Friday, 7 April 1995 - Explored Guanajuato a beautiful colonial mining city built on silver and gold wealth. Stayed at the Hotel Santa Fe near the central plaza, wandered narrow streets and tunnels carved into the hillside that serve as roads, enjoyed the lively Jardín de la Unión with evening music, and visited the historic Hacienda de San Gabriel de la Barrera with its 17th-century gardens and European furnishings.
In 1522 the Spaniards entered Guanajuato by 1567 silver was beginning to drive development. This
prosperity was at its height during the 18th century, and many of the larger buildings were built
then. On 16 September 1810 a priest named Miguel Hidalgo y Costills proclaimed Mexico's
independence from Spain and subsequently attacked Guanajuato. Many of the instigators were caught
and their heads were publicly displayed in the Guanajuato square. Eleven years later, the Mexican army
took Guanajuato back.
This is a picture of the hall outside our room at the Hotel Santa Fe in Guanajuato. The hotel was
in a great location next to the plaza and shops in the central part of the town.
Guanajuato owes its beauty to the discovery of silver and gold in the hills where the town was
built. The La Valenciana mine continues to operate - during the time of New Spain this one mine
was responsible for 25% of the mined silver.
The market in Guanajuato is a busy place with a unique feature - a balcony. From here you can
watch the action below and get a feeling for the layout before diving into the action.
This is the Church of the Felipenses of the Villa de San Miguel el Grande.
This is the street outside the hotel lined with cafes. The streets are very narrow as the town
was built to mine silver several centuries ago. To improve the traffic pattern tunnels from
mining and old riverbeds have been converted into roadways under the city. Young boys wait
outside the city and for a few dollars offer to guide you through the underground maze. After
driving through the tunnels a few times Cal learned the various roads and when to pop up to the
surface.
This is the Jardin de la Union, laid out in 1861. It is a laurel shaded plaza in the heart of the
city, always populated. The municipal band plays each evening making a late afternoon lunch a
complete entertainment experience.
This is a picture of Cal and his parents at the Hacienda de San Gabriel de la Barrera - actually
ex-hacienda, it is now a museum. The garden is beautiful there are 16 different gardens each
landscaped in a different style. The hacienda was built in the late 17th century and is furnished
with European furniture from the 17th to the 19th centuries.
