Guanajuato

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After leaving San Miguel we headed up to Guanajuato (GJ) where the countryside is dry and desert like. We are in the north central highlands now and although the sun is as bright and intense as at the lower elevations the air is noticeably cooler. GJ is at 2017 meters, higher then Denver.

This town of 78 thousand souls is stuffed into a ravine with steep sides with access roads leading into the terrain following the old mining tunnels constructed years ago. Coming into the city involves coming through these underground tunnels which are not well lit. Traffic in the city is one way with the return trip involving coming back through the tunnels. The net result is a town with very light traffic and a joy in which to walk. That is, except for the steepness of many of the alleys and streets.

The city was settled in 1559 with the commencement of silver and gold mining. (Remember those history lessons with Sir Francis Drake the privateer attacking Spanish galleons on the high seas? Well, the origins of a lot of the gold and silver in those galleons was from right here in GJ as well as from Zacatecas, which we will be going to next).

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Photos

From San Miguel to Guanajuato
The central highlands unfold before us as we bus along headed toward GJ from San Miguel. We were on a segunda (second)class, uncrowded bus with plenty of room to stretch out, which is not always the case.

Overview-GJ
Guanajuato is beautiful without a doubt. The city is rich in colonial architecture with its' wealth coming from its' mining activity. The La Velenciana mine opened in 1558 and produced 20% of the world's silver for 250 years.

Guanajuato Hillside
Color is everywhere in Mexico; imagine these hillside homes in a somber brown or grey; it's not the same at all!

Festival of Delores-Guanajuato
Delores is the patron saint of miners, an appropriate festival for this region.

Teatro Juarez
This is the imposing Teatro Juarez which was built between 1873 and 1903. It is in the central area which we walked past most days.
We attended a guitar performance by Alejandro Filio at the nearby Teatro Principal; we didn't understand a word he sang but thoroughly enjoyed the guitar music and the emotional delivery of his performance. The crowd went nuts.

Chilies Galore in the Market
We visited and ate in the Mercado Hidalgo most days; the food is inexpensive and good. If you want "hot" this is the place to be. This fellow kept disappearing below the piles until I finally was able to take his picture.

Alhondiga de Granaditas
The war of independence from Spain commenced in this region in 1810 with the first rebel victory occurring here in GJ. The Alhondiga was a hugh grain storehouse which became a fortress for Spanish soldiers and loyalists. They barricaded themselves here when General Hidalgo and 20,000 rebels attempted to take GJ. On Sept. 10, 1810 Hidalgo, clearly being of the General Patton military persuasion, ordered a young minor named Juan Jose Martinez (aka Pipila)to strap a stone slab on his back as protection from Spanish bullets and to set the gates (seen here) afire. As a consequence, the rebels were able to enter the Alhondiga and slaughter most of those inside.

Pipila
This large statue overlooks GJ and is a monument to Pipila's courage (although orders are orders?)in setting fire to the gates of the Alhondiga. We arrived at the top of the hill using the funicular i.e. a small tram.

At the Monumento
Here we are at the base of the monumento overlooking GJ.

Templo de San Diego
This picture of the church of San Diego was taken from the base of the momuent to Pipila. The small triangular green space in front of the church is the Jardin de la Union, which is essentially the center of Guanajuato

Entrance to the Mercado Hidalgo
The mercado is the local market area in the city. This has to be one of the fanciest mercado entry gates we have seen on our trip thusfar

Lunch Over the Street
Ambling along on side streets one is often surprised to see these photo ops suddenly appear.
Will stop for now; see you in Zacatecas soon.