#3: Guanajuato

We checked out of our cute hotel over the plaza in San Miguel (SMA), and took a cab to the main bus station. I had some issues communicating with the ticket agent, but we eventually purchased two tickets on a bus to Guanajuato (GTO). It was a very nice bus, complete with refreshments, a bathroom, soft reclining chairs, and a movie.

We arrived in GTO at about 1:30 pm, and quickly hailed a cab to the downtown El Centro area. Again… GTO from this point looked just like any other Mexican city. The cab headed off, and before long, we were on a country (looking) road that almost seemed to head directly out of the city. My nerves began to grow… worry this time. Did he misunderstand where I’d asked to go? I began going through the vocabulary in my head again… also playing over the conversation that I wanted to have next. Just as I was getting ready to flex my Spanish skills again, the cab entered a long, very dark tunnel. It seemed to go on a bit longer than I would have expected, but then … quite suddenly, we were out in the sunlight again. However, this time we were in no ordinary Mexican city. The old stone streets, narrow sidewalks, and baroque architecture signaled that we had entered the old historic part of the city!

Mind you, SMA had been fairly quiet while we were there. GTO was the exact opposite! Imagine the business of downtown Chicago on a weekend during a holiday … then narrow the streets to one lane each while also narrowing the sidewalks to about 2 to 3 feet so that the stone walls rising up on each side, combined with the people, combined with the car traffic, is almost claustrophobic. … and the people! One word: WOW! GTO was a mass of people and energy that never seemed to stop!
We had Hotel Santa Fe in mind… I even wrote down the address and shared it with the driver. Where did he stop: Hotel San Diego. I tried to clarify with him, but he pointed at Hotel San Diego and said it was there… multiple times … as he unloaded our bags and set them on a busy sidewalk in the busiest most bustling part of town. I tried to clarify again, but was given the same answer. So, seeing as we really didn’t have reservations anywhere, and since we were playing it by ear anyway, I paid him and we picked up our bags as he disappeared down one of the narrow little streets.

It was then that an older gentleman appeared next to me and asked in near perfect English what we were looking for. (Thank you Lord!) We told him Hotel Santa Fe, and he pointed down a long busy sidewalk (opposite from Hotel San Diego) and said, “It’s that way.” We thanked him, quickly found the restaurant, checked in, and unpacked. We spent the rest of the day doing some light exploring, and then catching a bite to eat. This was probably the roughest point for me during the trip. The day had been fun, but stressful as we’d been really relying on my broken Spanish, the kindness of strangers, and God’s grace to get us by. Then, the transition from quite SMA to very busy GTO was a bit rough for me… especially since I’ve never been totally comfortable with large high energy crowds where people are constantly brushing up against you, and it’s difficult to carry on a conversation over the noise. Likewise, I had already experienced a near death experience (OK – I’m exaggerating) when trying to walk down one of the narrow sidewalks with like 20 other people while cars, trucks, and busses whizzed quickly by… so close that I could feel the wind as they brushed within just inches of my shoulder. I was tired, stressed, and a bit disappointed. That all changed come evening…

That night we walked out into what reminded me of New Orleans Square in Disneyland! … only this was much, much larger! It was beautiful!!!! … from the dazzling and twinkling lights, the fantastic old architecture, the music on every corner, the mouth watering aroma of food you could only imagine … we agreed that this was the most sensual and romantic location we had ever visited!

We did a lot of exploring that night… never feeling unsafe. The next day was just as adventurous … and that night… our last night in GTO (and Mexico) promised to be the most incredible night yet. We relaxed a bit at the hotel late that afternoon, both nearly exhausted from all of our exploring that day. We ventured back out around 7pm, just after dark. The plaza was just as busy as ever. However, something about the main street struck me as odd. The normal hustle and bustle of cars, buses, and cabs was missing. Instead, throngs of people were walking up and down the stone boulevard. Not sure what to think, we continued on up and around the corner until we stumbled upon the reason: a fiesta that filled the streets! People, lights, music, game-food-snack booths galore … as Melissa aptly put it, it was almost overwhelming!!! However, this WAS the place to be! … and we enjoyed every foot of it … particularly the food! We had a fantastic dinner that night, stopping at several vendors to sample tamales, sopas, and churros filled with gooey chocolate! $10 USD later, and we were stuffed!!!

After that, we headed back to the main plaza where we purchased some tickets for what was marketed to us as a musical tour of the backstreets and allies. Sounds a bit odd doesn’t it? Well, it was the most perfect end to a fantastic trip. Here, groups of what I’ll describe as costumed traveling minstrels sang and performed for an energetic crowd as they paraded into the picturesque cobblestone allies, staircases, and little fountained plazas of historic downtown GTO. At one point, the women were separated from the men in order to be serenaded on a balcony and winding staircase. At another point, the group stopped to meet the interesting challenge of drinking OJ from tiny vessels poured in increasing heights from one’s mouth. (Yes, it was a bit messy!) At yet another point, the one performer played a tambourine while dancing and doing flips.

Once it was all done, we walked back to our hotel, marveling at our experiences, and thanking God for a trip that turned out to be more beautiful than anything we could have ever imagined. We were truly blessed!

Here are some pictures from GTO:


Minstrels in Plaza de Los Angeles on our last night.


A little café above one of GTO’s many small allies. We stopped here for coffee our first night.


A street artist.


Melissa and in at the mouth of the Alley of the Kiss… a historic spot with a very Romeo & Juliet story behind it.


A view of GTO from one of the overlooks. The square builting toward the center of the shot played a major role in Mexico's independence from Spain. There is a whole story about El Pipila that plays heavily in Guanajuato's history. (Click on El Pipila above for the story.)


GTO has a system of highway tunnels. This is the exit of one such tunnel.


Street scene.


Teatro Juarez… one of the city’s main Opera/Theater houses. It was also a popular gathering spot where people would sit and watch the crowds.


One of GTO’s many churches.


The view from our room out over the main garden plaza.

I have some videos too, but I'll have to post those at a later time.

God bless!

Chris