activity is handcrafts, especially pottery. It is a major center for this activity in Jalisco, along with Tlaquepaque. The town has been a ceramics center since the pre Hispanic period. The variety include traditional Jalisco varieties from the colonial period such as bruñido, petatillo, bandera, canelo, betus and even bruñido with applications of gold leaf. In the 1970s, Ken Edwards and Jorge Wilmot introduced stone ware and high fire ceramics to Tonalá. Ceramic pieces include plates, platters, jars, cantaros, cooking pots, flower pots, flower vases, miniatures and other kinds of decorative pieces. One popular design motif in Tonalá ceramics is called the Flor de Tonalá (Tonalá flower), which is an oval center with rounded petals. A number of other handcrafted items are made in Tonalá as well, with blown glass coming second after ceramics. Others include ironwork, woodworking, especially furniture, cartonería (animals, clowns and dolls), tin and brass objects. The handcrafts business means ups and downs for the municipality, depending on the market. For example, many businesses closed and other reduced operations when there are economic recessions in either Mexico or the US as 80% of exports go to the latter country. Another issue is the importation of cheaper and similar Asian products. Unlike Tlaquepaque, the town of Tonalá has not been geared for tourists in the sense of hotels, restaurant and scenic streets. Despite this, it received thousands of visitors each week, most drawn by the street market or “tianguis” that is set up each Thursday and Sunday. This market is centered on the town main road for about a kilometer, and spills into adjoining side streets. This market can have from between 3,500 and 4,000 vendors, especially during the Christmas and Holy Week holidays when tourism is highest in Mexico. Aside from handcrafts, commerce is mostly limited to basic needs, with 1,000 small grocery stores, 128 butcher shops, and 142 businesses selling produce. There are also eleven municipal markets and thirty nine other tianguis markets. Agriculture is done on small-scale, raising corn, sorghum, vegetables, dairy cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, domestic fowl and bees. There is also some fish farming and mining for sand, gravel, marble and construction stone. Government Municipal presidents Geography and environment The municipality is located in the eastern part of the state. With an average altitude of 1.500 meters above sea level, the territory has three kinds of relief: areas of rugged terrain, semi flat