Zapotlanejo, Tonalá
22 more on the map.
History
The name comes from the Nahuatl phrase Tonallán, which means "Where the Sun rises". The town approved its seal (coat of arms) in 1985, designed by Rogelio Contreras Colina.
The town started as a Zapotec settlement, which latter incorporated Toltec and Nahua migrants, leading to a blending of cultures. Another influence were the nomadic Cocos and Tecuexes, who also lived in the area. Religious practice focused on gods such as Teoplizintli (child god), Heri (sciences) and Nayart (god of war), along with Tenaguachi and Tezcatipoca.
During the Salitre War in 1510, the Purépecha invaded the area, which at that time was a dominion, however, this effort was defeated.
When Nuño de Guzmán and the Spanish arrived in 1530, the town was the capital of a dominion ruled by a woman named Cihualpilli Tzapotzinco. This dominion included Tlaquepaque, Tololotlán, Coyolán, Mexquitán, Tzalatitán, Atemajac, Tetlán, Tateposco, Tlaxomulco, Cuescomatitán, Coyutlán and Toluquilla as tribute paying entities.
From the History section of Tonalá, Jalisco on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay4
Churches and places of worship54
Parroquia La inmaculada concepcion
Church · Catholic · 4.4 km
32 Zaragoza, Zalatitan
Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
Church · Catholic · 3.6 km
60 Calle Naturaleza Poniente
Shopping31
ana belén de.la torre romo
Grocery · 4.3 km
295 Prolongación Álvarez del Castillo
Gas and EV charging35
Schools, colleges and libraries223
Healthcare46
Map of Tonalá
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Miguel Hidalgo Y Costilla International Airport (GDL) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 13 km away.
- Los Amiales 1 km southeast, about 1 min by car
- Coyula 5 km north, about 5 min by car
- Paseo de las Cañadas 5 km east, about 5 min by car
- Tlaquepaque 6 km west, about 6 min by car
- La Punta 7 km southeast, about 7 min by car
- El Mirador 6 km southwest, about 6 min by car
- Colonia Guadalupana 7 km south, about 7 min by car
- Mismaloya (Fraccionamiento Pedregal de Santa Martha) 8 km east, about 8 min by car
- Guadalajara 13 km northwest, about 13 min by car
- Zapopan 19 km northwest, about 19 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Santo Santiago Apostol, Talton12, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Semana Santa en Tonalá, Felipe Jarero, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Calle 16 de Septiembre Tonalá, Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Calle Matamoros Tonalá, Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Alfarería en Tonalá (Jalisco, México) (2), Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Jarras tianguis de Tonalá, Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tianguis Tonalá, Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Alfarería en Tonalá (Jalisco, México) (1), Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cruz Blanca Tonalá, Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Calaveras Tonalá (2), Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Calaveras Tonalá (1), Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- La Calavera Catrina Tonalá, Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Calaveras Tonalá (Jalisco, Mexico), Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tianguis de Tonalá, Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tienda de antigüedades Tonalá, Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bandejas tianguis de Tonalá, Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sillas artesanales tianguis de Tonalá, Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Entresijos del tianguis de Tonalá, Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Puente Artesanal, Josfabs, CC BY-SA 3.0
- MuseoRegCeramicaTlaque29, Thelmadatter, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Parroquia Santiago Apostol, Felipe Jarero, CC BY-SA 4.0
- ParishSantiagoApostolTonala04, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ParishSantiagoApostolTonala01, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ParishSantiagoApostolTonala02, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- ParishSantiagoApostolTonala03, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Plaza Cihuapilli Tonala 02, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Plaza Cihuapilli Tonala 01, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- SantuarioSagradoCorazon01, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- SantuarioSagradoCorazon02, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- AlexanderFloresWorkshopTonala, AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Aderezos para raspados, Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- KenEdwardsStore025, Thelmadatter, CC BY-SA 4.0
- KenEdwardsStore024, Thelmadatter, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Estatuillas de barro, Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Estación Central de autobuses del Tren Eléctrico Urbano de Jalisco 01, Luis Alvaz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Estación Central de autobuses del Tren Eléctrico Urbano de Jalisco 03, Luis Alvaz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Estación Central de autobuses del Tren Eléctrico Urbano de Jalisco 02, Luis Alvaz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- ISS029-E-5499 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- ISS065-E-392735 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- Carne en su Jugo, Photo.MarioVG, CC BY-SA 4.0
Page built November 4, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.