A Day in the Historic Town of Guanajuato City, Mexico, Guanajuato, Mexico

Mexico is a beautiful country with much of the tourism in the beach cities. There is so much to discover in the interior of Mexico and in the colonial towns. On a recent trip to Mexico we spent a day in Guanajuato City, a colonial city in the mountains. We found so much history with so much to see in this beautiful city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As you come into the city there is an overlook called Monumento Al Pipila. This is a great place to start.

The large statue that stands out is El Pipila, considered a hero in Guanajuato City during the Mexican Independence war. The story goes that the man, Juan José de los Reyes Martínez Amaro, set fire to the doors of the area where the Spanish troops were holed up. This allowed the Mexicans to begin to take back the city. He holds up a torch in the statue signifying his contribution.

Looking down from the overlook, you’ll notice the bright colors of the houses. As a part of this historic portion of the city every house is painted a designated color. Makes for a very colorful city.

The bright colored church is Basilica colegiata de Nuestra Senora de Guanajuato, built in the 17th century. It sits right in the center of this historic city. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).