Sign in with Facebook
the remains of the church
subterranean street
domes of the temple
the famous market's clock
My wife and I are planning a week long stay in Guanajuato in February. We mostly plan to relax and enjoy Guanajuato but she is very curious to see the monarch butterflies. How far is it from Guanajuato to the butterfly sanctuaries? Are there organized day trips? Is there a recommendation how to do this if we wanted to take a couple of days and make this trip?
Thanks,
Arne
As i recall there isnt any direct service from GTO to Angangueo.
I made a trip from Leon to Morelia and then transfer to Zitacuaro the Monarch are really close. The total time was like 4 hrs. So you can depart early to Morelia, Zitacuaro is just + 2 hrs from Morelia.
Visit the Pipila Monument that was erected in 1939. This rose-coloured sculpture is in honour of Juan José de los Reyes Martinez. “El Pipila” as he came to be known, was also the hero of the struggle for Mexican Independence who, by setting fire to its portal with a torch, made possible the taking of the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, on September 28, 1810.
For more pictures and info, check my Pipila travelogue please…
Guanajuato is still a mining town and still produces a lot of minerals and metals, around the town you will find many mines wich is possible to visit, the most popular is undoubtedly La Valenciana, wich beside the trip around the mine offers the possibility to see the beautiful baroque temples that unfortunately I missed but that you should definitively consider visiting.
We weren't planing on visiting any mines on our trip, but by luck we ended knowing the Mina Rayas, wich owns it's name to the discoverer of the place Juan Rayas, a muleteer that found the metals in this zone around 1550, this is considered to be the oldest mine in all the city, and it is still producing metals today.
The mine reached it's peak production in the XVII Century and it is located on the panoramic highway that surrounds the city, that is the way in wich we discovered the place, we took this highway to see all the city from the hills that surround it and then, by pure chance we stopped in it.
It is not possible to visit the interior of the mine, but in 1970 a gardened square was built to beautify the place and it is still around, from up there you get a nice view, the city is better seen from the Pipila statue, but from up here you'll get a view of the hills surrounding the city wich, specially if you like geography, will give you a good idea of the physical enviroment of the zone; you can also see the remains of the church that was once used by the miners.
I don't know any way of getting there beside a car, so you'll probably need a taxi to reach the place.
Tha noted mexican muralist, Diego Rivera, was born in the city of Guanajuato, were he lived until he was six years old. After recovering the house in wich he was born, his daugther helped opening it as a museum in 1975.
Personally I am not a fan of Diego Rivera's work, but I did enjoy visiting this museum where there are many works from Rivera including some of his last paintings; what I enjoyed the most is that, while Rivera is known for his murals located mostly in Mexico City, here you can appreciate a not so well known facet of his artwork. The museum also exhibits some paintings of Rivera's wife, Frida Khalo, and some furniture from the time in wich Rivera lived there.
Finally there is a room for temporal exhibitions, when I visited they were showing the paintings that participated in a contemporary art contest. As it is often the case with contemporary art I didn't understand it well and the few paintings that I liked were far away from the winners, but still is nice that the museum opens a space to promote today artwork.
Is a small museum but it is a nice chance for getting to know one of the most famous mexican artists.
The ticket is just $15 pesos and it is opne from 10 A.M. to 7 P.M.
One of the most valuable way of investing your time in Guanajuato is just wandering the narrow, winding alleways - called callejónes - and enjoy the lively and peaceful litte squares (plazuelas) scattered around the city center.
There are few plazuelas worth mentioning: Plazuela de San Fernando, Plaza del Baratillo, Jardín Reforma, Plazuela de los Ángeles, but you don't need a map and you will pass through every of them just walking around the center. My favorite one was Plazuela de los Ángeles, that remined me some of the little squares in Paris and in Positano (in Amalfi Coast in Italy), a great place for a relaxing or even romantic dinner. Same for callejónes, the narrow alleways: the best known is the Callejón del Beso (See my Tip on this Sight), but just wonder the streets and you will pass through many alleys just as much or even more picturesque.
A popular tourist attraction, and also a good way for enjoying Guanajuato's plazuelas y callejónes, is joining one of the night tours called Callejoneadas, run by Guanajuato's student minstrels, which will take you around accompanying your stroll with their songs. You will find the minstrels at about dinner time hours in Jardín Unión, playing their songs in front of San Diego Church, and from there departing the tour.
Plaza La Paz feels like the heart of Guanajauto, with main streets pumping vehicles out from it's busy center like blood, and people congregating like cholesterol deposits at tables around the it's central square. No, I'm totally joking. There's nothing anatomical about this little plaza at all! However, it is true that it's a very central point from which carriage tours depart, city busses leave and official tourist information is given. The little cafes around the plaza are okay (see my tip about El Canastillo de Flores), but it's the Basilica that is the plaza's star attraction. Dating back to 1696, this beautiful Baroque building plays home to an image of the Virgin of Guanajuato that was donated by King Charles the First and his son, Phillip the Second, of Spain. If you happen to be in Guanajuato during Semana Santa, this is one of the most popular places to watch the Easter procession.
Latest Guanajuato hotel reviews
Sponsored Links
Comments