Learn Spanish Today 

Mexico Road Logs & Driving Guides - Click Here

RV Parks

The Baja

The Pacific Coast

The Gulf Coast

The Interior

The Yucatan

Guanajuato Mexico Photography

Story and photography by Bill Bell

Guanajuato is a city of incredible beauty and charm; nestled on the sides of a mountain it immediately draws you in to its cobble stoned streets.  On entering it by way of its subterranean main street you feel you have been transported back into time. The street follows the original course of the Guanajuato River, running beneath the city for almost 3 kilometers.

The river used to flood the downtown area with alarming frequency until a dam was built in the 1960's to contain it.

To get around the city it is best to  go on foot. It's criss-crossed by hundreds of callejones (alleyways), the most famous of which is, Callejón del Beso . The local romantic legend has it that this callejón is so narrow that lovers, each standing on a balcony of either side of the alley, can reach across the alley and exchange a kiss! The alleyway also is part of the route of the popular traditional callejoneadas of Guanajuato when student choral groups stroll the alleyways of Guanajuato at night, strumming their guitars and serenading the local populace.

One of the more significant streets is the callejón by which Ignacio Allende and Padre Hidalgo entered the city with their army in 1810 to confront royalist troops for the first time.

After marching from Dolores Hidalgo to San Miguel de Allende, then on to Celaya and Salamanca, they entered Guanajuato through this portal with a force of 20,000 men to engage in their first real battle against the Spanish garrison, which was holed up in a granary (Alhóndiga de Granaditas) in the center of the city. The granary was almost impossible to assault, but the ragged rebel army prevailed when Juan José de los Reyes Martínez, "El Pipila", strapped a paving stone to his back to shield himself from the bullets of the Spanish guns, made his way to the front door of the granary and set it afire so the troops could gain entrance. A colossal statue of El Pipila stands high above the city.

If you plan to go into the interior, Guanajuato is a must see, the food served in restaurants throughout the City is excellent, the people friendly and the prices for both lodging and meals as more reasonable than in other tourist venues such San Miguel de Allende and Guadlajara.

More Guanajuato Photography by Bill Bell click here

Guanajuato at night click here

http://www.ontheroadin.com/miscellasneouspictures/churches_in_nayarit_and_jalisco.htm

Mexico Road Logs & Driving Guides - Click Here