Confusing, hilly, astounding and old...Guanajuato (pronounced wah-nuh-wah-toe) surprised me with so many interesting sights. Just walking down the streets and narrow alleys was an adventure because it was so easy to get lost or end up in the wrong tunnel! The city is somewhat squished between hills and there aren´t enough roads for all the cars that want to pass through downtown. Thus cars driving in one direction (I think it´s east to west) use a series of deep tunnels called the "subterraneo", while cars driving in the other direction use the cobblestone streets and some shorter tunnels. On top of all of this confusion lies a really neat city, with plazas, musseums, old buildings and a big university, which my couchsurfing host attends. This was my first chance to couchsurf in Mexico, and it went super well! Fernanda studies tourism and gave me a walking tour of town with her dog Maya on the first night. On my second day I explored the old town and the nearby hills on my own, and on the third day I went with her tourism class on a field trip to some nearby mining towns and a few obscure local museums. Her classmates were such a hoot! On my last morning before hopping back on the bus, I went to the Mummy Museum, which Guanajuato is famous for. They had an impressive collection of partially decomposed cadavers from the city's crypts, but I don't recommend it for squeamish folks!
Part of the subterranean tunnel system
Now a nice museum, this building is known as Alhondinga de Granaditas (a public granary), where one of the first fights for Mexican Independence took place.
Murals inside of Alhondiga de Granaditas
Another quiet Guanjuato street
The perfect sized market--very easy to manage and not too overwhelming.
"Callejon del Beso" or Kissing Alley, where the balconies are approximately 80 cm apart
Teatro Juarez inside and out
I climbed to the top of the hill to the Pipilan monument, which had great views of the city.
Universidad de Guanajuato, where my CS hosts studies tourism
On the field trip with Fernanda and her tourism class
Valenciana Cathedral outside and in
The mummy museum!!
Fernanda's apartment complex, which was laid out in an even more confusing way than the city streets!
mummy museum what! -lisa
ReplyDelete