After hotel pickup, head with your guide to Plaza de los Mariachis (Mariachis Plaza), a busy plaza in Guadalajara’s downtown historic district where locals and visitors gather to listen to mariachi music. On the way, your guide can tell you a bit about the history of Guadalajara and mariachi, which most historians say was born in the town of Cocula, about an hour from Guadalajara in the same state of Jalisco.

When you arrive, follow your guide into the plaza to watch a local mariachi band perform a couple of the genre’s most famous songs. If you and your group would like to hear more music when the band finishes, you may pay for additional songs. Spend about an hour in the plaza, and once the lively mariachi music has put you into the proper Mexican spirit, head to a nearby bar ─ a traditional Mexican cantina ─ for your tequila tasting!

The exact bar you visit varies depending on the day of your tour, but you can be sure you’ll enjoy a fun and interesting tequila experience. Your guide, well-versed in the subject, will lead you through your tasting, which consists of two shots of tequila. You can choose which two you'd like to taste of three different types: blanco (‘white’; unaged tequila), reposado (‘rested’; aged between two months and one year in oak barrels of any size) or aejo (‘vintage’; aged between one and three years in small oak barrels). Learn about the history of tequila in Jalisco (the only state that officially produces it) and the specific requirements that must be met in order to call a distilled beverage ‘tequila.’

You have about two hours to spend at the bar, so after your tasting, just have a good time! Order more drinks if you like (own expense), dance and chat with the locals. Your tour ends with hotel drop-off.