Guanajuato

A UNESCO-LISTED CITY THROBBING WITH CULTURAL VITALITY.

For around 250 years, starting in the mid-16th century, 20 per cent of the world’s supply of silver came from one place in central Mexico: Guanajuato. For obvious reasons, the natural wealth of the region (there was gold too) turned the city at its centre into a shimmering, spectacular success story.

The residents of Guanajuato built magnificent mansions spilling down the sides of the mountains from which they hauled their rare treasures, and they constructed ornate places of worship in which to thank the God who had blessed them.

Through the centuries hence, they added theatres, museums, parks and plazas, painting buildings in iridescent colours, and planting streets, gardens and open spaces with the most beautiful trees. Nearly 500 years since the start of the rush for precious metals, Guanajuato’s majesty remains undiminished.

UNESCO inscribed the city and its adjacent mines on its World Heritage List in 1988, describing it as home of the most beautiful examples of Baroque architecture in Central and South America, adding: “Guanajuato was witness to events which changed the history of the country.”

These days, Guanajuato is a must-visit location, throbbing with cultural vitality. It is the birthplace of artists, writers and performers, as well as intellectuals and revolutionaries. It is an inspiration to filmmakers, poets and musicians, who still flock here to immerse themselves in its unique ambiance. When the team behind the Oscar-winning Disney-Pixar movie Coco needed a real place on which to base their towering fantastical vision, they toured Guanajuato and found everything they sought.

Life in the vibrant city pulses on numerous levels, from beneath the streets to the tops of the surrounding peaks. Most visitors will spend a while standing beside the statue of El Pipila, the hero of the revolution, whose imposing presence occupies the best vantage point from which to soak up one of Mexico’s most exceptional views.

The brightly coloured city buildings stretch out below, seemingly wedged into the dramatic ravine between mountain ranges. There is even one street so narrow that it is possible to lean from a balcony and kiss a companion doing the same from the other side of the passageway.

Rising prominently from the cityscape, the striking yellow of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato, originally built in 1671, is the city’s most significant religious construction.

Meanwhile much of the region’s lasting intellectual and artistic power comes from the University of Guanajuato, whose beautiful central building, and long staircase, has become iconic. There are 34,000 students at the university (including campuses in other cities in the state) and their influence is keenly felt across all levels of the arts.

Immediately below El Pipila, and accessible via a funicular railway, is the Teatro Juárez, a plush 19 th -century theatre, whose ornate decorations offer convincing evidence of how highly valued cultural pursuits are in the city. The theatre’s design draws inspiration from ancient Rome and Greece, and has more than 900 seats in its sumptuous auditorium. There are regular performances, and tours available between productions.

Every October, the Cervantino International Festival brings two full weeks of high culture to an already thriving city. Established in 1953 by a university professor, and expanded with federal funding in the 1970s, the festival has grown from an intimate homage to the Spanish writer Cervantes into what is considered by many to be the most significant cultural festival in the Spanish-speaking world. It now attracts major acts from across the globe, in all artistic disciplines, and packs culture into every inch of the city.

Numerous smaller festivals take place across Guanajuato year-round, and whether it is gala time or not, music and dance often spills onto the streets.

Spend any time ambling around the labyrinthine network of narrow roads, or relaxing in a town square, and you’re sure to encounter a traditional brass band, or a student-led performance. They wander the streets in traditional black capes, serenading visitors as they explore.

Juarez Theatre

It is also possible, of course, to examine and buy fine examples of local crafts in a number of city markets. There are expertly produced leather goods, pottery and ceramics, as well as trinkets crafted from the precious metals that originally gave the city its unique standing.

It is no surprise that Guanajuato is a hub of fine museums too, celebrating a vast swath of history. The legendary Mexican artist Diego Rivera – a muralist, who is also known for a tempestuous marriage to Frida Kahlo –was born in Guanajuato in 1886 and his childhood home now houses the Museo y Casa de Diego Rivera, which places his work in its historical context.

The Museo Iconográfico del Quijote pays unique homage to Cervantes’ greatest creation Don Quixote, while both the Guanajuato Municipal Museum, located in the former mansion of a 17 th -century mine owner, and the neighbouring Alhóndiga de Granaditas Museum also showcase the region’s glittering history. Meanwhile El Museo Bocamina San Ramon and La Valenciana Mine complex offer visitors the chance to visit former working mines.

While it is not unusual for museums to remember figures long dead, Guanajuato’s famous Museo de las Momias offers a unique twist.

Visitors can see the mummified remains of more than 50 former residents of the region (the total collection numbers more than 100), and, more significantly, learn how death plays a major role in understanding Mexican culture.

While it may sound grisly – and visitor discretion is advised; the mummies are real and not for the faint-hearted – the museum is sensitive rather than sensationalist. Its motto insists: “To honour death is to give meaning to one’s life.”