We take you to the places that we recommend you visit if you are in this beautiful and colorful city.
One of my favorite cities in Mexico, the capital of the State of Guanajuato that bears the same name. It has a city center in which time seems to have stood still. We want to take you through a list of places to visit if you are visiting Guanajuato. This list will grow over time.
We arrived in Guanajuato after a 4 hour bus ride from Queretaro. When we arrive at the terminal, we have to take a city bus to go downtown.
The historic city and its adjacent mines have been part of the UNESCO world cultural heritage since 1988.
Most important places to visit in Guanajuato
The alhóndiga de Granaditas
It was built during the time of the Viceroyalty, at the end of the 18th century, it was intended to serve as a barn. This function did not last long, since shortly after the War of Independence broke out and in this place the event known as “The taking of the alhóndiga de Granaditas” took place. In this place the legend of El Pípila arose, that is, Juan José de los Reyes Martínez Amaro, a miner. This famous man used as a shell a stone slab that he carried on his back to cover himself from the crossfire. Upon arriving at the scene, he set fire to the door, allowing the escape of insurgents.
Currently the place houses the Regional Museum of Guanajuato. (We did not visit it inside so it will be for the next time)
Visiting schedule: Tuesday to Saturday from 10 AM to 5:30 PM and Sundays from 10 AM to 2:30 PM.
Entrence fee: 75 pesos.
The monument to Pípila
This monument was created in honor of Pípila by Juan Fernando Olaguíbel (who also created Diana the Huntress). It was inaugurated in 1939 and in addition to enjoying the monument, you have a nice view of the city. To go up you can use a funicular 🙂
Whether you use the funicular or go up on foot, it is one of those places to visit that you should not miss if you are in Guanajuato.
Funicular timetable: from 10:00 AM to 8:45 PM
Fee: 36 pesos round trip
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El Callejón del Beso (the alley of the Kiss)
This is one of the TYPICAL places to visit in Guanajuato if not the most typical and preferred of travelers. It was a place that since I was a child I wanted to visit, stories were always told about it and it sounded so romantic :). In fact, it is said that you have to get on the third step of the alley and kiss each other so that love lasts forever <3. You can also go up to one of the balconies, passing by the souvenir shops that kindly allow you to go up ^^ (and of course that way they can make their sales).
Here is the legend of the Callejón del Beso:
The story goes that Doña Carmen was the only daughter of a greedy and uncompromising father.
He was looking like many parents of that time, a successful merchant to give the hand of his daughter. For this reason, he jealously took care of her in her house, preventing her from meeting the common men who existed in the mining town.
Just thinking that his beautiful daughter fell in love with a poor village man filled him with anxiety. But as often happens, love breaks down all barriers, no matter how strong they are.
Doña Carmen meets Don Luis, a humble miner with whom she met in a temple near her home, hidden from her father.
One day when the young miner was courting the beautiful maiden by offering her holy water from her hands, she was discovered.
Her father locked her up in her house and threatened to marry her in Spain to an old and rich nobleman, with whom, in addition, her father would increase his diminished fortune.
The beautiful and submissive maiden, sad, lived her confinement next to her very dear companion, Doña Brígida.
They both cried for her grief every day from the balcony of her bedroom, and Dona Brígida did nothing but promise that she would not let them take her to Spain against her will.
The young man in love did not know at first what to do since he was not allowed to speak with his beloved, but as he passed near his house, he noticed that the bedroom window looked exactly at the window of the neighboring house, and they were just a few centimeters away.
The possibility of being in contact with his lover opened up if he bought that neighboring house.
He suggested to the owner of that house, a price to buy it, but he received constant negatives until he set it at such a high cost that he had to give all his assets of years in exchange.
The price was worth it when, as he leaned out the window and reached out his hand, he was able to touch the window of his beloved’s room with his knuckles.
Doña Carmen’s surprise was capitalized when, leaning out on her balcony, she found the man of her dreams at such a short distance.
They did nothing but swear eternal love and plan how they would look every night through those close balconies.
When the lovers were more abstracted, wrapped in a warm kiss, violent phrases were heard from the back of the room.
It was Doña Carmen’s father reprimanding Brígida, who was risking her life to prevent her master from entering her mistress’s room.
The father threw Doña Carmen’s protector and when he saw how his daughter was kissing that miserable miner, with a dagger in his hand and with a single blow, he nailed it in the chest of his daughter full of rage and anger.
Don Luis was silent with horror … Doña Carmen’s hand was still between his, but increasingly cold and without movement.
Faced with the inevitable, Don Luis left a tender kiss on that smooth and pale hand, now lifeless … The young man could not bear to live without his beloved Carmen and desperately committed suicide, throwing himself from the curb of the main shaft of the Mine of the Valenciana.
Churches of Guanajuato
All very beautiful, the churches of Guanajuato are a delight to behold. At least I really like the baroque style I found them very beautiful. If there is no mass you can enter and take photos but always respecting the places 😀 (we must remember that we are in a religious place).
Plaza Mayor or Plaza de la Paz
One of the oldest squares in the city, in 1858 Benito Juárez occupied it to declare Guanajuato as the capital of the country. In 1897 the Monument to Peace was built, the work of Jesús Contreras and which was inaugurated by Don Porfirio Díaz. Now you can enjoy restaurants and beautiful buildings that surround it such as the Basilica, the Municipal Palace among others.
Juarez Theater
Opened in 1903, it was built on what was once the first Barefoot Franciscan convent. We have not visited it on the inside but on the outside it is very attractive. Also you can still see plays in it so dont forget to consult the billboard.
Schedule: 10:00 AM to 1:45 PM and 5:00 PM to 7:45 PM (Closed on Mondays)
Fee: 35 pesos
University of Guanajuato
This ornate building houses the rectory, administrative offices, various departments, a church, and the Natural History Museum from this important university in the state of Guanajuato. The 113 steps do not go unnoticed.
The tunnels of the city
The tunnels give the city a certain underground charm. Originally they were made to evacuate the waters since the city suffered from constant floods. Currently they are used to divert traffic. The truth is that the historic center looks quite car-free thanks to the tunnels 🙂
The Mummies museum
The mummies were exhumed between 1865 and 1989. In the museum they explain us how the state of conservation of the bodies is possible: I don’t remember very well but it has something to do with the minerals of the earth and if one is thinking about the “Egyptian mummies” it can’t be less similar, they don’t wear bandages or anything since it was all a natural process. The exhumed corpses were removed simply because there was no longer anyone to pay the land rights (if the grave is not contracted in perpetuity and there is no one to pay, the body was removed to make room for another deceased). The first mummy was that of the French physician Dr. Remigio Leroy.
