Mexico Guanajuato Travel:
A Visit to La Valenciana, El Pípila, the
Jardin Union & Luxury Accommodation at Quinta
Las Acacias
During my language study trip to Guadalajara I had
allocated two weekends for out-of-town excursions
with the goal of visiting some of Mexico’s
other colonial cities. I had done extensive research,
had surfed the net and also contacted the Mexican
National Tourist Office in Toronto to get a collection
of brochures of cities that were within easy driving
distance from Guadalajara. As I reviewed my literature
and the choice of cities to visit, my attention
was drawn in by the city of Guanajuato, one of Mexico’s
historic mining towns. Colonized very early, in
the 1520s, Guanajuato is scenically embedded in
the surrounding mountains and has a fascinating
collection of historic architecture. What makes
Guanajuato really unique are its hilly topography,
its narrow winding streets and its fascinating network
of underground tunnels that today serve as roads.
My decision was made: Guanajuato would be the destination
for my first weekend excursion from Guadalajara.
So early on February 5 I got up, hopped into my
pre-booked taxi at 6:40 in the morning and got dropped
off at the Estación Nueva in Guadalajara.
My bus tickets with the ETN bus line had already
been reserved over the Internet and I was able to
check in quickly.
View of Guanajuato from the mountains
Interestingly, Mexico does not have much of a functional
passenger railway network, but what it lacks in
train travel it definitely makes up for in bus transportation.
All Mexican cities are connected by an extensive
network of private bus companies that offer service
of different classes. The ETN bus company is one
of the more upscale transportation companies and
its tag line is “La Línea mas Cómoda”
– the most comfortable bus line. Tickets were
quite reasonable, about $26 one way to Guanajuato
and the trip would take about four hours.
ETN has its own waiting room at the Guadalajara
bus terminal, and before I boarded the bus, very
attractive looking hostesses were handing out a
snack package with a soft drink and some food to
all the passengers. The interior of the bus was
very luxurious, with only three seats per row, several
television screens, an onboard washroom and even
wireless Internet access on the bus. Stretching
out my legs on my plush reclining chair, I settled
in for a comfortable ride to Guanajuato. Although
the curtains were drawn throughout the bus as the
other passengers wanted to sleep, I occasionally
peeked out the window to look at the passing mountainous
landscapes that were followed by flatter agricultural
lands.
My expert local guides: Sujei and Roberto
About three hours into the trip we made a brief
stop in León, Mexico’s fifth most populous
city, and we arrived around 11:20 in Guanajuato.
My local expert Sujei and her colleague Roberto
from Tourism Guanajuato, were there to pick me up
so we would be able to start our whirlwind tour
of this historic city. Fortunately the weather was
cooperating today: after almost a week of cold and
rainy weather we were enjoying a day of brilliant
sunshine today.
Our first stop was at my hotel for the next two
days to drop off my luggage. The Quinta Las Acacias
is one of Guanajuato’s most popular boutique
hotels, and I would get an opportunity later in
the afternoon to do a tour and an interview with
the hotel’s general manager. I was certainly
very impressed by my spacious hotel room called
“El Charro” which was equipped with
a king size bed, a large flat-screen television,
a Mexican-themed sitting area and a gorgeous modern
bathroom with a huge round Jacuzzi tub. I was already
looking forward to seeing some of the other uniquely
decorated rooms in this upscale hotel.
My comfortable room, "El Charro", at the
Quinta Las Acacias
Shortly after I rejoined Sujei and Roberto and
we started our city tour. Our first destination
was one of the historic silver mines up on the mountain.
We started to drive through the city on a street
called Paseo de la Presa, one of the oldest streets
in Guanajuato. The complex layout of the city became
apparent right away and with a touch of humour Sujei
said that “ten out of ten tourists get lost
when they come to Guanajuato”. Another characteristic
that caught my eye right away was the colourfully
painted house façades that catch the eye
with bright splashes of pink, orange, blue and purple.
Sujei explained that the state government of Guanajuato
actually offers incentives to local home owners
to paint their houses in bright colours, adding
to the unique appearance of this city.
As we drove through the narrow cobble-stoned streets
of the city my local expert explained that Guanajuato,
whose name literally means “hill of the frogs”
in the local indigenous language, was designated
a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 due to its
unique historic, cultural and architectural significance.
Guanajuato indeed played an important role during
the Mexican War of Independence against Spain in
1810 as well as during the Mexican Revolution in
1910. The State of Guanajuato has two UNESCO-designated
World Heritage Sites: the city of Guanajuato and
the town of San Miguel de Allende, another picturesque
mountain town that has a very large community of
foreign retirees and expatriates.
Courtyard at the Quinta Las Acacias
Guanajuato is also world renowned for its annual
Cervantes Festival that brings together performing
artists from all over the world. It has been celebrated
since 1972 and the city itself was designated the
”Capital Cervantina de América”
in 2005. Dancers, comedians, musicians and orchestras
from all over the world have participated in Guanajuato’s
Festival Cervantino, including illustrious artists
such as Leonard Bernstein, Rudolph Nureyev, Yehudi
Menuhin, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the
Bolshoi Ballet, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the
New York Philharmonic and many more.
Heading up on the Carretera Panoramica highway,
we stopped at the Boca Mina San Ramón, part
of the famous La Valenciana district, a mine that
was originally started by the Spanish in 1558 to
take advantage of one of Mexico’s richest
silver deposits. One fifth of the world’s
gold and silver is said to have come from here between
the 16th century and the early 19th century. A historic
building with a small museum, a gift shop and a
bar surround a scenic courtyard that is often used
for weddings and special vents. Behind the bar is
the entrance to the mine shaft which takes you down
to a depth of about 60 metres where it ends.
The mine shaft at the La Valenciana Mine
Sujei took me down into the mine on the steep steps
which were occasionally interspersed with recesses
that featured crosses and religious shrines, reminding
us of the precarious and heavy work involved in
mining. This mine shaft is not very deep or long
but it gives you an idea of the cramped and dangerous
working conditions that miners have been facing
since time immemorial. Although the La Valenciana
mine is less productive today, silver is still being
extracted here.
Back upstairs in the glorious sunshine we moved
on to our next destination: the baroque Church of
La Valenciana, built between 1740 and 1788. The
church sits on a hill and wonderful views can be
had from its courtyard over the surrounding mountains
and the city of Guanajuato which is embedded underneath.
The façade of the church impresses with its
intricately carved red sandstone exterior in a style
that is called churrigeresque baroque. The extensive
ornamentation continues inside where the main altar
and two side altars are covered in gold leaf. Huge
old art works hang on the church’s walls,
depicting scenes from the Bible. The Church of La
Valenciana overwhelms the visitor with its opulent
artwork and ornamentation.
The Church of La Valenciana
As we continued our drive down back into the city,
I asked Sujei where we were heading next. She explained
we were going to visit one of Guanajuato’s
most well-known sights: El Pípila, a monumental
statue with a height of 28 metres that overlooks
downtown Guanajuato from the top of San Miguel Hill.
Our drive to this monument took us through the
famous underground tunnel network of Guanajuato
which were originally underground channels for the
Guanajuato River. An often confusing network of
underground roads paved with cobblestones weaves
its way under the city, and many of the tunnels
are flanked by sidewalks. There are even underground
bus stops and parking spots beside the underground
streets of Guanajuato. I was fascinated by this
subterranean parallel world underneath the city
and particularly by the fact that it seemed very
safe. I saw many families and single women walking
through the tunnel system; it just seemed like this
underground road network was just like any other
part of the city, full of life and activity.
Guanajuato's road tunnels are fascinating
As we started driving up the mountain, Sujei also
told me that Guanajuato is an important university
town. As a result, the demographic makeup of the
city is quite young which manifests itself in the
excellent entertainment opportunities in the city.
Guanajuato’s thriving entertainment scene
features many popular clubs and restaurants.
After a brief drive through the downtown area of
Guanajuato we were climbing again and finally reached
our next stop: the El Pípila Monument on
San Miguel Hill. El Pípila was actually Juan
José de los Reyes Martinez, a miner who played
an important role at the beginning of the Mexican
War of Independence in 1810. The insurrection against
the Spaniards had begun in the nearby town of Dolores,
led by Miguel Hidalgo, an important leader of the
Mexican War of Independence. As the insurrection
spread to Guanajuato, the Spaniards barricaded themselves
inside La Alhóndiga, the city’s fortress-like
granary.
"El Pípila" - Guanajuato's independence
hero
Carrying a long flat stone on his back to protect
himself from the muskets of the Spanish soldiers,
El Pípila torched the door of the granary
and set it on fire. As a result the insurgents stormed
inside and killed all the Spanish soldiers, an important
point in the Mexican fight for independence against
the Spanish. So today, El Pípila is celebrated
as Guanajuato’s local hero. Constructed in
1939, the monument itself is built of pink sandstone
and depicts a muscular man with a flaming torch.
Surrounding the monument is a series of stone terraces
that offer the most magnificent view over the city
of Guanajuato.
I was enchanted by the tapestry of colourful houses
that are patched up against the surrounding mountainsides.
Sujei explained the most important landmarks to
me that were stretching out below: the town’s
main square, a green treed triangle, is Jardín
Union which is joined by the Teatro Juarez, a renowned
performing arts venue built in a mixture of Roman,
Greek and Moorish styles. This theatre was inaugurated
in 1903 by then Mexican president Porfirio Diaz.
Next to it is the building that houses the funicular
that takes visitors comfortably up to San Miguel
Hill for a visit to El Pípila.
The Cathedral and the University of Guanajuato,
viewed from "El Pípila"
A little to the left I saw the yellow and orange
cathedral, the impressive Basilica of Our Lady of
Guanajuato which was built between 1671 and 1696.
Just above the Cathedral on the hill is the University
of Guanajuato, an imposing white sandstone building
with crenellated towers. Further west is the grey
square of La Alhóndiga, and not far away
is the domed roof of the Mercado Hidalgo, the municipal
market.
Surrounding the monument are a series of outdoor
stalls that sell fruits, candy, souvenirs and typical
Mexican handicrafts made from wood, metal and leather.
Sujei showed me some of the local munchies which
included home-made crispy fried potato slices, various
wheat-based snacks and “chicharron”,
deep-fried pork skin. Miniature violins and the
decorative colourful “catrina” skeletons
round out the assortment of Mexican merchandise.
Now it was time for a late lunch, so Roberto, our
trusted driver, took us back into the city to the
Jardín Union, the city’s main square.
I was looking forward to getting an up-close look
at the heart of Guanajuato.
