Degollado Theater (Guadalajara, Mexico)
Degollado Theater
Teatro Degollado is a neoclassical Mexican theater known for its diverse performances and artistic design. It is located in the central plaza of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico on Belen Street between Hidalgo Avenue and Morelos Avenue. Many performances (from cultural Mexican dances to international operas) take place in this building. Meant to be a monument of Guadalajara's culture, the theater was inaugurated in September 1866; breathing life to the city through its innovative artistic beauty.
Degollado Theater was constructed during Mexico's 1800s theatrical movement. There was a high demand for a great theater in Guadalajara that displayed the cultural arts of the city. In response to the demand, on October 1, 1855, Antonio Pérez Verdía proposed the construction of Alarcón Theater (after the classic dramatist Juan Ruiz de Alarcón) to the current governor of the time, Santos Degollado. On December 12 of that same year, Degollado signed the official decree to build the structure, and in March, 1856, Degollado set the first cornerstone of the building. In April 1856, Jacobo Gálvez was appointed to lead the initial construction of the theater.
Due to a three-year war in Mexico, and a change of government during the dispute, the completion of the project was slow. On November 12, 1861, Governor Pedro Amazon changed the proposed name of the project from the "Alarcon Theater" to the "Degollado Theater", after ex-governor and general at the time of his death, Santos Degollado (killed in a battle on June 16, 1861). This change of name was not acknowledged at the time of inauguration, but was adopted on December 18, 1866, when Mexican liberal troops regained control of the plaza where the theater is located.