Guanajuato Sightseeing
Guanajuato Street Photo
Living in the Ajijic, Lake Chapala area there are many little side trips to some of the colonial cities near by, that you have to visit! I celebrated my birthday this Saturday and thought I would love to see more of my surroundings. I have lived in Mexico for a number of years now, and have yet to travel outside of my Ajijic box to see some of the charming little towns nearby.
Friday morning we packed our bags and we were off to Guanajuato! I had heard so much about San Miguel de Allende, what a beautiful town it is, and how nice the people are, that I decided I would like to visit the neighboring city of Guanajuato. Because we were only going away for the weekend, I thought San Miguel, with so much to see, would be too much to tackle in two days.
When we arrived in Guanajuato, 4 hours away, I didn’t know what to expect. I had never seen photos, or heard a lot about the area. I was once told it reminded them of little Italy and there is a great mummy museum, but that was the only information we had. After driving along some winding roads on the mountain side we had arrived! The tall (tall compared to Ajijic) buildings and narrow streets were breathtaking! Whoever designed this charming town either had some great master plan, or had none at all. Let me explain. It can be quite confusing to find your way around due to all the turns and underground tunnels. In all the confusion, it seems to make sense to the locals. Guanajuato is more of a walking town than a driving town.
The tunnels, I would say, is what I was most impressed by. Around every corner there is a new tunnel which leads to a different part of the city. Very easy to quickly find yourself lost. The underground tunnels of Guanajuato are a relatively new idea created by the Governor of Guanajuato. Years ago these tunnels were used as sewage systems which led to a small river nearby. You will notice that many of the homes, still in their original design, have their restrooms protruding from the outer walls, over these tunnels. This was because in the 1800’s piping was not used, and flushing did not exist. All excrement was emptied into the tunnels below. Piping has now been put in, but many of the homes have not changed their old designs. I found this very interesting, and it’s quite something to see.
The museums were also alot of fun. There are several in the downtown Guanajuato area. My favourite was probably the Museo Iconografico de Cervantes. It was a museum dedicated to the Don Quixote and Pancho villa of the Novel with the same title. The Museo del Pueblo was also very cool. It had some great religious peices and a very charming Intepretations of Evil exhibit. Lake Chapala.
Lots of fun to be had in Guanajuato.
Christine Reynier