Guanajuato, Guanajuato
Guanajuato is a city with its very own identity, history, extraordinary location, unique geography and fame. The magnificent Cervantino International Festival has made it a premier destination in which to experience Mexican culture.
Even to walk across its streets is an experience, thanks to the exquisite attractiveness of its architecture. Because of its roots, the city of Guanajuato has become over the past century a great gallery where myriad artists and craftsmen have shaped their art, helping the city transform itself into an appraised treasure. As a result of its beauty and historical integrity, the city was declared by UNESCO a Patriarch of Humanity.
Situated within a deep gorge, its irregular layout obeys the flow of the hills that surround it. Many neo-classical constructions open on to baroque temples. An ancient underground river, now turned into a street, crosses the city, winding between various ancient vaults and arcs; it has the feel of a "hidden city".
Visit the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, an enclosure where the first battle for Independence began. It is now the Regional Museum of History; In the central Plaza de la Paz numerous facades of magnificent buildings are beheld, such as the Basilica Colegiata de Senora de Guanajuato, the Palace of Municipal Government, the House of Count Rul and the Legislative Palace. The Garden of the Union is the main gathering point for local people and visitors to admire the magnificent atmosphere, the monument to the Pípila on the Hill of San Miguel, and to enjoy some of the typical coffees houses and restaurants. Also the Juárez Theater and the baroque Temple of San Diego of Alcala are worthy of admiration, and there is usually fine music to be enjoyed. On the periphery of the city, the Property of San Gabriel de Barrera and the Mineral de Valenciana are testimonies of the legendary abundance of Guanajuatense silver. Ancient objects of art, magnificent golden altarpieces and the majestic Temple of San Cayetano (Valenciana) attest to the wealth of the mines extracted during the 18th Century.
Guanajuato is a place of much artistic wealth, its museums: Iconográfico of the Quijote, Casa de Diego Rivera, Olga Costa-Jose Chávez Morado, del Pueblo, Alhóndiga de Granaditas and Gene Byron, exhibit important collections.
The famous Cervantino International Festival is a major event recognized on a world-wide level, and has been celebrated for more than three decades. It occurs during the month of October, counting on the participation of more than 36 countries. It represents artistic expressions of great quality through opera, theater, dance, music and exhibitions. There are also mimes, jugglers and artists.
Other important attractions are: the Mummy Museum (an attractive tourist spot of great popularity-hundreds of thousands of people visit it annually), Juárez Theater, House of Condes de Rul and Valenciana, University of Guanajuato, the "Alfredo Dugés" Museum of Natural History, the Pueblo Museum, the Compañía Temple, the Diego Rivera Museum, the San Roque Temple and Plaza, the San Fernando Plaza, Kissing Alley, House of Tia Aura, Reformation Garden, Hidalgo Market, Baratillo Square, Principal Plaza da Mexiamora Theater and the Temple of San Francisco.
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