Guanajuato

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As you can see from the amount of photos (and I only included 1/4 of them) on this entry, we had a fabulous time in Guanajauto. We would suggest this city to anyone traveling in Mexico. It has a little something for everyone!!!

We started our day in the early afternoon from Chipancingo and traveled to Mexico City, approx. 4 hours, where we transferred buses, after a few hour wait, of course. We then traveled, approx. 5, hours, to the cobbled streets of Guanajuato. We arrived around 12:30 a.m., so besides the view from our roof top, we didn't see much else, but little did we know what Guanajuato had in store for us for the next couple of days.

Gorgeous Guanajuato is crammed onto the steep slopes of a ravine, with narrow streets twisting around the hillsides and finally disappearing into a series of tunnels. Guanajuato was settled in 1559 after silver and gold was found, which was among the world's richest. Guanajuato was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.

Guanajuato's center is quite compact, with a few major streets and lots of tiny callejones (small walkways/alleyways). The Jardin de la Union is surrounded by restaurants and shaded by trees. It is the heart of the city and where we spent most of our time drinking and eating. There is always live music in the center of the garden as well as clowns putting on shows and other street music. You can get lost people watching as well.

We did take a 5 hour tour of Guanajuato, which included a history lesson within the tour. On the tour we were guided to the Mina and Templo La Valenciana, which is where we toured the the mine and the Museo de las Momias, where mummies are on display. The first remains were discovered in 1865 and what the authorities uncovered were not skeletons, but flesh mummified with grotesque forms and facial expressions. We chose to leave those photos out, but for those that are interested or have some odd obsession, we can always send you an an email with a couple of the photos.

We stopped off at a local candy store during the tour as well. As I have mentioned before every region in Mexico is known for a specific type of food, but Guanajuanto is known for it's Mexican candies.

We would recommend the tour because it takes more time touring on the local bus and you don't get the full explanation of the rich history of Guanajuato. Afterwards you can spend your time enjoying the center, which we did after our next experience.

As the photos shows, 2 of the best hours we have had traveling were with the callejoneadas. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings around 9:00 p.m. callejoneadas depart from the Jardin de la Union. The callejoneada tradition came from Spain. They are a group of professional singers and musicians, dressed in traditional costumes that sing, play and walk with the streets and ancient alleyways with an entire group of spectators. Stories and jokes are told during the "performance" as well. It is really hard to describe it much more, but we can tell you some of the locals are on their balconies listening as we walk by while others slam their doors. It was a Sunday night between 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. We can also add this...try to imagine driving a moped through these small hilly streets while delivering pizzas and all of a sudden you encounter a group of 40 people. Well, it actually happened twice and he had no where to go. Eventually we parted down the middle and he made his way through, but I am sure he was late for his delivery. The funny part is the second time it happened, it was the same guy. You think he would have learned the first time.

We ended at the Callejon del Beso, which you can read about in the caption of the photo. Afterwards, we found ourselves back at the Jardin de la Union, where we finished the night drinking Victorias and listening to live music at one of the restaurants. We woke the next morning and enjoyed our morning at an outdoor cafe in the Plaza de la Paz with an amazing view of the basilica. Our breakfast consisted of nothing less than the best Mexican tradition, Chilaquiles, which are fried tortillas cooked with a red or green chili sauce and with either chicken or eggs and cheese and cream on top. We choice eggs for this morning. We read our paper and just enjoyed the rest of the day...refreshed from being in such a unique and magical town.

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Photos

The Bus Trip to Guanajuato
A full day of travel, approx. 9 hours on two different buses (12 hours total with wait time)...we look good now...wait until the end of the trip!

A View of Guanajuato
We finally arrived around 12:30 a.m. and thought we would check out the view from the rooftop of where we stayed.

The Colorful Streets of Guanajuato
There are actually people in this town, we just chose to wait and wait and wait until there was no one...I like photos without other people at times. Carlos was very patient with me!

La Basilica en la Plaza de la Paz
I literally took photos of the church at all different times of the day...it is just beautiful. This photo is just after an half hour of rain.

Edificios en la Plaza de la Paz
This is where we had our breakfast which consisted of Chilaquiles. You can also see El Pipila at the top of the photo.

The Tunels of Guanajuato
These tunnels are so incredibly interesting. You can walk for miles underneath the city and end up on the outskirts of town, but the only drawback is the fumes from the vehicles.

Going down into the Mines
According to our guide, Guanajuato is geographically located in the center of Mexico and thus there are no earthquakes...well at that is what he told us to get us to go down into the mines.

Almost there...
It's amazing what a flash from a camera can do to your eyes in a photo.

Street Art
In Guanajuato you see the same people over and over which is funny because we saw our clown later in the day without his clown suit.

Street Parties - Callejoneadas
This should not be missed in Guanajuato. This was 2 of the best hours I have ever spent while traveling.

Callejon Del Beso
In a Guanajuato legend, a fine family once lived here on this street, and their daughter fell in love with a common miner. They were forbidden to see each other, but the miner rented a room opposite and the lovers exchanged besos (kisses) from the balcony. They were suppose to meet outside on the third step, as the legend says, for a kiss. Now this third step has become famous from the legend...hence the fact that all lovers kiss on this third step.

Chilaquiles
See mom, I am even drinking tea!

Comments

[Rosa Angelica]

My hometown
Thank you for sharing your pictures. I am from Guanajuato and came to the states 16 yrs ago when I got married. It's nice to see a bit of my beloved hometown. Rosa Angelica Pleasant, Hill