GUANAJUATO, MEXICO

Nearby Sights

Abasolo - Acambaro - Celaya - Dolores - Irapuato - Leon - Manuel Doblado Penjamo - Purisima - Salamanca - San Felipe - San Luis de la Paz ---
San Miguel Allende - Silao - Valle de Santiago -- Yuriria

Abasolo

La Caldera. Hotel & Spa.

Acambaro - First Spanish settlement on Guanajuato State -

Chupicuaro Culture Regional Museum. Displays on the culture of the old inhabitants of the Lerma valley.
San Francisco Convent. Built within c. XVI and XVII. Superb colonnade.

Celaya

El Carmen convent and church. Beautiful neoclassic construction built from 1802 to 1807 by Eduardo Tresguerras.
Presidencia Municipal's walls display some of celebrated celayan painter Ocampo's vegetable paintings.

Dolores Hidalgo -Cradle of Mexican Independence-

Dolores Parish church. Built from 1712-1778. Interesant facade and altars of Hidalgo's times.
Father Hidalgo's house. Now a historic museum with furniture and objects of the c. XVIII and XIX.
Pottery factories and shops. Although there are tens of them, world class quality is found in just a few. For instance, Queen Elizabeth II ordered her mexican service from Mr. Fortino Guerrero workshop, now run by his son and grandson.
Mesquite Furniture shops. A small community close to Dolores works on mesquite wood by hand. Furniture to order.
Hacienda La Erre Hotel. Quiet place outside town where the Hidalgo army had its first headquarters.
Atotonilco's Jesus The Nazaren Sanctuary. Centuries old sanctuary still in use outside town. Father Hidalgo took from this sanctuary the image of Virgen of Guadalupe that used as emblem of an independent country. Juan Correa's naive paintings about Christ's acts. Chapel's altar has strange paintings on mirrors about the Lepanto Battle.

Irapuato - Spanish pronunciation of naturals' voice meaning "among rivers" -

Presidencia Municipal. One of the largest open patios of Mexico. It's an outstanding work by Eduardo Tresguerras. Originally built (XIX c.) as educational institution.
City Museum. Superb photographic archives of major natural disasters (floods) of the region. Purepecha Culture archeologic pieces are on display.
Laboratorio de Pruebas de Mexico (LAPEM).Labs of the Federal Comission of Electricity, the public utility. High voltage, Metrology, Stress among others. Tours available on request.

Leon (Web Page in spanish) -Mexican shoe capital-

Explora Science park. IMAX theater and interactive museum.
Zona Piel. Commercial district with shops literally packed with shoe and leather goods.

Cd. Manuel Doblado

Cerro Grande archeological site. Old strategic dwellings on top of a hill over the meadows of Rio Turbio valley, where geese winter. Place non developed. Nice view.

Penjamo

Plazuelas Archeologic Site. Barely explored site.

Purisima del Rincon

Presidencia Municipal. Paintings by most famous town's son Hermenegildo Bustos.
Jalpa de Canovas. Old hacienda owned by Braniff Family. Chapel and main building are interesting as well as rock paintings near the new dam.

Salamanca

San Agustin. Beautiful church built in XVII c., convent in XVIII c.
El Señor del Hospital Sanctuary.

San Felipe

Parish Church. Extraordinary construction.
Los Panales o Agujas. Natural formations on rock. State road 87 Leon-San Felipe, km 41.
Rancho San Joaquin, Ex-hacienda La Quemada. 32 km NW of Dolores Hidalgo.
Jaral de Berrio. One of the most famous haciendas of Old Mexico. Main building now under reconstruction. Beautiful original paintings adorn stairways, rooms and some of corridors. At church, books on the site are sold.

San Luis de la Paz -Gate to Guanajuato's Sierra Gorda, Trekking and Ethnography-

Chichimeca descendants live in old communities close to town where Chupintantegua (1552) is the local hero.
Mineral de Pozos. Interesting mining community now ghost town.

San Miguel Allende (Web Page in English) - Tourist and retirement town with good spas nearby-

Ignacio Allende's house. Now hosting the regional museum. Good exhibits on natural history, prehispanic settlers, camino real times, and Independence war.
Instituto Allende . A large arts center open to general public with focus on cultural enrichment programs. Offers good language immersion programs. Building was the Old Mayorazgo de la Canal's House.
El Nigromante arts center. Lectures and classes of dance, painting, theater, music, etc. Host of the International Festival of chamber music (August).
Academia Hispano Americana . A good spanish language school with emphasis on immersion and language proficiency.
Parish Church. Neogothic construction of late 19th century by Zeferino Gutierrez.
San Francis Church. The most beautiful churriguresque facade in town. Pictures on San Francis life.
San Felipe's Oratory. Subject of most amateur paintings of San Miguel. Plateresque facade of 1714, neoclassic elsewhere.
Cacti Conservatory. Superb collection of Cacti, even some edible!
Taboada. Cozy hotel and spa outside town.
Mountain bike tours. Old haciendas and hot springs are in the way. Arrangements are done to stay and dine in some interesting places.
Public Library. Second largest mexican bilingual (english-spanish) library. Good collection.

Silao

Cristo Rey shrine. On top of Cubilete mountain (2600m), this church has a magnificient view of the Bajio valley, from Salamanca to Leon. 80 ton statue of 20 m height from 1951. Small museum related to the religious war. Good spot for gliders' flights.
Chichimequillas. Rock art on top of hill above the new dam El Pipila
General Motors' assembling plant. One of the largest assembling trains in North America making the famous Suburban trucks. Plant Tours are available.
The Chavez Morado Brothers' art museum.
Comanjilla. Hotel & hot sulfur springs (90 C) with curative properties.

Valle de Santiago

Rincon de Parangueo Crater. Rock art near the entrance tunnel.
La Alberca Crater. Within the city sprawl. Rock art on walls.

Yuriria

Agustinian Convent. Founded in 1570, now museum. Interesant facade of native version of plateresque.
La Alberca. Old crater whose waters turn red on sismic events. Her name, Yuririapundaro was taken for the town in her skirts.
Yuriria Lake. Artificial lake made by Fray Diego de Chavez y Alvarado taking Lerma river waters to fill up a natural depression.

Calendar

January.

Leon. State Fair. (***)

Holy Week Festivities.

San Miguel Allende.
Purisima. Jalpa de Canovas. (***)
Yuriria. (***)

Sept 28-30 - Saint Michael Archangel Festivities.

San Felipe. Battle of moorish and christians. (***)
San Miguel Allende. Bull races on city's streets.

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