Showing 1-22 of 22 results
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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.
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Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato
The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato contains a jewel-covered image of the Virgin, patron of Guanajuato. The wooden statue was supposedly hidden from the Moors in a cave in Spain for 800 years. Felipe II of Spain gave it to Guanajuato in thanks for the wealth it provided to the crown.
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Boca Mina San Ramón
The Boca Mina San Ramón is part of the famous Valenciana mining district (the best-known mine, Boca Mina Valenciana, was closed to visitors at the time of research). Silver was discovered here in 1548. The small visitor's center is worth a quick half-hour. It features some dusty displays and pieces of old mining equipment. More exciting is to descend the steps into a mine shaft to a depth of 60m (note: not for claustrophobics).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Galería Mariana
Galería Mariana is dedicated to images of Mary and other Catholic relics.
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Jardín de la Unión
Pretty Jardín de la Unión, surrounded by restaurants and shaded by Indian laurel trees, is the social heart of the city. Here, tourists and well-to-do locals congregate in the late afternoon, along with buskers, shoe shiners and mariachis.
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La Valenciana Mine
For 250 years, La Valenciana mine produced 20% of the world's silver, in addition to quantities of gold and other minerals. Shut down after the Mexican Revolution, it reopened in 1968 and is now run by a cooperative. It still yields silver, gold, nickel and lead, and you can see ore being lifted out and miners descending the immense main shaft. Guides will show you around the compound (they expect a tip), but you can't go inside the mine.
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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).
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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.
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Museo del Pueblo de Guanajuato
Located beside the university, the Museo del Pueblo de Guanajuato displays a collection of Mexican miniatures, 18th and 19th century art and a room featuring works by Guanajuatan painter Hermenegildo Bustos. 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 powerful mural by José Chávez Morado.
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Museo Iconográfico del Quijote
This excellent and surprisingly interesting museum fronts the tiny plaza in front of the Templo de San Francisco. Every exhibit relates to Don Quixote de la Mancha, the notorious Spanish literary hero. Paintings, statues, tapestries, clocks and even chess sets feature the quixotic icon and his bumbling companion Sancho Panza.
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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.
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Plaza Alhóndiga
Plaza Alhóndiga is a usually empty space with wide steps leading up to the Alhóndiga.
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Plazuela de los Ángeles
The steps and ice-cream stands are popular gathering spots for students.
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Teatro Juárez
The magnificent Teatro Juárez 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, lampposts and statues. Inside, the impression is Moorish - the bar and lobby gleam with carved wood, stained glass and precious metals. The steps outside are a popular place to sit and watch the passing parade on the plaza.
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Templo de la Compañía de Jesús
The large Templo de la Compañía de Jesús was completed in 1747 for the Jesuit seminary whose buildings are now occupied by the University of Guanajuato.
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Templo de San Diego
A fine colonial church opposite the Jardín de la Unión.
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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.
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Universidad de Guanajuato
The university here is considered one of Mexico's finest schools for music, theater and law. Some of the buildings originally housed a large Jesuit seminary, but the distinctive multistory white-and-blue building with the crenellated pediment dates from the 1950s. Controversial at the time, the design is now recognized as a successful integration of a modern building into an historic cityscape.
Showing 1-22 of 22 results
