# Cd. Guzman info please



## mybraincells (Oct 21, 2013)

Moving from California to Ciudad Guzman and would like all the info I can get about it. Will be taking a trip down a few months before we move but would like to learn about it now. Will be moving with my husband and 16 year old son. We are all only beginning to learn the language. We are pretty self sufficient people as far as Americans go. We prefer rural areas and would like to live out of "town" but would like to hear your thoughts on the safety of the area. We are not the panicky type but don't want to be stupid either. We don't have a lot of money, but would prefer to have a little elbow room at least a large lot so I can have a few animals. I can "drive" around in google street view, which is really cool but I can't find many web pages with information about Guzman. 
Thanks for your help!
Michelle


----------



## ElPaso2012 (Dec 16, 2012)

mybraincells said:


> Moving from California to Ciudad Guzman and would like all the info I can get about it. Will be taking a trip down a few months before we move but would like to learn about it now. Will be moving with my husband and 16 year old son. We are all only beginning to learn the language. We are pretty self sufficient people as far as Americans go. We prefer rural areas and would like to live out of "town" but would like to hear your thoughts on the safety of the area. We are not the panicky type but don't want to be stupid either. We don't have a lot of money, but would prefer to have a little elbow room at least a large lot so I can have a few animals. I can "drive" around in google street view, which is really cool but I can't find many web pages with information about Guzman.
> Thanks for your help!
> Michelle


Are you talking about Guzman, Chihuahua, due southwest from Ciudad Juarez? That's the only one I see in Google Maps using the search term "Guzman, Mexico" or "Ciudad Guzman".


----------



## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

I assumed the one in Jalisco but maybe I shouldn't have?

We stopped for a few hours on the way to somewhere else. Big, clean city ... at least in Centro. A few classic old buildings around the plaza but not a lot. Looks very working class. The distribution hub for all the farming in the area. It can look pretty bleak after 5-6 months with no rain. Lots of smaller towns nearby


----------



## mybraincells (Oct 21, 2013)

Sorry. I meant Ciudad Guzman Jalisco. South of Chapala


----------



## mybraincells (Oct 21, 2013)

Thank you Sparks! Farming is good and bleak after 6 months of no rain sounds like where I live now so I can handle that!! Anyone know what the people are like? Expenses? Crime? I understand it has several universities.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Might I ask why you have chosen Ciudad Guzmán as your new home?


----------



## mybraincells (Oct 21, 2013)

We have been asked to help out a small group of English speaking Bible students there. I'm sure they will help us to get settled in.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

mybraincells said:


> We have been asked to help out a small group of English speaking Bible students there. I'm sure they will help us to get settled in.


I'm sure they will. Have you visited your nearest Mexican Consulate to get information about obtaining legal residency for your stay in Mexico?


----------



## mybraincells (Oct 21, 2013)

-No, not yet but it's on my list. Hope we qualify rules look quite confusing and neither of us has had a visa before.


----------



## mybraincells (Oct 21, 2013)

Anyone else been to Giudad Guzman?


----------



## HoldenBeachMike (Oct 26, 2013)

I see you are moving (or want to) to Guzman from California. When? You mention being invited to help a group of Bible Students. Are you a Witness? If so please reply. If not ignore this post.


----------



## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

Have you Googled living in Ciudad Guzman? There's a website that gives 7 reasons for living there. Pretty interesting.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

vantexan said:


> Have you Googled living in Ciudad Guzman? There's a website that gives 7 reasons for living there. Pretty interesting.


Is the website sponsored by the Ciudad Guzmán Chamber of Congress? Just wondering ...


----------



## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

Isla Verde said:


> Is the website sponsored by the Ciudad Guzmán Chamber of Congress? Just wondering ...


Young American who really loves the place. In the comments there are numerous former residents now in the States who talk about how much they miss it.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

vantexan said:


> Young American who really loves the place. In the comments there are numerous former residents now in the States who talk about how much they miss it.


That sounds promising.


----------



## HoldenBeachMike (Oct 26, 2013)

We have our airfare arrangements to fly to Guad. Arriving on the 26th of Nov. from NC. We will likely stop and visit Chapala first then hustle down to Cd Guzman. We are excited about the opportunity. If anyone has been their it would be good to hear from them. I did read a blog that has been informative re: Guzman. We also have been in touch with folks from there. Any other info would be good.


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Originally Posted by vantexan 
Young American who really loves the place. In the comments there are numerous former residents now in the States who talk about how much they miss it.


That should give you a clue...Everyone loves it and misses it..noticed they do not live there any longer.

It is a shopping town for all the farm towns around . People from Sayula and other small towns around go there to shop.


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I read the 7 reasons to live there. I particularly like the location bit, you make a circle around the location you want to promote and declare yourself in the center of the interesting area,,,unfortunately all the interesting places are one to 3 hours from where you live,,so why not live in one of the "ineresting places"


We went through there and did not see a reason to stop..maybe we were unfair to the place but we rather be in Sayula or Colima as shopping in general is not why we go and visit places.If you want to move to a town in the country why not that one but do not expect people to jump and down with excitement when you mention it. 
If you want a farm in the country and be close to amenities then I guess you will be happy there. 
It sounds like it is a place where missionaries go so hopefully you will have people around who speaks English otherwise it will be awfully lonely if you do not speak the language.


----------



## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

vantexan said:


> Young American who really loves the place. In the comments there are numerous former residents now in the States who talk about how much they miss it.


It's pretty common for Mexicans living up north from all over Mexico to talk about their hometown and how much they miss it. Many still have family there


----------



## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

citlali said:


> Originally Posted by vantexan
> Young American who really loves the place. In the comments there are numerous former residents now in the States who talk about how much they miss it.
> 
> 
> ...


The people who love it and miss it are Mexicans living in the States. Or who's grandfather, etc was from there and they're curious about it. It's just an American's blog about living there that they ran across and posted comments to it.


----------



## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

citlali said:


> I read the 7 reasons to live there. I particularly like the location bit, you make a circle around the location you want to promote and declare yourself in the center of the interesting area,,,unfortunately all the interesting places are one to 3 hours from where you live,,so why not live in one of the "ineresting places"
> 
> 
> We went through there and did not see a reason to stop..maybe we were unfair to the place but we rather be in Sayula or Colima as shopping in general is not why we go and visit places.If you want to move to a town in the country why not that one but do not expect people to jump and down with excitement when you mention it.
> ...


I'm not interested in moving there, just trying to help the OP. I had read the blog about a year ago, thought he might find it useful if he hadn't already read it.


----------



## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

sparks said:


> It's pretty common for Mexicans living up north from all over Mexico to talk about their hometown and how much they miss it. Many still have family there


True, just not often to find a blog in English about such places as most seem to be about surfing or partying on the coast. I've seen you post on the Thorn Tree which is a place where one can find travelers who do seem to appreciate smaller cities and unique places. Of course now I'll be told by someone you can't believe anything you read on the Thorn Tree...


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Vantexan I was responding to the OP not to you.
Cd Guzman is like many other smaller towns around nothing bad to report and nothing great, it is just a larger town in the area servicing the smaller farm towns and communities. It is in a physically attractive area but there is not much to say about it..
That is a foreigner´s perspecitve, I am sure that if you are from there or have a job there it is a pleasant area to live in but I am retired and I need a little more to do that watch other people going about their feria and daily life and I speak Spanish...
We found out that when you live more than an hour from a wonderful place you never go there...


----------



## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

Back in 2005 I did a post on Santa Maria del Oro in Jalisco, very small and end of the road. 84 comments and almost all from Mexicans living up north. Make an interesting post about almost any town and you'll get those comments.

Santa Maria del Oro - Jalisco - Lost in Mexico

Volunteer Visit – Cd. Guzman


----------



## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

It´s a good thing that you plan a trip for a few months to Ciudad Guzman as a tourist to try to get to know the place first-hand. However, you should take Isla´s advice and visit your nearest Mexican consulate to ascertain that you qualify for a residency visa financially under the new, more strigent, rules. If you are coming down to work with some "English speaking bible students" perhaps as a missionary of some sort, you may need a work visa and, since those sorts of endeavors often pay very little money and if that is so in your case, you´d also best have some independent financial resources other than your earnings in such a relatively isolated regional farming center. 

I don´t mean to be presumptious about your qualifications for residency but I think you wrote earlier that looking into a residency visa that was on your list. That should be the first thing on your list before you make any commitments to anybody down there. 

It sounds to me as though you are or wish to be farmers and that is a pretty good area for that if you are good at it but please be cautious about moving to isolated farmland in the middle of nowhere. Rural Mexico is not rural California and living isolated down here is not always a good idea. However, some towns in that farming region have deep city lots which are appropriate for keeping farm animals or, perhaps, truck farming so you might look into that.

By the way, achieving fluency in Spanish may prove more difficult than you think. 

Good luck to you.


----------



## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Of course. It is a nice city with attractive streets and friendly people. It is very conservative.


----------



## HoldenBeachMike (Oct 26, 2013)

For my BrainCellsOnly: Where in CA do you live and what Circuit are you in?


----------



## Hound Dog (Jan 18, 2009)

_


HoldenBeachMike said:



For my BrainCellsOnly: Where in CA do you live and what Circuit are you in?

Click to expand...

_What the hell does that mean, Mike. I lived in California for almost 40 years and never heard of a "Circuit". I also grew up in Alabama and never heard of a "Circuit". I must be losing it. Is that like, "Were yáll frum?"


----------



## mybraincells (Oct 21, 2013)

Awesome, thank you everyone for your help! I really like that Peace corps blog Sparks, just the kinda thing I was looking for. No worries about the requirements we got it covered. 
and Hound dog a circuit is just a group of congregations within a certain area!


----------



## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

More missionaries! YUK! Many countries outlaw them for very good reasons.


----------



## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

RVGRINGO said:


> More missionaries! YUK! Many countries outlaw them for very good reasons.


True, Muslim countries that don't allow Christianity to be expressed, for example. The former Soviet bloc too, being atheists. Other than those....


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

vantexan said:


> True, Muslim countries that don't allow Christianity to be expressed, for example. The former Soviet bloc too, being atheists. Other than those....


Forget about expressing your religion in countries like Saudi Arabia - if you're Jewish, they won't even let you in, not that I have any desire to visit that large sand box with oil!


----------



## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

There are ways. I once carried separate passports for convenience in visiting Israel and Moslem countries, as well as both white and black Africa. Things have changed over time; some better, some worse. However, those stops in more neutral countries were inconvenient, depressing and time consuming; especially Malawi.


----------



## dichosalocura (Oct 31, 2013)

I have visited Ciudad Guzman twice. It is a very easy 2 hour drive to Chapala via Jocotepec if you use the cuota add 15 to 20 minutes if you take the free road. The city is very attractive in el centro. If I were to rate all the larger towns of Jalisco (and excluding Gdl and the turistic mountain pueblitos of, say, Mazamitla and Tapalpa) I would put Lagos de Moreno in first place, Ciudad Guzman in second, and perhaps Tepa in third, and possibly followed by Arandas. The city can be considered a medium sized city but more than likely it will feel very very small after say the first week. In a 15 min walk you can walk across the whole centro and in possibly a 30 min walk you can walk from one side of town to the other. Regarding shopping for anything, you probably won't be impressed except by the tianguis Farmers market when you shop for fresh fruits and veggies. El Centro is very quaint, colonial and very Very Catholic. If you feel you are being attacked, it is because are... Most of the expats are very angry with religious do gooders that aim to change the Mexican soul and its cultural and catholic way of life.
Catholicism may not be all sunshine but it definitely is what gave Mexico its unique and breathtaking architecture and colorful fiestas. It is what makes it different from the confusing doctrine that is different on every block that is found in cities NOB.

If you can't love and appreciate Mexico for what it is, don't come, but God Forbid, don't try to take away its festivals and change its values and traditions!


----------



## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

The Catholic church did enormous damage to Mexico and still is causing damage just as the currant missionaries are in an area like Chiapas, although it was not their goals or intentions . The effect of a new religion brought in new religious wars.
I do not think that missionaries have a bad influence on Mexico as a whole but they do in some indigenous areas. 
The missionaries in Chiapas brought many improvements, first alcohol was banned and it cut way back on violence and abuse of women and children , good hygiene was taught and it brough health improvements. Readind and wrting is a priority in Evangelists communities as people read the bible .
Unfortunately it challenged the currant structure and caused a lot of people to be kicked out of the village and of their land and become refugies. It also divides the communities terribly and pits family members and community members against each other. 
I have friends who are Traditional Christian Catholic ( a new one on me) and are part of the traditional Catholic church and the rest of the family is Presbyterian (the evangelists type) Religion is a major point of contention in the family and brings in many fights,
That side effect of bringing a new religion with new community leaders and new customs is very disruptive to that society.
.
For those of you who do not know what traditional Catholics are : they are people following the Mayan religion and being taught the Popo Vul and other Mayan rites as well as having adpated catholic rites. .
All these brings major problems to the indigenous who would have been better off using their energy to better their community than fighting about believes.
I non- indigenous areas , I have no opinions, I am friends with all kinds of people who believe in whatever they chose to believe and as long as they do not try to impose their religion on me I have no problems with them.

Wether missionaries come or not it is irrelevant, they are plenty of Evangelists Mexicans who can continue the work so no point getting excited about the OP coming to Mexico and changing things, Afterall the Catholics came to Mexico and did a whole lot more damage before the arrival of new religions...


----------



## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

And that's human history
Roman gods vs Greek gods
Muslims, Catholics, Evangelists, Protestants,Jews, whatever religion people have, they still look for reasons to fight over others

Is there anything anyone could do about it?
I guess not


----------



## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

It has yet to be identified, but there must be a gene for divisiveness in the **** sapiens genome. I often wonder if earlier hominids had it, but they are extinct. Did we exterminate them? Maybe so.


----------



## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

RVGRINGO said:


> It has yet to be identified, but there must be a gene for divisiveness in the **** sapiens genome. I often wonder if earlier hominids had it, but they are extinct. Did we exterminate them? Maybe so.


How about this?


----------



## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

That is the general idea.


----------

