Guanajuato, Mexico
A colorful colonial town in the central Mexican highlands.
Whenever I considered trips to Mexico, the city of Guanajuato always came up in the shortlist. The UNESCO World Heritage label, the incredible scenery, the colorful houses dotting the surrounding hills, the rich history and the fact it wasn’t as well-known as San Miguel de Allende, its famous neighbor to the east, made me want to plan a visit.
The opportunity presented itself in the fall of 2023 for me to travel to San Miguel and Guanajuato. The best way to travel to both cities from Mexico City is by bus, so I relished the idea of finally trying out intercity bus travel in the country.
The 4-hour bus trip was so smooth I slept most of the way.
We left mid-morning from CDMX’s Estación del Norte, the Northern Bus Terminal, on a first class ETN bus. First class buses are a well-known terminology in Mexico, used for intercity buses on medium to long-distances with comfort that rivals domestic first class on a plane (and that is miles above any Greyhound bus you may have ever ridden on). Our bus featured wide recliner seats with only three seats per row. The 4-hour trip to San Miguel de Allende was so smooth that I slept most of the way.
We spent a couple of days in San Miguel before heading out to Guanajuato. Our Primera Plus bus ride took us 90mn through the altiplano, with gorgeous views on each side. When you arrive in Guanajuato, the surroundings are a little underwhelming. The main bus station is located away from the old downtown area, steps from the main toll highway linking the town to Leon, the biggest city in Guanajuato state. Fear not, however, the magic is only about a 15mn Uber ride away, up the mountains.
Getting to Guanajuato’s historic center is impressive. After going around the La Bola hill, the road leads into a narrow valley and before you can soak in the view, plunges into an underground maze: the old town is indeed crisscrossed by a network of underground tunnels. Initially build to prevent the Rio Guanajuato from flooding the town in times of heavy rain, the tunnels have been repurposed after the flow of the river was better controlled by dams upstream, and are now used by cars going eastwards. In other words, Guanajuato’s road system is made of two levels: main arteries at ground level welcome westward traffic while the underground tunnels are used by traffic going the other way. It helps make the city a little less chaotic, especially given how narrow the streets are.
The silver mines have played a major role in Guanajuato’s history.
Guanajuato is different from most of the Mexican colonial towns from an urban planning perspective. Absent is the predominant orthogonal grid structure that was de rigueur in other cities settled by the Spanish crown, like Zacatecas or Morelia. Guanajuato’s situation, in a narrow valley within the Sierra Madre mountains prevented this layout. After they conquered what was then called Cuanaxhuata in 1529, the Spanish discovered veins of silver on four sites across the hills: Marfil, Tepetapa, Santa Ana, and Cerro del Cuarto. Realizing their potential, they fortified each of them and as they grew, they ended up merging and forming the city we now know as Guanajuato.
The silver mines have played an extensive role in making Guanajuato the city it is today. At the time of their discovery, in 1548, the mines were some of the most important of the New World, alongside fields in Zacatecas (in current-day Mexico) and Potosi (current-day Bolivia). The wealth extracted from the mines explains the incredible amount of stunning colonial buildings built in the city, among which some of the most famous are the Our Lady of Guanajuato basilica and the Guanajuato University.
Because of its situation in a narrow valley and the sheer amount of beautiful colonial-era buildings along narrow streets, walking in Guanajuato really feels like being swept back in time. The city’s historic core doesn’t feel too touristified yet, and manages to keep its character. That’s not to say you can’t find souvenir store after tourist store, but unlike San Miguel de Allende, it doesn’t feel too polished. It’s probably at least due to the fact that, unlike its UNESCO sister city to the east which has become a US-expat haven, Guanajuato tourism skews much more Mexican and therefore more preserved. This, and the town’s authentic feel, made it one of the Mexican cities I have enjoyed visiting the most.
We spent two days walking around the town center, and I loved getting lost in its narrow alleys, soaking in the vibrant colors of each house, the smell of cooking or the annoyed meow of cats being disturbed from their afternoon slumber. More than anything else, wandering aimlessly around town was probably my favorite activity of the whole trip. There is joy in the serendipity of just letting your legs decide which way to go, and getting surprised by what you see at the other end of that street you picked randomly.
I loved getting lost in the town’s narrow alleys.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t come to Guanajuato prepared (although I admit we did, more on that later), as a few sights should be on your must-see list. The late XVIIth century Our Lady of Guanajuato Basilica is hard to miss, given its central location but both the inside and outside are worth the trip. The University Building, just around the corner from the basilica, and its famous grand steps that provide an amazing point of view on the old town, shouldn’t be missed either. Walking around, you should stumble upon the Teatro Juarez (a great example of Mexican Neoclassical architecture, built in the late XIXth century), the Jardin de la Union, the Iglesia de la Compania, the Alhóndiga de Granaditas granary or the Hidalgo market.
The one thing at the top of the list would be soaking in the town’s view just before sunset from El Pípila monument. At your feet lies the whole historic center of Guanajuato, with its basilica right at the center, popping out in ocher and red against a sea of smaller, brightly colored buildings going up the hills on the other side of the valley. You can travel up there via a funicular. The ride is cheap and lasts barely a minute, but as you get up in elevation from behind Teatro Juarez, the whole city suddenly appears in front of you. I liked it so much I rode it twice, but plan ahead as the line can get long an hour before sunset. Going back down can be done via the funicular, but I would advise walking down on Subida de San Miguel and getting lost in the narrow streets leading back to Avenida Benito Juarez. You may be tempted to stop by the Callejón del Beso, a very picturesque narrow alleyway, famous for the legend that two lovers, forbidden to see each other by their respective family, were able to kiss from their window on each side of it because the street is no narrow. Stop by if you must, but know you won’t be the only tourist in line to get a selfie.
As you get up in elevation, the whole city suddenly appears in front of you
What’s even more interesting about the Pípila is that the monument illustrates the pivotal role Guanajuato played during the fight for Mexican independence in the 19th century. In fact, the Guanajuato region is often called the cradle of Mexican independence. Manuel Hidalgo, a priest in the nearby town of Dolores, called for the overthrow of the Spanish Crown on September 16, 1810 in a rallying cry now known as El Grito de Dolores, or more colloquially, El Grito (“The Scream”). This started the Mexican Revolutionary war against Spain (and incidentally, September 16 is now a Mexican holiday celebrating the country’s independence).
El Pípila was a silver miner living in Guanajuato. His real name was Juan José de los Reyes Martínez Amaro. On September 28, 1810, a few days after Manuel Hidalgo had uttered his Grito and started an insurrection, Juan José managed to fight the muskets of the Spanish troops, which had retreated into a granary in the center of town, to light the granary’s wooden door on fire, allowing the insurgents to enter and kill the Spanish soldiers who had taken refuge inside. It marked a symbolic victory for the insurgents against the Spanish in one of the most important Mexican towns at the time. As a result, a statue representing Pípila was erected on one of the town’s hills for everyone to see and remember.
As a side note, the famous granary where Pípila’s heroic actions took place is now a museum dedicated to the history of the Mexican independence that I recommend visiting to delve into this fascinating part of Mexican history.
I mentioned earlier we came to Guanajuato unprepared, and by that I meant we had no idea we arrived in the middle of the Festival Cervantino, an annual celebration of Spanish-speaking artists centered on the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes. The town receives more than 150,000 visitors every year during two weeks of festivities, so every street, every square was abuzz with people in costumes and activities related to the festival. It helped bring the town come to life, and I am glad we stumbled upon it. At no point did we feel overwhelmed by the crowds, which for the most part were very chill (street noise and extreme partying were a thing in the early 80s during the festival, but it has been reined in ever since).
Every street was abuzz with people in festival-related costumes.
Not only were we unaware of the Festival Cervantino, but we also missed the fact Guanajuato was a stop on the Carrera Panamericana annual car race. On Sunday afternoon, we got to watch more than fifty -mostly- antique cars coming from Querétaro and getting into town to end their round. This, added to the Cervantes festival made the area around Teatro Juarez bustling with people.
I didn’t get to visit the silver mines during this trip – and because I tend to be claustrophobic, I didn’t miss it too much – but I would like to do that when I come back in the region. There is a lot more to discover, and some of the smaller cities around Guanajuato, like Dolores Hidalgo (now renamed in honor of its Mexican independence hero) and Mineral de Pozos deserve a visit.
Was Guanajuato worth the trip? Absolutely. It’s one town that definitely delivered on the expectations I had for it. I have traveled many times to places on the basis of a few nice reviews and glossy photos that didn’t actually reflect my experience once I got there. Guanajuato isn’t one of these. From its situation to its history to its incredible collection of colonial architecture, the city delivers at every street corner.
Practical information:
- Getting to Guanajuato
From Mexico City, several bus companies serve Guanajuato, including ETN (the most luxurious) and Primera Plus (a little less luxurious but still quite fancy). All buses depart from the Northern bus station in CDMX (Central de Autobus del Norte). Expect the ride to be around 4h30. You can buy tickets online with each bus company or at the station before leaving.
From San Miguel de Allende: ETN and Primera Plus bus companies travel between the two cities several times daily.Travel time is around 90 minutes.
From the US: if you’re flying into the main Mexico City airport (MEX), see above. The closest airport to Guanajuato is Bajio International Airport (BJX) with direct flights from Dallas (DFW), Houston (IAH) and Atlanta (ATL) on full service US or Mexican carriers, as well as other southern cities on Mexican Low-Cost carriers. From there, a taxi or Uber is recommended (it takes about 30 to 40mns). Buses are infrequent, but very affordable.
- Accommodation
Even though we visited during the Cervantes festival, accommodations were fairly cheap compared to other towns like San Miguel de Allende or Querétaro. We had no issues finding a basic Airbnb with a gorgeous panoramic view over the town, just around the corner from the university.
- Safety
o Several states of Mexico are under severe travel warnings from the US Department of State. At time of writing, Guanajuato (and the main highways linking it to Mexico City, Leon and San Miguel de Allende) were deemed safe. Take all normal precautions you would in a foreign country, be respectful, do not flash expensive items and your stay will be absolutely fine.
Images: view over Guanajuato from the Monument al Pípila, our Lady of Guanajuato basilica, Calle del Truco towards the basilica, the steps leading to the entrance of the University of Guanajuato, narrow street near Subida de San Miguel coming down from the Monument al Pípila, a street in downtown Guanajuato, calle del Calvario.
All images are mine.