Mi Viaje de Mexico

Guanajuato, México

Las Calles y Los Túneles	El Pípila This huge statue of Juan José de los Reyes Martínez (nicknamed El Pípila) overlooks the city of Guanajuato. The young miner and hero of the War of Independence of 1810 crept into the Alhóndiga de Granaditas where Spanish Royalists were hiding and set the door ablaze. This enabled Hidalgo's army to capture the Spanish troops in this first major victory for the independence forces. Many battles during the War of Independence were fought in the state of Guanajuato and in the central part of Mexico. The monument has spectacular views of the city, as seen in the photos below.
Las Iglesias
La Universidad
La Callejoneada de la Estudiantina
El Museo Casa Diego Rivera
El Museo de las Momias
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Guanajuato (pronounced gwah-nah-HWAH-toh) is another colonial city in the Heartland of Mexico, located about an hour's drive southeast of León. I visited Guanajuato on two different days while in Mexico. The cobblestone streets here are an endless maze of alleys, and some of the main roads are tunnels that run under the city. Guanajuato was once the leading silver-mining city in colonial Mexico, though not as many mines are in operation today. There are also not as many tourists in Guanajuato as there are in San Miguel. However, I thought that there were equally interesting sites to see in Guanajuato as there were in San Miguel. Guanajuato was the birthplace of the famous Mexican artist and muralist, Diego Rivera. It is also the location of the University of Guanajuato. Furthermore, Guanajuato was named a World Heritage Site in 1988. It is situated in a valley, surrounded by mountains at 6,700 feet. Below are the photos of the city that I took from the El Pípila monument.

A view overlooking the city from El Pípila.

Another view from El Pípila. Note all of the colorful houses throughout the city.

This view captures the University of Guanajuato, the tall white building on the left. The red dome in the right foreground is La Iglesia de San Diego (The Church of San Diego).

A closer view of the University. This is the old campus. The red dome in the right foreground here is La Iglesia de San Roque (The Church of San Roque).

A closer view of some of the houses, and the dome of La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús (The Church of the Companionship of Jesus).

Another view of the city from the new campus of the University of Guanajuato, which is located outside the city limits on the side of a mountain.

To see more photos of Guanajuato, click here to visit another website.

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