Yesterday. . . The picturesque city of Guanajuato nestles snugly into a valley of the mountains of the Sierra de Guanajuato. The indigenous tribes of the area felt the region was suitable only for frogs so they called it Quanax-juato - "Place of Frogs," the sound of which the Spanish would translate to "Guanjuato." This is commemorated today by the "Plaza of Frogs" at the entrance to the city, a square filled with artists' conceptions of frogs. The Spanish would later find, of course, that it was fit for much more - they discovered rich veins of silver and extracted great wealth from them. The lovely and fascinating city of Guanajuato and its magnificent mansions are testimony to this. The Iglesia de San Cayetano (or Valenciana, built between 1765 and 1786) was built on the outskirts of the city near the site of the famous Valenciana silver mine. The Valenciana mine located here was one of the richest silver finds in history. In the 18th century this one mine alone accounted for 60% of the world's silver production.

Today... Guanajuato is a a fascinating city of incredible charm. It doesn't take long to discover this as you enter through the tunnel of the subterranean main street. The street runs beneath the city for almost 3 kilometers (right) as it follows the original course of the Guanajuato River. There are only two major streets in downtown Guanajuato - this one coming into town, the other going back out. To get around Guanajuato, you almost have to walk everywhere. There are hundreds of callejones (alleyways) traversing all parts of the city. The best known of the callejones is Callejón del Beso (Alley of the Kiss, left). 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 is part of the route of the popular traditional callejoneadas of Guanajuato in which student choral groups stroll the alleyways of Guanajuato at night, strumming their guitars and serenading the local populace. Less romantic perhaps, but of greater historical significance is the callejón (left) 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.

Teatro Juárez Guanajuato is host each year to the International Cervantino Festival, named in honor of Miguel de Cervantes, author of "Don Quixote." Artists from around the world perform in recitals, concerts, plays, ballet, modern dance, opera and art exhibits. Events are held throughout the city and, indeed, throughout Mexico in other cities such as Mexico City, Guadalajara and San Miguel de Allende. But the real focus of activity for the festival is the Teatro Juárez (1903, left) which faces the main plaza of downtown Guanajuato, el Jardín de la Unión. Every inch of the interior of the theater is carved, painted, sculpted or embossed in a beautiful, truly awe-inspiring display of art of the period.

Exploring Guanajuato on foot offers something new to discover at each turn of a corner. There are dozens of plazas and plazuelas in the center of Guanajuato, which give the city a distinctive European flavor unlike that of perhaps any other Mexican city. Plaza de Baratillo

Continue Your Virtual Visit to the Colonial Cities of Central Mexico