Guanajuato

Clearly, based on the reviews thus far there is no need to go into the magic of Guanajuato! The music of the Callejoneada, the beautiful plazas (personal favorite, Plaza de San Fernando), Teatro Juarez, and the University steps each offer their own reward. The numerous historic Churches are noteworthy, though I would highlight Templo de San Francisco and the surrounding small streets 'Manuel Doblado' and 'Del Campanero' as particularly worthwhile areas to explore. Based on the glowing reviews here, I determined 4 days in Guanajuato would be ideal, considering there would be some closures on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. The festive holidays only added to the city's beauty. From here on I'll focus exclusively on 3 historic museum experiences that were briefly mentioned or not covered in previous reviews.

Alhóndiga de Granaditas Regional Museum [José Chávez Morado Murals]

This museum has fairly standard, though interesting collections/exhibits on Mexican History and Culture. Yet, what left the strongest impact were the José Chávez Morado Murals in the stairways, some of you will be familiar with his work (whether you recognize the name or not) if you visited UNAM campus in Mexico City. His mural here tells some of the dramatic History of Mexico around the time of the Revolution, its a stunning work.

Museo Iconográfico del Quijote [Free on Tuesday]

There is such a wonderful whimsiness to much of the artwork here. Located adjacent to the Templo de San Francisco (mentioned above), this museum offers a real …

I visited this WHS in December 2021 and January 2022. I must confess that it was the most pleasant surprise during my Mexico road trip. While Mexico City has already exceeded all my expectations, Guanajuato was really mind-boggling in every aspect: first of all its underground labyrinth of roads, intersections, stairs, etc. on different levels, its coherence and top-notch ensemble of historic sites, its university, its mines, and its fun yet also romantic nightlife in a way (it reminded me a lot of Coimbra, Portugal) - Guanajuato is a real melting pot of traditions and culture.

Guanajuato is situated in a narrow valley, which makes its streets narrow and winding. Most are alleys that cars cannot pass through, and some are long sets of stairs up the mountainsides. Many of the city's crossroads are partially or fully underground. Some of the bridges also have hanging wooden or stone houses built over them. I think that this feature alone of Guanajuato and how well it has been preserved already possesses enough OUV to justify its inscription on the WH list. It's incredible that still today the river continues to flow under the streets of Guanajuato. I spent hours exploring the different tunnels and in a way studying my way out since I had managed to immediately find my hotel in the very centre without any mistakes (pure luck!).

The "estudiantinas" (student music groups) with traditional "callejoneadas" (alleyway strolls), which we enjoyed almost every night we spent here, transport all …

Time of visit: November 2021

Duration of visit: 8 hours

Mode of transportation: rental car, day trip from San Miguel de Allende

Guanajuato is beautiful, colorful, and eclectic. Tourists were a-plenty in the historic center, but for a reason - it is such a captivating place, and frankly perhaps slightly underrated relative to the more frequented attractions in San Miguel de Allende and the pueblo magicos near Queretaro. 

The day started with a half hour drive from SMA for short visit at Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco (part of the San Miguel de Allende WHS, but more on that separately), and then another 1.5 hr drive from there to Guanajuato. Our first stop within Guanajuato was the Museo Ex-Hacienda San Gabriel de Barrera, which featured a beautiful set of gardens and a historic 17th-century hacienda residence. This was our first hacienda in Central Mexico, and somewhat to our surprise, the architecture was so similar to the several haciendas that we had previous visited in Yucatan. Absolutely beautiful and worth the ~15 minute de-tour to the western edge of town. 

We spent the rest of our day in the historic center. There is something about the consistent architecture of homes all around town that instantly called attention to Guanajuato's history as a mining town - likely a combination of the hilly environs, rectangular buildings, and the bright, eclectic colors.

Highlights within the WHS zone included: 

• Monumental al Pipila - beautiful viewpoint from …

Guanajuato is a fascinating city. I stopped there for three days during my Mexican trip in 2019. I was charmed by its eclectic architecture, narrow, steeply sloping streets and breathtaking views. The most remarkable buildings are la Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato, el Teatro Juárez and la Universidad de Guanajuato. After arriving late from Guadalajara the day before, I spent my second day in Guanajuato walking around the city from west to east, from the fascinating and very creepy Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato (I love creepy attractions, I'm quite the target audience for this museum, but I was still a bit disturbed) to the relaxing Presa De La Olla. As specified by other visitors, the view from the Monumento Al Pipila is well worth the climb. Your calves may resent it, but your eyes and heart will be delighted! I feel like I'm repeating myself in each of my reviews, but you have to get lost in this city, admire its colourful houses at random and face all its hills to grasp its charm and enjoy it to the fullest.

On my third and last day, I went to the heights of La Valenciana. As extraordinary as the heart of Guanajuato is, I was slightly disappointed by this area. It is true that the Templo de San Cayetano Confesor (La Valenciana Church) has richly gilded and decorated altars and its façade is pretty.However, I wanted to learn more about the mining history of the town …

This is the reason I travel! The full day we spent here was one of the best days on the road we have had.

To kick things off there was our journey into the centre, this normally rudimentary aspect of travel was unexpectedly elevated to a unique experience. Our taxi screamed through endless tunnels under the city centre, before depositing us, grinning like Cheshire cats, at a tree lined piazza. Whilst not quite as picturesque, this unique arrival drew to mind our first trip down Venice's Grand Canal and let us know we were in for something a bit special.

A wonderful breakfast on the tree lined central square set us up for a day of sightseeing. The highlights were the theatre and the viewpoint from the Pipil, including a trip on a funicular railway, something that almost always brings a smile to my face. Just wandering through the mostly traffic free centre was thoroughly enjoyable.

We decided to head up the road to see the church and mines at Valenciana, which really should not be missed. The mines were fairly interesting and give an idea of how the wealth of the city was accumulated, whilst the magnificent baroque church showed how that wealth was displayed.

Left at this point Guanajuato would have been a very noteworthy city, however our return in the evening elevated it to something truly world class. On top of a centre thronging with bars, restaurants, students and families out enjoying the wonderful atmosphere - things …

I've visited 5 WHS in Central Mexico in October 2014 and I've really liked Guanajuato. It is different from the nearby cities of San Miguel de Allende and Queretaro, it is much more colourful and its layout is so strange, set against the hills and with so many underground streets!

It gets complicated to get around by car (a GPS here it's really useless, because underground and overground streets overlap and the GPS doesn't know exactly where you are..), so it is better to park somewhere and walk around. The different sites are fairly far from each other, so you may need to drive again to get to La Valenciana (where you can also get down to the mines, other than visiting the church). Spectacular is the view point from "El Pipila". In October it is very crowded because of the festival of Cervantes, but it's nice to see so many stages all around the city. Unfortunately the Theatre was closed during the day of our visit

When Puebla is Mexico’s Arequipa, Guanajuato must be its Cuzco or Potosi. Cuzco because it’s all built up against a mountain wall, a warren of little steep streets and unexpected vistas. And Potosi because of its silver mining connection of course. I stayed for two nights in the Valenciana neighbourhood (a splurge at the Casa Estrella de la Valenciana) and had the best views from my room and even better ones from the bathroom. The city lies in a “bowl” (somewhere I read it’s a ravine) between mountain tops, just like a smallish La Paz. I am throwing in all kinds of Peruvian and Bolivian comparisons, as Guanajuato resembles those countries more than the rest of Central Mexico which is very Spanish-colonial/westernized.

The prettiest building in town is the Teatro Juarez. Sorry, another comparison comes to mind: the Teatro Tomas Terry in Cienfuegos (Cuba), another opulent turn-of-the-century theatre. Teatro Juarez is open to the general public, and for a fee of 35 pesos for entrance + 30 pesos camera fee you can visit several of the rooms and of course the main stage hall. Its decoration is Moorish-influenced, very nice.

I finished my visit at the obscure Mummy Museum. It lies on the outskirts of town, probably outside of the borders of the WHS. It's quite a tourist attraction with over 100 "mummified" (dried out) corpses on display taken from the general cemetery when their families could not pay the grave taxes anymore. It's a bit of a …

If it is another day in Central Mexico it must be yet another run-of-the-mill UNESCO-inscribed colonial “Centro Historico” – Mexico really has gone overboard in inscribing its colonial towns! But no, this isn’t just any Centro Historico – this is Guanajuato; a town which stands head and shoulders above its fellow Mexican Colonial WHS for interest. If you visit only one – then choose Guanajuato!

Yes, it is rather touristy – though mainly with Mexicans themselves which, to an outsider, adds a degree of interest to the crowds. Indeed, thinking about it, we are probably attracted to the city over others just because it is SO Mexican!

If you are travelling by self-drive car as we were, the arrival can be a bit of a surprise! Suddenly, as you reach the town centre, set deep in a ravine, there is nowhere for the road to go and it dives underground beneath the houses into a long one-way tunnel and, after various twists and turns, comes up a few minutes later God knows where! We consult our guidebooks and note that the map of one of them (obviously for walkers!) states “subterranean roads not shown”. The town is indeed 2 worlds “road-wise” – above, a colonial city of narrow winding streets, stairways and pleasant piazzas, deep-green manicured trees and tinkling fountains, whilst below, a labyrinth of narrow roadways – I have read that driving a car there is “an experience somewhat like zooming around in the Batcave” – not far wrong! …

On the last day of our trip to Guanajuato, we went to an Italian restuarant that overlooks the city. As with many sites in Guanajuato, it took some climbing to get there. Our efforts were well rewarded, however: the city glittered with lights and the classic architecture of its churches and the university were ablaze. Bells rang out and we realized that Guanajuato is as magical a place as Venice. It embodies that wonderful combination of Latin and indigeneous cultures that is Mexico. The people are extraordinarily hospitable in Guanajuato and they seem justifiable proud of their unique city. Visit all the churches, the museums, the markets, the plazas and get lost in the alleyways. And don't miss Diego Rivera's home or the unforgettable panorama from El Pipila. You will remember Guanajuato.

I found Guanajuato to be a fascinating and beautiful city. The classic colonial churches have impressive domes and breathtakingly intricate facades. The weather (in summertime) was just about perfect. For details on my trip to Guanajuato and central Mexico, you can go to my web pages, starting at www.geocities.com/ucsb1990/mexico.html