Guadalupe, AZ

Hotels/Motels

There are hotels and motels in Guadalupe with something for every taste and price range. For more information and a complete list. (Click here for: Rates, availability and reservations online.)


Location / Description
Guadalupe (Gua-da-loo-pay) is a buried treasure amidst the bustling and ever-growing metropolitan Phoenix area. Unlike its surrounding cities and towns, entering Guadalupe is like stepping into Mexico without ever leaving the United States. It is a town with a cultural richness that hasn't been spoiled despite the high tech changes going on around it. It is a Yaqui Native American and Mexican community with a very strong cultural and ethnic identity. It is named for the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. In Guadalupe, even the streets retain their Mexican names as in the main street: Avenida Del Yaqui. It is primarily a residential area with retail and service businesses. Most of these businesses have managed to keep their ethnic color and look different than traditional store fronts with Mexican artifacts hanging from the storefronts. Guadalupe is often referred to as the "Little Mexico" of Arizona.

 

Guadalupe is situated between Phoenix and Tempe, at the base of South Mountain. It is approximately 7 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

Population / Elevation

Population: 5258
Elevation: 1248

Area: 1 square mile. Guadalupe is destined to remain this size since it is surrounded by manmade boundaries: Interstate 10 and the city of Phoenix on the west, Baseline Road and the city of Tempe on the North, the city of Tempe on the South, and the Salt River Project's Highline Canal on the East.


 


History

Guadalupe was founded by Yaqui Native Americans in the early 1900s. The Yaqui Native Americans had fled their homeland along the Yaqui River in Sonora, Mexico, to avoid persecution and enslavement by the Mexican government under Porforio Diaz. Many Yaquis entered Arizona and several villages were established. The people of Arizona were sympathetic to the plight of these refugees who set up communities. Catholic and Presbyterian missionaries also supported the community and helped secure land for a legal town site in 1914. By the 1960s, Guadalupe was no longer just Yaqui but Hispanic as well.

The town of Guadalupe was incorporated in 1975.


Things To Do

  • Water sports
  • Yaqui and Mexican festivals
  • Boating and fishing
  • Hiking, golf, and horseback riding
  • Picnicking

Events

  • Yaqui Lent and Easter Ceremonies - ceremonial rites in the plaza with 300-year-old religious rites of the participants. (There are local fines for photographing, recording, or drawing the activities.) (March/April)
  • Feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (December 12)
  • Christmas Celebrations

 


Camping & RV Parks

For more information, contact:

Guadalupe Chamber of Commerce
c/o Town of Guadalupe
9050 S. Avenida del Yaqui
Guadalupe, AZ 85283
602-730-3080 Fax 602-730-3096

Resources & Nearby Attractions

Resources

Nearby Attractions

  • Arizona Mills Shopping Center
  • Papago Park - Home to Desert Botanical Gardens (http://www.dbg.org) This is a living museum featuring 50,000 desert plants from around the world. Enjoy tours, concerts, seasonal exhibits, special events and family activities. It is also the site of the Phoenix Zoo. (http://www.phoenixzoo.org)
  • Downtown Phoenix - Home of the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona Diamondbacks
  • Old Scottsdale - Experience the Old West.
  • Arizona State University (Main Campus) - (http://www.asu.edu) - ASU has grown into the largest university in the nation, with several campuses spread throughout the metropolitan area. The largest of these campuses is the Tempe ASU Campus, a square-mile center of knowledge and cultural experience. It is one of the top research universities in the US. ASU's Sun Devils can be seen playing football at Sun Devil Stadium - marked by the giant 'A' on the adjacent mountain. "ASU has a vision to be a New American University, promoting excellence in its research and among its students and faculty, increasing access to its educational resources and working with communities to positively impact social and economic development." Arizona State University's main campus is in Tempe

Cities & Towns

Parks & Monuments

  • South Mountain Park - hiking, camping, biking.
  • McDowell Mountain Regional Park - camping, hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails on preserved lands. Sprawling trails for all ability levels.
  • Camelback Mountain - hiking trails
  • Piesta Peak - hiking trails. Piesta Peak was at one time referred to as Squaw Peak but recently renamed as a tribute to a Native American soldier (a woman) killed in Iraq.

Recreation & Wilderness Areas

  • Firebird Lake with power-boat races
  • Tempe Town Lake - (http://www.tempe.gov/lake/) Part of the Rio Salado recreational development - a manmade lake surrounded by facilities for recreational activities, music events, town parties including Fourth of July and New Year's Eve fireworks, More than 2 million people visit Tempe Town Lake each year to boat, fish, attend concerts, fireworks and a variety of festivals. It's also one of Tempe's best development sites. Home to Tempe Beach Park.
  • Salt River Recreation - riding inner tubes down the Verde and Salt Rivers. Very popular during the hot days of summer.
  • Saguaro Lake and Canyon Lake - for boating and fishing.

Historic & Points of Interest

  • El Tianguis is a Mexican style 22,000 square foot shopping square with colorful restaurants and shops offering imported products. Products available: pickled cactus, made-to-order piñatas, authentic Mexican pottery, Yaqui art, leather boots and saddles. Some of the products here are unavailable anywhere else in Arizona. Weekends - expect live music.
  • Avenida Del Yaqui (main street in town) where you can discover roadside fruit stands, numerous specialty shops, and one of the only authentic Mexican bakeries in the Valley. Imported pottery, artifacts, metal work, art, and more.
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church
  • El Templo - Yaqui Temple
  • Guadalupe Cemetery at Beck and Ellis in Tempe.


 


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