This city, which holds a rightful place on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list, should not be missed during your stay in Mexico. It’s an easy bus ride, just over 30 minutes from the Guanajuato International Airport. You can enjoy this architectural treat over a long weekend while on your way to San Miguel de Allende.
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Early History
There’s a long history to this area. The first settlers are believed to be the ancestors of the Teotihuacan group. The famous ancient city site outside of Mexico City hosts the Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon. The name Guanajuato comes from Cuanaxhuato, the Purepecha expression that showed they thought the areas mountain looked life frogs. The Spanish invaded in the 16th century and, as colonizers are known to do, took over the area.
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Colonial History
In the 1550s silver was discovered and mines were established. The Spanish expanded their settlement and the present-day city was established by the late 1600s. This history with silver leads us to our first must-see site in Guanajuato – The Alley of the Kiss.
Legend has it that an ill-fated young couple fell in love. The girl was the daughter of a man who had a high-up position in one of the mines. The boy was but a lowly miner. They met in secret as the girl’s father never would have allowed his daughter to be with someone of such low status.
The crafty boy rented the apartment right across a tight alley from his love. This allowed them to meet each night in secret. She leaned out her bedroom balcony window and he his. The alley is so narrow that legend has it they could kiss. But kissing in an alley that opens to a popular plaza does not lend itself to long-term secrecy. Ultimately the couple was discovered.
The father was enraged and killed them both. He regretted it for the rest of his life and eventually went mad with guilt and died. People believe the ghosts of the doomed couple still linger in the alley. But the story does not end so darkly as it is said that any couple who kisses on the red step will be blessed by the ghosts with a long and happy life.
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Why Guanajuato is So Special
Today this beautiful city of just under 200,000 is a walking city. Its colonial architecture and compact streets are best enjoyed on foot. In fact, the city has put in significant effort to give cars little reason to enter. Instead, drivers use a series of underground tunnels. This diverts much of the traffic from the center, where Nuestra Senora de Guanajuato stands stately and proud. By day there are numerous sites to visit that will give you anything from a window into Mexico’s fight for independence at the Alhondiga Granaditas or the life of a famous local artist at the home of Diego Rivera to inspiration for how to appreciate the gift of life at the Museum of the Mummies. Guanajuato has something for you. So drop your bags at El Mesón de los Poetas like we did and step out into the night. The plazas, such as the Jardin Union, are calling you. They’re surrounded by restaurants and lively bars where you can enjoy live musicians and entertainment while planning your next day.
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Things to Do in Guanajuato
You could spend a month in Guanajuato and do something different each day. Your evenings would never be boring with dinner and drinks at the variety of beautiful plazas listening to live music. We think you would enjoy each of the activities listed below.
Visit the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Guanajuato
Originally built in the last 1600s the gorgeous Baroque building was remodeled using wealth from the silver mines. You can dine at one of the outdoor tables hosted by a nearby restaurant and enjoy your meal while snapping photos. If you’d like to go inside photographs are allowed but please dress conservatively.
Enjoy Pedestrian-Friendly Streets
As you walk through centuries-old streets and alleyways enjoy the city’s colorful architecture and European vibe. You’ll see why this college town is also a hot spot for domestic tourism. Wander around and get lost in the streets. Stop to take photos of the colorful shop steps or patios that you come across by accident.
Visit the Museum of Mummies
This won’t be like any mummy exhibit you’ve seen before as this showcase was stumbled upon by locals by accident. While exhuming a stretch of an older cemetery for expansion workers discovered bodies had not decomposed as expected. Due to the high levels of minerals in the soil, the bodies were instead mummified. People wanted to see this so cemetery workers started charging. Eventually, the town decided it was best to develop a museum around the find.
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Some might think the place gruesome as these human remains are not wrapped and in various states of dress. Some are so well preserved that you can see facial expressions and hair. But the message of appreciating every day, and recognizing how temporary life truly is, should be valued by all. This message is handled by the curator thoughtfully.
Ride the Funicular to the Pipila Monument
This monument honors Juan Jose de los Reyes Martinez. His efforts enabled fighters to win one of the first battles of the independence movement. The ride up in a funicular reminded me of the funiculars at Montserrat outside of Barcelona. If the funicular is down or you’d rather not take it you can either walk or take a taxi up to the monument. We suggest a one-way ticket up for the amazing views and then you can walk down. Enjoy the open space to take in the Basilica, the university and plazas below.
Visit the Alhondiga de Granaditas
The Catholic Church sent priests to Guanajuato across the 17th and 18th centuries colonial period. Ironically it was priest Miguel Hidalgo who was one of the key contributors to Mexico’s war for independence. Ultimately he was shot and killed, his head one of the four displayed on spiked posts at each of the four corners of the old granary. You can still see bullet holes splattered across the stone walls but the heads, thankfully, are no longer a part of the site.
Visit Guanajuato University
You don’t have to see the entire campus. Just take a moment to appreciate the epic staircase. Climb to the top and sit at the topmost stair. Appreciate both the front facade of the imposing building as well as the colorful houses that cling to the surrounding mountainsides.
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Visit the Home of Diego Rivera
You have come to the birthplace of world-famous muralist Diego Rivera. Though you’ll need to visit Mexico City to see some of his finest works, here you can tour his family home and get a glimpse of what his young life was like.
Visit Museo de Iconografico
A museum dedicated to Don Quixote and created by a man who was a huge fan of the story. The collection and artwork are definitely worth a visit.
Check out Teatro Juarez
Even if you just walk by this beautiful building you will be doing yourself a favor. Build in the late 1800s, this building will call to mind some of the large European city theaters. It is still a working theater. We noted you can book a tour with a local guide that can include a ticket to whatever is playing that night.
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Join a Walking Night Tour
Callejoneadas is a Spanish-speaking-only group that hosts nighttime tours. You are led to various spots around the city by a troupe of singers, musicians, and comedians. They struck us as college students. Confession time – we did not love this. The tour sounded magical on paper, but we quickly discovered we had already visited many of the sites. So for us, the tour dragged. The jokes are lost on anyone in your group who does not speak Spanish. Some performers seemed more focused on the tips than on entertainment.
But with that being said, we have since heard that the quality of the experience is very dependent on the guides so you may want to give it a try.
If you are interested in more exploration of colonial Mexico you will love Morelia, Michoacan. This is a great home base to explore the not to be missed Don Vasco Route.