Guanajuato | ||
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Coat of arms and flag ![]() ![]() | ||
State | Mexico | |
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Federated state | Guanajuato | |
Altitude | 2,000 m a.s.l. | |
Surface | 996.74 km² | |
Inhabitants | 171.709 (2005 estimate) | |
Name inhabitants | Guanajuatense | |
Prefix tel | 52 473 | |
POSTAL CODE | 36000 | |
Time zone | UTC − 6 | |
Position
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Institutional website | ||
Guanajuato is a city of Mexico, capital ofhomonymous state.
To know
Guanajuato is located in the central region of Mexico about 390 km north-west of the capital. The name means "Place of frogs" in the local indigenous language and therefore the frog is the symbolic animal of the city.
Guanajuato is a beautiful colonial mountain city. Many tourists consider this city to be the most beautiful in Mexico. Guanajuato was an important center of silver mining and many mines are still active. The city is built on very rough terrain and has a network of tunnels that serve as connecting roads.
Unlike other Mexican cities that have a precise date of founding, Guanajuato gradually arose from encampments of seekers for gold and other precious minerals. The discovery of silver veins occurred between 1540 and 1558. In 1558 the silver mined in Guanajuato was equivalent to one third of all world production.
Guanajato obtained its city status in 1741 from the Spanish King Philip V. The mines brought wealth to this city which is reflected in its architecture.
In 1987 Guanajuato and the surrounding mines were granted the status of World Heritage UNESCO. Several travel magazines have listed Guanajato as a major international tourist destination.
How to orient yourself
![](https://maps.wikimedia.org/img/osm-intl,14,21.017778,-101.256667,450x450.png?lang=it&domain=it.wikivoyage.org&title=Guanajuato (città)&groups=mask,go,city,vicinity)
How to get
By plane
- 1 Aeropuerto Internacional de Gunajuato (IATA: BJX).
How to get around
What see
Civil architectures
- 1 El Pípila, San Miguel hill (Funicular station at the back of the Juarez Theater).
Free. A 28 meter high statue depicting the hero of independence. Juan Jose Martinez, known by the nickname of El Pípila. The view is beautiful.
- 2 Juárez Theater, Sopena S / N (Jardin de la Union), ☎ 52 473 732 0183. The architecture of Teatro Juárez is partly Neoclassical and partly Moorish, making it a truly beautiful building. Inaugurated in 1903 by President Porfirio Díaz.
- 3 Jardín de la Unión. The garden was arranged in the seventeenth to be the entrance to the convent of which the Templo de San Diego is the only surviving building. It currently functions as a central square and is always very busy. Several restaurants overlook the square and free concerts are held in the central gazebo between the afternoon and evening.
- 4 Principal Theater.
- 5 Callejon del Beso (The way of the kiss).
- 6 Alhóndiga de Granaditas, Mendizábal 6, ☎ 52 473 732 1112, fax: 52 732 11 80, @[email protected].
M $ 49. Free admission for students, teachers, seniors and children under 13.
Tue-Sat 10: 00-14: 00, 16: 00-18: 00; Sun 10: 00-15: 00. The building on which the supporters of independence set fire. It currently houses a museum dedicated to the history of the region, as well as an important photographic library.
- 7 Palacio Legislativo (Congreso of the Estado de Guanajuato), Plaza de la Paz. This building was built as a town hall in 1903 and inaugurated by President Porfirio Díaz.
- 8 Presa de la Olla (Dam of La Olla). Built in 1749 to supply fresh water to the city. In this place you can rent a small boat. There is also a park and a large statue of Miguel Hidalgo launched in Italy, also inaugurated by President Porfirio Díaz in the early 1900s. This area is very peaceful and quiet to take a break.
Religious architectures
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Basílica_Colegiata_de_Nuestra_Señora_de_Guanajuato.jpg/220px-Basílica_Colegiata_de_Nuestra_Señora_de_Guanajuato.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Templo_de_San_Cayetano_03.jpg/220px-Templo_de_San_Cayetano_03.jpg)
- 9 Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato (Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato), C / Ponciano Aguilar 7, ☎ 52 473 732 0314.
- 10 Church of the Society of Jesus (Templo de la Compañía de Jesús / San Felipe Neri Oratory), Lascuráin de Retana s / n, ☎ 52 473 733 9782.
Mon-Sun 08: 00-20: 00.
- 11 Templo de San Roque, Plazuela de San Roque. Built in 1726, it was the Jesuit school.
- 12 Church of San Diego de Alcalá (Templo de San Diego Alcántara), Calle de Sopeña s / n, ☎ 52 473 732 2990.
Mon-Sun 08: 00-20: 00. The only surviving building of the original 17th century convent, with a splendid Rococo facade.
- 13 Saint Francis of Assisi (Templo de San Francisco), Manuel Doblado 15, ☎ 52 473 732 0377.
Mon-Sun 07: 00-20: 30. A former Franciscan convent, built between 1792-1828.
- 14 Church of San Cayetano (Templo de la Valenciana / Templo de San Cayetano), Salida to Dolores Hidalgo s / n, ☎ 52 473 732 3596.
Tue-Sun 06: 30-18: 00. Built between 1765 and 1788 with funding from the rich silver mines, it is considered one of the finest examples of Mexican architecture. Particularly noteworthy are the finely carved altars covered with gold leaf.
Mines
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Underground,_Guanajuarto_(7158443317).jpg/220px-Underground,_Guanajuarto_(7158443317).jpg)
- 15 Mina de San Juan de Rayas, Carretera panorámica s / n, Mellado. The first mine discovered in Guanajuato.
- 16 Mina el Nopal, Panorámica San Javier s / n, ☎ 52 473 732 1036.
- 17 Mina de Valenciana. The richest mine in Guanajuato, still in operation today.
Museums
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Mexican_Mummies.jpg/220px-Mexican_Mummies.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/Museo_Iconografico_del_Quijote.jpg/220px-Museo_Iconografico_del_Quijote.jpg)
- 18 Museum of Mummies (Museo de las Momias), Explanada del Panteón Municipal s / n, ☎ 52 473 732 06 39.
Whole M $ 55. Discounted for students, teachers, seniors, children 6-12 years, disabled.
Mon-Thu 09: 00-18: 00, Fri-Sun 09: 00-18: 30. A must for those visiting Guanajuato. In 1910, due to the overcrowding of the local cemetery, the authorities were forced to exhume several bodies and when they did they discovered that the bodies were mummified and decided to expose them to the public.
- 19 Diego Rivera House Museum, Positos 47, ☎ 52 473 732 1197.
Whole M $ 25.
Tue-Sat 10 am-7pm, Sun 10 am-3pm. Diego Rivera's birthplace, a well-preserved traditional Mexican residence.
- 20 Quijote Iconographic Museum, Manuel Doblado 2 (near the Plaza de la Paz and Teatro Juarez), ☎ 52 473 732 3376, @[email protected].
Whole M $ 30. Free admission every Tuesday.
Tue-Sat 09: 30-18: 45, Sun 12: 00-18: 45.
- 21 House of Legends (Casa de las Leyendas), Subida del Molino and Panorámica s / n (On the San Miguel hill, accessible by funicular), ☎ 52 473 731 0213.
Mon-Sun 11: 00-18: 00.
- 22 Casa de Tía Aura, Paseo de La Presa 62, ☎ 52 473 731 1824, @[email protected].
Mon-Sun 11: 00-18: 00. A kind of house of horrors. Within these walls a woman was buried alive. The tour is conducted in Spanish only and will be difficult for those who have not studied the language to understand, even if the places are self-explanatory and very understandable gasps and screams.
- 23 Guanajuato City Museum (Pueblo de Guanajuato Museum), Positos 7, ☎ 52 473 732 2990, fax: 52 473 732 2990.
Tue-Sat 10 am-7pm, Sun 10 am-3pm.
- 24 Gene Byron House Museum, Calle Real de Marfil s / n (Former Hacienda de Santa Ana), ☎ 52 473 733 1029, @[email protected].
Admission fee, free for all on Mondays.
Mon-Sat 10 am-3pm. From 1962 to 1987 the house was the residence of Canadian artist Gene Byron.
- 25 Museum of the Holy Inquisition (Hacienda del Cochero Galeras de la Inquisición), Antiguo Camino in Valenciana s / n (At the back of the Villa de la Plata hotel), ☎ 52 473 734 0381, @[email protected].
Mon-Sun 10 am-7pm. Collection of torture tools.
- 26 Eduardo Villaseñor Söhl Mineralogy Museum, Ex-Hacienda San Matías S / N (Faculty of Mineralogy of the University of Guanajuato), ☎ 52 473 732 22 91, fax: 52 473 732 22 91, @[email protected]. One of the richest mineral collections in the world. Former estate of San Matias.
- 27 Dieguino Museum, Bajos Templo de San Diego S / N (Close to the Templo de San Diego), ☎ 52 473 732 7491, @[email protected].
Tue-Sat 10: 00-18: 30, Sun 10: 00-14: 30. The excavated underground remains of the original 17th century cloister, of which the Templo de San Diego remains today. Occasionally, photography and art exhibitions are also hosted in this space.
- 28 Alfredo Dugès Natural History Museum (Alfredo Dugès Museum), Lascuráin de Retana 5 (Guanajuato University Rectorate Building).
Events and parties
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Semana_Santa_Guanajuato.jpg/220px-Semana_Santa_Guanajuato.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/Fest4.jpg/220px-Fest4.jpg)
- Semana Santa.
March or April. Easter is considered the most important religious holiday and begins with the celebrations of 'Viernes de Dolores' '(' Our Lady of Sorrows') on the last Friday before Lent. In 'Viernes Santo' ( Good Friday ) at noon the Passion of Christ is recalled in front of the basilica and in the evening there 'Procesíon de Silencio' winds through the streets.
- 2 Medieval Festival de Guanajuato, Parque Medieval de Rayas (Near the entrance to the de Rayas mine), ☎ 52 473 731 0120, @[email protected].
Second fortnight of April. Festival whose first edition dates back to 2005. It is dedicated to music, dance and medieval art.
- Festival Internacional de Órgano de Guanajuato Guillermo Pinto Reyes (Guillermo Pinto Reyes International Organ Festival).
Free.
Half may. Festival in honor of the Mexican organist and composer Guillermo Reyes Pinto. In the main city churches there are free concerts held by nationally and internationally famous organists. The festival is organized by the Guanajuato Ministry of Culture; Up-to-date information is available at the Tourist Office.
- Expresión de Corto, ☎ 52 415 152 7264, fax: 52 415 152 8899.
End of July. = Annual Short Film Festival, hosted in the nearby city of San Miguel de Allende. Hundreds of films of all kinds are screened in various cinemas and at the Teatro Principal as well as in outdoor places not excluding the city cemeteries. Most of the films are subtitled in Spanish and English.
- Cervantino International Festival, Venues throughout the city.
Late October, early November. Annual festival dedicated to the writer Cervantes. Started quietly, the festival has since grown to become one of the most important in Guanajuato. The program includes theater, dance and musical performances and attracts Mexican and international artists. Tickets can be purchased at the box office of the Juarez Theater while the outdoor performances are free. hotel room prices generally double during the festival.
What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
Where stay
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
Other projects
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