Guanajuato, Mexico

Looking down on Guanajuato, nestled in a valley. It took us about four days to get used to the elevation (over 6500 feet). Highs were in the upper-80's, but it's very dry. Evenings are delightfully cool.

The Hidalgo Market, where we ate fish tacos for lunch one day.

Herbal remedies.

Dia del Amor y la Amistad (Day of Love and Friendship, i.e., Valentine's Day). We saw many balloon and stuffed animal vendors.

Rotisserie chicken and carne asada with refries, coleslaw, rice, and fresh tortillas.

A lettuce truck and a man carrying his young daughter. All of the Mexican people we met were extremely kind and gentle. We never saw anyone raise their voice to a child.

A whole rotisserie chicken is $3.50 to go.

Lalo and Anita own Casa de la Luna, a beautiful hostel in a quiet, charming neighborhood just steps from the main part of town. They both speak English well. Lalo makes wonderful granola!

These friendly bakers invited us in to watch and take photos.

The market at Embajadoras, one of the neighborhoods we especially liked.

An elementary school letting out for the day. Even kids in public schools wear uniforms.

Colorful, fresh-squeezed fruit juices for sale. It was very frustrating to not be able to eat many things, since we couldn't know how hygienically they'd been prepared. I escaped Montezuma's revenge, but Grant, alas, did not.

These adorable school kids were on their lunch break. When we'd exhausted their English phrases, we spoke Spanish. They were very sweet and funny. If I lived here I'd spend a lot of time talking with them, and maybe helping them practice their English. They only study English one hour a week.

The beautiful cathedral in the center of town, built in the 1600's.

Tunnels under the city help reduce traffic congestion.

Coffee shop on a little bridge.

This road used to contain a river. The river was diverted after too many floods.

One of Guanajuato's many beautiful plazas.

A clever tortilla machine takes in dough and spits out cooked tortillas.

Guanajuato is a University town, which infuses the town with youth and culture. This is the main building.

View from the top of the University steps. The statue in the distance is the monument to one of Mexico's revolutionary heroes, El Pipila.

We rode the funicular up to El Pipila and then walked down.

View of the city from El Pipila.

An old house in Guanajuato.

A large group of bikers cruises through town. No helmets required.

After silver was discovered in 1552, Guanajuato became one of the top silver mining areas in the world. The mines, like this one above town, were fortified.

The Valenciana mine, near Guanajuato.

Downtown Guanajuato.

A churro vendor. Churros are deep-fried pastries, like chewy donuts - yum.

One of many tunnels that connect different parts of town.

Notice the shirt on this young father. Mexico is very Catholic.

Medical care is very affordable. A doctor visit at this office costs $4.50. Medicine is also very inexpensive.

A tunnel "shortcut" back to the house.

The narrow, cobbled sidewalks can be treacherous... To our great relief, the sprained ankle only kept Grant immobile for half a day.

The streets of Guanajuato rise up the valley walls in a maze of narrow alleyways. You can't get lost, because down always leads back to the center.

Looking out over the city, with the University in the distance.

An alley scene.

Tacos al pastor (spit roasted pork).

Bulk snacks for sale!

Vendors selling corn, cactus, beans, peppers.

You can buy fabulous, fresh fruits and vegetables everywhere. It was mango season, and we ate them every day.

A torta is a sandwich, sometimes grilled, filled with your choice of meat, cheese, chiles, avocado, and other goodies.

The Teatro Juarez is stunning at night.

Guanajuato is famous for its minstrels, a tradition imported from Spain.

Minstrels gearing up for their nightly singing stroll through the streets of town. We wanted to stroll along, but they start kind of late...

Another beautiful plaza.

A parade to encourage vaccination.

El Callejon del Beso (Kiss Alley) is the narrowest alley in Guanajuato. It's 15 years of good luck if you smooch while standing on the pink step (yes, we did).

Another beautiful plaza.

Sherry (right) invited us to a really enjoyable dinner party. There are several hundred Americans living full-time in this city of approximately 150,000.