A Day in Guanajuato City

By Ken Hubbard

Guanajuato City: Tamron SP 24-70mm Di VC USD: 1/10 Sec, f/4, ISO 1600 at 36mm

Founded in 1559 Guanajuato City is the capital of the state of Guanajuato which lies in the Bajio region of Mexico and is a Unesco World Heritage City. Early on Guanajuato City quickly grew due to the rich gold and silver deposits in the area. To this day La Valenciana silver mine is still in operation and has produced 20% of the worlds silver.

The center of the city is set in a narrow ravine with its many barrios expanding up the gently sloping hillsides. This area is known for its colorful colonial buildings, narrow cobble stoned streets, tree lined squares and the long dark tunnels that are part of their snaking road system.

Guanajuato Basilica Tamron SP 24-70mm Di VC USD: 1/15 Sec, f/8, ISO 1600 at 24mm

Construction on the Parroquia de Basilica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato started in 1671 (originally a Cathedral, it was named a Basilica in 1957) and took almost 25 years to complete. With its Mexican Baroque styling, bright yellow exterior walls and deep red accents, the Basilica is one of the most beautiful and important religious structures in Guanajuato City. Within its walls stands a jeweled wooden statue of the Virgin Mary. This statute is from the 8th century and is said to have been hidden in a cave for more than 800 years until it was gifted to the city by King Filipe II of Span in 1557.

Tunnels: Tamron SP 24-70mm Di VC USD: 1/30 Sec, f/16, ISO 640 at 29mm

Like many cities, the roadways of Guanajuato can be congested with cars at almost any time of the day, but there is something very unique about their city streets that sets them apart from almost every other town. Underneath the city lies a series of tunnels that were created during the heyday of mining and were used to divert the Guanajuato River during heavy rains and flooding. Today these tunnels have been converted into roadways that channel the traffic to different parts of the city without having to go through the main parts of town, thus alleviating some of the above ground traffic problems.

Guanajuato Plaza1: Tamron SP 24-70mm Di VC USD: 1/40 Sec, f/16, ISO 400 at 26mm

Guanajuato Plaza 2: Tamron SP 24-70mm Di VC USD: 1/25 Sec, f/2, ISO 400 at 62mm

When you look at a city like Guanajuato from the hillside above the town center, there is a sense of beauty, especially at sunset. As expected though, there is also the reality of congestion from so many buildings in such a small ravine. Fortunately when you make your way to street level the alleys and roadways may be narrow, but a whole new world opens up. What is revealed are cobble stoned streets and quiet tree lined plazas around unexpected corners. These plazas are shaded by perfectly manicured Indian Laurel Trees that provide abundant shade from the afternoon sun, allowing for a nice resting spot on the many benches. Some plazas are busier and some are quieter than others, it all depends on the amount of restaurants on the outer perimeter.

Kissing Alley: Tamron SP 24-70mm Di VC USD: 1/20 Sec, f/16, ISO 640 at 29mm

The roads and alleyways that make their way through this amazingly beautiful city may be narrow but there is one alley that is a tighter squeeze than any other. El Callejon del Beso or in English “The Alley of the Kiss is so close that the top window balconies are only about 1.5 meters apart. This closeness is what gave this small tight alleyway its name, with the balconies being so close it is said that lovers could kiss one another while standing on opposite sides. There is a tragic love story that goes along with the alley, but it is also said that if couples kiss on the 3rd step up the alley they will have 15 years of good luck. You can find the Alley of Kisses near the plaza de Las Angeles, just look for all the young couples kissing in a small narrow alley.

Lenses used for this article
Tamron SP 24-70mm Di VC USD G2