How to get there
From Mexico City by rail about 8.5 hours to Irapuato; change there for Guanajuato, a journey which takes a further 1.5 hours (there is no direct line); by bus in about 5.5 hours; by car on the MEX 57 and MEX 45 (370km/230mi).
Guanajuato, capital of the state of the same name,
extends along a narrow valley and up the lower slopes of the bare hills on either side.
The trim houses, often painted in bright colours, the narrow streets and lanes, the snug little squares and the old colonial buildings give the town a charm all of its own. It is one of Mexico's most attractive spots and is included in UNESCO's list of world cultural heritage sites.
Its rich cultural life combines with the visual attractions of the townscape to make Guanajuato one of the most popular tourist centres in Mexico.
History
In pre-Columbian times the region was occupied by Tarascans, who called the settlement here "Cuanax-huato", or "hilly place of the frogs". Between 1526 and 1529 the region was conquered and settled by the Spaniards, led by Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán. By the middle of the 16th c. the first silver-mines were opened up, establishing the prosperity of the town. In 1557 it was granted the name of Santa Fé y Real de Minas de Quanaxhuato, and in 1741 was granted a municipal charter.
Shortly after the declaration of Mexican independence in 1810 Ignacio de Allende succeeded temporarily in occupying the town after Juan José de los Reyes Martínez, known as El Pípila (the "Turkeycock"), had blown up the entrance to the Spanish fort of Alhóndiga de Granaditas and compelled the garrison to surrender, but the town was soon afterwards retaken by royalist forces under General Félix M. Calleja. In 1811 the severed heads of the leaders of the fight for independence - Hidalgo, Allende, Jiménez and Aldama - were hung at the corners of the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, remaining there until Mexico achieved independence in 1821. During the Guerra de la Reforma (1857-60)
Guanajuato was capital of the republic for a month at the beginning of 1858. During the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz (1876-1911) foreign capital flowed into the mines, and the town enjoyed a great surge of prosperity, during which many public buildings such as the Teatro Juárez, the Mercado Hidalgo and the Palacio Legislativo were erected. Guanajuato, with its Festival and University, is now a centre of intellectual life.
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