Three Amigos, private investigators, has hired us to capture the spirit of Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city. A tough assignment but hey, somebody’s got to do it. Won’t you join us?

Our first stop is the Mercado Libertad, the city’s main market in the Centro Historico. We thread our way through a labyrinth of stalls: silver bangles, tooled leather goods, intricately embroidered shirts, and vivid bouquets of paper flowers. The lunchtime aroma of roast pork, fried beef and sautéed onions wafts down from the fondas (food stalls) on the second floor.