From weapons to books: the success of Guadalajara
The capital of Jalisco comes together to celebrate its best annual event
Guadalajara (Mexico)The Guadalajara Book FairThe Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), popularly known as the FIL, was born from the vision of a university rector who wanted to transform the city. And he succeeded. Raúl Padilla López (1954-2023) is largely responsible for Guadalajara's culture, not its violence—though the drug cartel problem persists—thanks to the FIL and the International Film Festival, which he himself championed. He's also responsible for tequila (more than just a drink, it's a culture), the murals by painters who emerged from the Mexican Revolution (especially those of José Clemente Orozco), and the mariachis. Yes, Guadalajara, the capital of the state of Jalisco, embodies a great deal of Mexican identity.
Padilla's suicide two years ago left a great void. Having joined the radical left as a student, he had among his professors the Catalan exile Josep M. Murià Romaní, a militant of Estat Català (Macià's party) who for a time taught Spanish history at the university. It's not hard to imagine what kind of Spain he envisioned... Murià's son, José María Murià, helped Padilla get the Ministry of the Interior to erase his communist record from his youth, a status sine qua non to be able to run for parish priest, a position he obtained in 1989. Before that, Padilla and Murià Jr. launched the first FIL in 1987. Today, after Frankfurt, it is the most important, professionally speaking.
Under Padilla's leadership, both the FIL and the university, which he modernized and decentralized, took a leap forward. Even as former rector, he maintained control of the UdeG: he even ended up placing his brother at the helm.
On the eve of its 40th anniversary, the FIL is fully consolidated, both qualitatively and quantitatively. This year, bets are being placed on whether it will surpass one million visitors. The student audience, whether university or high school, is crucial. In most of the 125 municipalities of the state of Jalisco, there are high schools, known as Preparatorios, which depend on the university: starting on Thursday, many boys and girls arrive by bus at the fair. For a few days, they live in a world of books.
Guadalajara's cultural brand links it with Barcelona, this year's guest city. Both will strengthen ties with more initiatives, and starting in March, a direct flight will connect them. The 2004 edition, with Catalonia as the guest country, marked a turning point: for years it was considered the best. Now it's Barcelona's turn. Padilla has always admired Catalonia and its capital. Much of the credit for that goes to the Murià family, of course.