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view from the roof of our hotel This past weekend, we traveled four hours via bus to Guanajuato, Guanajuato (state). Guanajuato (pronounced gwahna-hua'-toh) is known for being one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico. Cobblestone streets, outdoor markets and mariachi make this small mountain city unique. The history of the city dates back to the 1500s with the Spanish conquest of Mexico. The name means "hill of frogs" in the local indigenous language.
On the bus ride from Guadalajara to Guanajuato, we got a chance to see the Mexican countryside. Not surprisingly, we got a glimpse of "third-world" side of Mexico. Most say that Mexico is closer to its third-world past than its first-world future. Living in Guadalajara, it is hard to see this unless you travel outside of the city. Not to say that there isn't any inner-city poverty, because there is, but it is much harder to see. After all, even people that work at the Guadalajara Wal-Mart make only US $4.00 per day.
However, there was no Wal-Mart in Guanajuato! I'd be interested to see whether they have regulations to protect the historical integrity as well as the economy of the city...
At night, the city was alive with music, vendors, and parties. It
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One of Mexico's most beautiful cities had the feel of a small town with the energy of a large city.
When we arrived we went on a mariachi walking tour of the city. We literally followed a mariachi band around the city. Every now and again, they'd stop and play a couple of songs, encourage their audience to dance, hand out alcoholic beverages (which much resembled the orange drink Tang), and recite legends about Guanajuato. Mexican tourists and students tagged along with our group, and after a while we had 50-60 people following the mariachi tour with us. I heard a group of Mexican students chatting behind me. I then felt a tap on my shoulder. Apparently, a guy named Luis wanted to take a photo with me. I laughed and said, "Por que no?" (I blame this whole undertaking on my blonde hair).
We headed back to the hotel for a quick wardrobe change, and then proceeded on to a Discoteque club. They played mostly songs from the US but with a techno feel. We ordered drinks, especially for our friend Mary who was having a birthday, and danced until 3:00A.
The next day we had a nice sit-down breakfast at the hotel and went
on a tour through the city. We saw Teatro Juarez and Diego Rivera's home, as well as several museums. After 2:00P, we were free to go shop or do whatever we like. I personally shopped until around 9:00P...the shopping there was absolutely amazing. There was a HUGE market that sold souvenirs, fruit, meat, clothing...You could have spent all day long in this market alone.
Even outside our hotel there were people constantly haggling you to buy blankets, rugs, jewelry, etc. It was very difficult to resist!
As my main souvenir of this trip, I purchased the most amazing leather bag! A guy who owned his own leather shop makes everything by hand. He even buys fossils and other gem stones and then cuts them down to fit whatever jewelry, purses, belts, etc. that he needs. I feel so great buying something from a guy who loves what he makes for a living. My bag feels so much more special than going to some mall and buying a purse from someone who doesn't even care about his/her own merchandise.
Probably the most stand-out point of our trip was when Dr. Alcocer took a small group of us to a mummy museum!!
I didn't want to go...but since my main friends were all going, I tagged along. After all, it was only about US $2 for entrance. However, it turned out that there were DOZENS of bodies...most of them were unclaimed bodies buried in crypts or underground. They were then exhumed and preserved...they all looked like paper mache...but some still wore their original clothing...and some you could see how they died (e.g, a purplish hue to the ones who died of asphyxiation)...Part of me wanted to look at it as a scientific endeavor or as a piece of art...but mostly I was disturbed that I actually paid money to see it. It was art and sort of an educational experience, but at the expense of putting bodies on public display! I've decided I'd like to be cremated when I die....especially if I die in Guanajuato!!
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Jose
non-member comment
Beautiful city
Thank you for talking so well of my home town. The only thing i want to let clear is that Guanajuato is the capital of the state of Guanajuato and it does not belong to Jalisco as you said in your comments. Have a good day