Day Trip to Guanajuato

From San Miguel de Allende we drove to the state capital of Guanajuato. The city was founded in 1548 when rich silver mines were discovered in the mountains surrounding it. At the height of its production, one of the mines called La Valenciana accounted for 2/3 of all the world’s silver. The streets in Guanajuato are very narrow and winding and most do not allow cars. In fact, most of the city’s major roads are located in underground tunnels. We started our tour of Guanajuato at the monument of El Pípila, a local hero. From the foot of the monument, we enjoyed a fantastic view of the entire city of Guanajuato:

The streets of Guanajuato:

Teatro Juarez:

Street performer:

Beautiful churches:

The Don Quixote Museum:

The underground tunnels:

Mining car from the silver mines:

A statue of Diego Rivera, artist and husband of Frida Kahlo:

Museo Casa Diego Rivera:

Diego Rivera’s childhood home is now a museum and art gallery:

The steps to the Universidad de Guanajuato:

For lunch we had a fantastic meal at a restaurant (which had actually been a church) on the top of a mountain with a gorgeous view. Their specialty was a chile relleno in a puff pastry served with two sauces. It was so delicious!