Things to do in Guanajuato State
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Ex-Hacienda San Gabriel de Barrera
To escape Guanajuato's bustling streets, head 2.5km west to this magnificent colonial home which is now a museum, Ex-Hacienda San Gabriel de Barrera, with stunning gardens. This tranquil retreat is well worth a couple of hours.
Built at the end of the 17th century, this was the grand hacienda of Captain Gabriel de Barrera, whose family was descended from the first Conde de Rul of the famous La Valenciana mine. Opened as a museum in 1979, the hacienda, with its opulent period European furnishings, provides an insight into the lives of the wealthy of the time.
The large, shady grounds, originally devoted to processing ore from La Valenciana, were converted in 1945 to a serie…
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Museo Casa Allende
Near the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel is the house where Ignacio Allende was born, now the Museo Casa Allende. Recently remodelled, the museum relates the interesting history of the San Miguel area. The 2nd floor is a reproduction of Allende’s home. A Latin inscription on the facade reads Hic natus ubique notus, which means ‘Here born, everywhere known.’
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El Midi
This French-run café-restaurant is hard to go past for its fresh delights. Tartes, salads and a huge array of daily offerings can be enjoyed on the perfectly pretty plaza under brollies. Morning croissants available; the salad bar starts at 12.30pm and á la carte meals are served in the evenings.
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Fábrica La Aurora
The largest concentration of contemporary art galleries and design studios (mainly expatriates’ work) is housed in the trendy Fábrica La Aurora, a remodeled raw-cotton factory on the north end of town. Many galleries are promoted in local papers, but otherwise, be guided by your whim.
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Santo Café
Stop by this cozy, slightly funky spot on the quaint Venetian-style bridge and check the latest university vibe. It serves excellent salads and snacks, plus heftier dishes and drinks. Some tables overlook the alley below, and there is music of all styles.
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Rincón Artesanal
Owned and run by a friendly mother and daughter, this shop is packed to the rafters with objects made from carved wood, pewter, wax, ceramics and papier-mâché - all made in different workshops throughout Guanajuato state.
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El Grito
An oversized face above the doorway of this upscale disco shouts out ‘high prices’ to the young and fashionable Mexican crowd queuing outside.
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Yamuna
A great range of quality veg food, most - such as the generous comida corrida - with a very Indian Hindu influence and flavor.
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Statue of Hidalgo
The balding head of the visionary priest Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla is familiar to anyone who's ogled Mexican statues or murals. A genuine rebel idealist, Hidalgo sacrificed his career and risked his life on September 16, 1810 when he launched the independence movement.
Born on May 8, 1753, son of a criollo hacienda manager in Guanajuato, he earned a bachelor's degree and, in 1778, was ordained a priest. He returned to teach at his alma mater in Morelia and eventually became rector. But he was no orthodox cleric: Hidalgo questioned many Catholic traditions, read banned books, gambled, danced and had a mistress.
In 1800 he was brought before the Inquisition. Nothing w…
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Alhóndiga de Granaditas
The site of the first major rebel victory in Mexico's War of Independence, Alhóndiga de Granaditas is now a history and art museum. Originally a massive grain-and-seed storehouse built between 1798 and 1808, the Alhóndiga became a fortress for Spanish troops and loyalist leaders in 1810. They barricaded themselves inside when 20,000 rebels led by Miguel Hidalgo attempted to take Guanajuato.
Just when it looked as though the outnumbered Spaniards would hold out, a young miner named Juan José de los Reyes Martínez (aka El Pípila), under orders from Hidalgo, tied a stone slab to his back and, protected from Spanish bullets, set the gates ablaze. The Spaniards choked on sm…
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Museo de las Momias
The famous Museum of the Mummies at the panteón (cemetery) is a quintessential example of Mexico's obsession with death. Visitors from all over come to see scores of corpses disinterred from the public cemetery. The first remains were dug up in 1865, when it was necessary to remove some bodies from the cemetery to make room for more. What the authorities uncovered were not skeletons but flesh mummified with grotesque forms and facial expressions.
The mineral content of the soil and extremely dry atmosphere had combined to preserve the bodies in this unique way.
Today, more than 100 mummies are on display in the museum, including the first mummy to be discovered, the 'sma…
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Museo y Casa de Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera's birthplace is now a museum, devoted to the painter and his work. Rivera and his twin brother were born in the house in 1886 (the twin died at the age of two). He lived here until the family moved to Mexico City six years later. In conservative Guanajuato, where Catholic influence prevails, the Marxist Rivera was persona non grata for years. The city now honors its once blacklisted son with a small collection of his work.
The first floor contains the Rivera family's 19th-century antiques and fine furniture. On the 2nd and 3rd floors are portraits of peasants and indigenous people, a nude of Frida Kahlo and sketches for some of Rivera's memorable murals. Ther…
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Monumento a El Pípila
The monument to El Pípila honors the hero who torched the Alhóndiga gates on September 28, 1810, enabling Hidalgo's forces to win the first victory of the independence movement. The statue shows El Pípila holding his torch high over the city. On the base is the inscription Aún hay otras Alhóndigas por incendiar (There are still other Alhóndigas to burn).
It's worth going up to the statue for the magnificent view over the city. Two routes from the center of town take you there via steep, picturesque lanes. One goes east on Sopeña from Jardín de la Unión, then turns right on Callejón del Calvario (you'll see the sign). Another ascent, unmarked, goes uphill from the sm…
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Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel
The parish church's pink 'wedding cake' towers dominate the Jardín. These strange pinnacles were designed by indigenous stonemason Zeferino Gutiérrez in the late 19th century. He reputedly based the design on a postcard of a Belgian church and instructed builders by scratching plans in the sand with a stick. The rest of the church dates from the late 17th century.
In the chapel to the left of the main altar is the much-revered image of the Cristo de la Conquista (Christ of the Conquest), made in Pátzcuaro from cornstalks and orchid bulbs, probably in the 16th century. Irish visitors will be pleased to find a statue of St Patrick, a tribute to the Irish who changed sides…
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Templo La Valenciana
Near the mine is the stunning Templo La Valenciana (aka Iglesia de San Cayetano). One legend says that the Spaniard who started the mine promised San Cayetano that if it made him rich, he would build a church to honor the saint. Another says that the silver baron of La Valenciana, Conde de Rul, tried to atone for exploiting the miners by building the ultimate in Churrigueresque churches.
Whatever the motive, ground was broken in 1765, and the church was completed in 1788. Templo La Valenciana's facade is spectacular, and its interior dazzles with ornate golden altars, filigree carvings and giant paintings.
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Cristo Rey
Cristo Rey is a 20m bronze statue of Jesus erected in 1950 on the summit of the Cerro de Cubilete, 15km west of Guanajuato. It is said to be the exact geographical center of Mexico. The statue is a popular attraction for Mexican tourists; there is a special significance in having Jesus at the heart of their country. Tour agencies offer 3½-hour trips to the statue, but you can go on your own for from the center.
Buses marked 'Cubilete' or 'Cristo Rey' depart every hour or so from in front of the Alhóndiga, Calle Alhóndiga (around $15).
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Callejón del Beso
The narrowest of the many narrow alleys that climb the hills from Guanajuato's main streets is the Alley of the Kiss, where the balconies of the houses on either side practically touch.
According to local legend, a fine family once lived 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 furtive besos (kisses) from these balconies. Of course, the romance was discovered and the couple met a tragic end.
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Jardín Botánico el Charco del Ingenio
On the hilltop 1.5km northeast of town is the 88-hectare botanic garden. This wildlife and bird sanctuary, an ongoing project thanks to the efforts of local volunteers, was created by a caring local (who donated the land) to conserve a natural area around the town and to provide a recreational and ceremonial space for the community. Excellent two-hour tours (in English) depart every Tuesday at 10am (M$80). Monthly full-moon ceremonies also take place here.
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Teatro Juárez
Don’t leave without visiting the magnificent Teatro Juárez. It was built between 1873 and 1903 and inaugurated by the dictator Porfirio Díaz, whose lavish tastes are reflected in the plush red-and-gold interior. The outside is festooned with columns, lamp posts and statues; inside the impression is Moorish, with the bar and lobby gleaming with carved wood, stained glass and precious metals. It’s only open when no performances are scheduled; video/camera use is M$60/30.
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Museo Casa de Hidalgo
Miguel Hidalgo lived in this house when he was Dolores’ parish priest. It was from here, in the early hours of September 16, 1810, that Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende and Juan de Aldama set off to launch the uprising against colonial rule. The house is now something of a national shrine. One large room is devoted to a collection of memorials to Hidalgo. Other rooms contain replicas of Hidalgo’s furniture and independence-movement documents, including the order for Hidalgo’s excommunication.
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Museo de la Independencia Nacional
This museum has few relics but plenty of information on the independence movement. The exhibition spans eight rooms and charts the appalling decline in Nueva España's indigenous population between 1519 (an estimated 25 million) and 1605 (1 million) and identifies 23 indigenous rebellions before 1800 as well as several criollo conspiracies in the years leading up to 1810. There are vivid paintings, quotations and details on the heroic last 10 months of Hidalgo's life.
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La Casa de las Artesanías
Talavera ceramics have been the signature handicraft of Dolores ever since Padre Hidalgo founded the town's first ceramics workshop in the early 19th century. On the plaza, La Casa de las Artesanías sells a selection of items. For better prices and variety, head to the workshops along Av Jimenez, five blocks west of the plaza, or (by car) to Calzada de los Heroes, the exit road to San Miguel de Allende. Some workshops here make 'antique,' colonial-style furniture.
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Mama Mía
This perennially popular place has separate areas with different hours to host its weekly schedule of gigs. Hit Mama’s Bar for live rock/funk, or join a more sophisticated crowd in the restaurant patio for live folk music, including South American music, salsa and jazz (check the changing schedule). Up front, Bar Leonardo’s shows big-screen sports and La Terrazza, the terrace bar, offers a fine view of the town. Some serious nightlife gets going around 11pm.
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Museo del Pueblo de Guanajuato
Located beside the university, this fascinating art museum displays an exquisite collection of Mexican miniatures, and 18th- and 19th-century art with works by Guanajuatan painters Hermenegildo Bustos and José Chávez Morado, plus temporary exhibitions. The museum occupies the former mansion of the Marqueses de San Juan de Rayas, who owned the San Juan de Rayas mine. The private church upstairs in the courtyard contains a mural by José Chávez Morado.
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