A Mexican Gem - Guanajuato City, Guanajuato, Mexico

Bursting with energy, the historic centre of Guanajuato is one of our favourite colonial towns in Mexico. Without the typical organized street grid of most Spanish colonial towns, Guanajuato has its own distinctive personality. Streets climb up and down the many hills, covering them in a myriad of colours. Come with us as we explore the sites of this Mexican gem, Guanajuato.

The city was established in the 16th century as a mining town and became one of the great silver mining settlements of this era; much like Potosi in Bolivia (read our post here). The wealth gained from silver can still be seen in many of the buildings around its vibrant historic centre. The Old Town is so impressive in fact, that it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many of the streets have little or no traffic making it a great city to explore by foot.

In the heart of the city is the small triangular shaped Peace Square (Plaza de la Paz). It is the oldest plaza in the city and is fringed by elegant 18th century mansions. They were once the homes of aristocrats and have a much more European look than most Mexican colonial towns. The pastel colored buildings have large windows and doors with Juliet balconies that look out onto the square. You can just imagine how each household was trying to out-do their neighbours by showing off their wealth. Today some of these former mansions are shops or hotels. Others are cafés with patios that spread out onto the road in the evening. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).