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The area to the west of the cathedral is a great part of the city for aimless meandering. There has been far less modernization in this direction, and the busy shopping streets, many of them closed to traffic, turn up fascinating glimpses of traditional Mexican life and plenty of odd moments of interest. There's a small general market at Santa Monica and Hidalgo. A little further out, the university area is quieter than the centre, the streets broader, and there's also a younger atmosphere, with plenty of good restaurants and cafes, while further out still are expensive residential areas, interesting in their own way for the contrast to crowded downtown. The old Telegrafos building - also known as the "Ex-Templo de la Compania" and now a university library (Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat 9am-5pm; free) - lies just west of the Plaza de Armas at the junction of Pedro Moreno with Colon. Originally a church, the building later became a university lecture hall, during which time the nineteenth-century Neoclassical facade was added and it was decorated with murals by David Siqueiros and Amado de la Cueva . Later still it housed the telegraph offices. The murals here, depicting workers, peasants and miners in a heroic-socialist style, provide an interesting contrast to Orozco's work. Outside there's an attractive little plaza, and the pedestrianized streets make a pleasant escape from the traffic, if not the crowds. Immediately to the north are several examples of the beautiful, little-known Baroque churches that stud Guadalajara. The closest is the Templo de Santa Monica , on Santa Monica between San Felipe and Reforma, with fabulously rich doorways and an elegant, stone interior. The nearby Templo de San Felipe Neri , San Felipe at Contreras Medellin, is a few years younger - dating from the second half of the eighteenth century - and more sumptuously decorated, with a superb facade and lovely, dilapidated tower overgrown with a tangle of plants. Both of these churches have extravagantly decorated rain spouts - in the form of dragons on San Felipe. A block along Contreras Medellin, at the corner of Juan Manuel, the Templo de las Capuchinas is by contrast a completely plain, fortress-like structure; inside, though, it's more interesting, with paintings and a lovely vaulted brick roof. Between these two, Contreras Medellin is lined with old printing shops ( imprentas ), where you can see the clanking, ancient presses at work. Back on the main route west, at Juarez and 8 de Julio, the ex- Convento del Carmen was one of the city's richest monasteries, but its wealth has largely been stripped, leaving an austere, white building of elegant simplicity. Modern art exhibitions, dance events and concerts are regularly staged here.
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