Beautiful beaches. Majestic mountains. Colonial cities. And tequila.

The folks who work for the tourism department in the Mexican state of Jalisco like to say “Jalisco is Mexico.” After hearing about all the area has to offer, and tasting some of the region’s finest tequila and best culinary offerings, I’d have to say they have a point.

Jalisco Tourism put on a fabulous event in the west end of Toronto on Tuesday night as agents donned their aprons and helped make a series of authentic Jalisco dishes. They also took part in an informative tequila tasting, which showed off a variety of tequilas, including aged or anejo tequila that had the colour and rich flavours of a fine whiskey.

Agents dined on chicken with authentic Mexican mole sauce, fish baked with olives, capers, tomatoes and raisins, braised beef, tasty churros, delicious vegetarian enchiladas and small pulled pork sandwiches with pickled onions and a slightly spicy sauce called Tortas Ahogadas, which a Canadian travel agent who’s from Jalisco said were extremely authentic.

Angelica Gonzalez Moran, promotion coordinator for Turismo Jalisco, said the goal of the evening was to have fun, show off some of the region’s fine (and complex) culinary offerings and, naturally, give agents added information so they can book more trips to the area.

Jalisco is a large state in western Mexico that includes two well-known destinations; Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara.

Guadalajara has lovely colonial architecture, fabulous shopping and excellent hotels. You also can take the Tequila Train from Guadalajara to the town of Tequila, where you can see how they make the famous spirit and, naturally, taste some yourself.

Moran said Jose Cuervo has a hotel in Tequila called Solar de las Animas with a bar that includes part of an old chapel. You also can sleep in a hotel that has rooms fashioned out of giant tequila barrels.

Jalisco is home to a wide variety of attractions, including waterfalls and charming villages on Chalapa Lake, the largest lake in Mexico. You’ll also find beautiful pottery, opal mines you can tour and terrific areas for cycling and hiking. Jalisco also is where mariachi music was born.

The state has many facilities that make it attractive for MICE travel, and it’s also LGBTQ-friendly, Moran said.

Puerto Vallarta is well-known to Canadians as a fabulous beach destination. Moran said visitors also should check out the small, quaint villages south of Puerto Vallarta on the Costalegre.

In addition to its natural beauty, great food and variety of attractions, Jalisco is convenient for Canadians to reach via direct flights to Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta.

Moran told TravelPulse Canada that they’re planning some agent fams in the coming months, and that she'll be doing a similar Jalisco food and tourism event with agents in Montreal on Thursday of this week.

“We want more Canadians to come and see what we have to offer,” she said. “Jalisco really is Mexico.”

For more information: https://www.visitmexico.com/en/main-destinations/jalisco