Guanajuato, silver city of the Spanish Empire, my fave Mexican city playground to date. For 250 years Guanajuato produced twenty percent of the world's silver, with Spain's ruler known as the Silver King as far away as China and Indonesia. The wealth extracted here accelerated European economies -- banking prospered, commerce expanded and prices soared. The wealth also built an exquisite city. It is crammed onto the the steep slopes of a ravine, with narrow streets that twist around the hillsides and dive underground into a series of tunnels. Candy-colored colonial architecture, mansions, churches, theaters and plazas are all criss-crossed by hundreds of callejones (alleyways), making it a delight to get lost while wandering. The top left picture is the view from my hotel balcony in Guanajuato; notice the love-bug disappearing into an underground tunnel. Some colorful alleyways and houses pictured during my walks. Bottom right house is an English school.

Calle del Padre Miguel Hidalgo

A colorful Guanajuato city roadway, Mexico

Callejón del Beso ('Alley of the Kiss') A classic legend of Guanajuato is one of romance and tragedy. The story is told that Doña Carmen was the only daughter of an obstinate and violent man, but as tends to happen, love wins out, unlucky as it might be. Doña Carmen was courted by her beau, Don Luis, in a church near the maiden's home, where first he offered her holy water with his hand. On being discovered, she was subsequently locked up, threatened with being sent to a convent, and, worst of all, with being married in Spain to a rich, old noble, a marriage which would help to restore her father's dwindling fortune. The lovely, obedient creature and her companion, Doña Brígida, wept and prayed together. Then, before the young girl submitted to her sacrifice, they decided that Doña Brígida should take a message to Don Luis with the unfortunate news. A thousand plans occurred to the young lover, but of all of them, there was one that seemed the best. A window in Doña Carmen's home gave onto an alley so narrow that it was possible, leaning out the window to touch the wall on the other side with a hand. If he could get into the house on the other side of the alley, he would be able to talk with his beloved and, between the two of them, find a solution to their problem. He asked who the owner of the house was and bought it for a fortune. One can only imagine Doña Carmen's surprise when stepping out onto her balcony, she found the man of her dreams so close. When a few moments had passed since that indescribable lovers' conversation began, and the lovers were deep in thought, violent words were heard from the back of the room. It was Doña Carmen's father shouting at Brígida, who risked her life trying to prevent her master from entering her lady's chambers. The father pushed Doña Carmen's protector aside with ease, and with dagger in hand, with a single blow he plunged it into his daughter's breast. Don Luis was shocked into silence. Doña Carmen's hand, still in his, slowly went cold. Resigned to the inevitable, Don Luis left a tender kiss on that smooth, pale hand, now lifeless. This is why this spot is called the Callejón del Beso -- the Alley of the Kiss.

La momia más pequeño del mundo The mummies of Guanajuato: 119 bodies have been conserved in perfect condition as a result of the mineral content in the soil. The oldest mummy is from 1865. Among these is the smallest mummy in the world. A pregnant woman who died 5 or 6 months into pregnancy was buried with her son. In 1972 they were separated.