Why are people from Guadalajara called “Tapatíos”?

By custom and tradition, all of those from Guadalajara have been called Tapatíos since ancient times, and this adjective has also been used to refer to everything related to this beautiful city and its surroundings.

We have adapted so much to the word Tapatío, that every time we hear it, a host of ideas come to mind that associate it with the culture of Guadalajara, which is also affectionately known as “the Pearl of the West”.

There are different versions about the origin of this word, but most agree on one that has been widely accepted and is the following:

Tapatío comes from the Nahuatl word “Tlapatiotl”, which means “worth three”, and this is how the exclusive commercial system of the Guadalajara markets was named during the 17th century, to carry out bartering or exchanging products.

The Tlapatiotl, being worth three, established a fair exchange of three pieces for three pieces, and in this way trade was carried out in Guadalajara. Thus, the word became popular among the Spanish who, not being able to pronounce Nahuatl well, called it Tapatío.

People from other provinces, upon hearing this word a lot, thought that this was the name given to the inhabitants of Guadalajara, so they began to call them Tapatíos.

Some historians say that the Tlapatiotl was a small bag with 10 cacao beans that could only be exchanged for three pieces.
San-Juan-de-Dios-Tapatio

Another humorous version says that it arose when a lady who sold tamales in Tlaquepaque, constantly told her uncle to cover the pot, which is why the saying “Cover (the pot), uncle” originated.

Regardless of the official origin of the word, today millions of people from Jalisco feel very proud to be called “tapatíos.”

Source: Jalisco de mis amores

The Guadalajara Post