“We are going to the prettiest town in Mexico,” Victor said as we were packing our backpacks for the flight.
“Says who?” I demanded, “Who decides what’s the “prettiest town”? What’s the prettiest town in the US? In Europe? In the world? I’ve never even heard of Guanajuato before you booked us tickets there and I am sure there are prettier towns in Mexico!”
Victor just shrugged and continued folding clothes into his backpack. He was clearly in no mood to argue.
Three days later, as we were flying back to Chicago, I turned to him and said, “That was the prettiest town in Mexico!”
“Says who?” Victor laughed.
It’s hard to explain what exactly made Guanajuato stand out from all the other beautiful towns in Mexico, except the sheer number of times I said, “Wow!” It seemed like every time we turned a corner, I was stunned by one thing or another. Whether it was incredible architecture with a blend of Spanish colonial and indigenous influences, a vibrant building façade adorned with intricate details, grand churches, lush parks, bustling markets, labyrinthe alleyways, or even an occasional quiet plaza offering a moment of tranquility, I could not believe how much variety such a small city had to showcase.
One of my favorite places in the city was the Union Garden (Jardín de la Unión), a bustling plaza with lush greenery, manicured trees, colorful flower beds, and most importantly lots of benches scattered throughout to relax and soak in the atmosphere. Surrounding the garden there was a variety of charming cafes, restaurants, and shops housed in historic buildings with colorful facades. Street vendors were selling handmade crafts, colorful balloons, and traditional snacks, and I got tempted into buying a completely non-traditional homemade passionfruit cheesecake slice and I did not regret it. Another snack we bought in a nearby dulceria (sweet shop) was traditional chocolate candy inconspicuously named “Pedos De Monja”, the direct translation being “Nun Farts”. I was hesitant to try it, but it turned out to be delicious.
Right across the street from Union Garden is one of the most noticeable landmarks of the city, Teatro Juárez, an excellent example of Mexican Neoclassical architecture from the 19th century that looks part Moorish, part Roman, and a bit Greek. Unsatisfied with only exploring the building from the outside, we purchased tickets to a classical concert of French and Mexican composers for that evening. While we both enjoyed the flute solos, clarinet tunes, piano accompaniment, and soprano songs, our favorite moment came at the very end when the entire audience burst into singing “Bessame Mucho” along with the musicians on the stage. While this was sold as mostly a concert of French music, it ended up being a very Mexican experience.
Another popular tourist site is the monument to El Pípila, not as much for the monument itself, which is a giant pink sandstone statue, but for the panoramic views of the city the monument platform offers. El Pípila is a Mexican folk hero whose brave actions achieved the first victory of the Mexican independence struggle in Guanajuato in 1810, and his monument sits high above the city on a mountaintop. We visited twice, once by riding the funicular and once by walking up a steep but well-constructed path around sunset, and were greeted by incredible views of the city bathed in golden sunlight. There were plenty of vendors on top with food and drink offerings and we spent hours sitting on the platform steps, watching the city slowly fade into darkness, as the lights illuminating the Basilica of Our Lady, University of Guanajuato, and many other sites glittered in the night.
From the top, it was very obvious that Guanajuato is very much a product of its physical location, spread over steep hills at the junction of three ravines. While walking the city street, we noticed that the city was often built vertically rather than horizontally, houses crowding on hillsides and streets layered of top of tunnels. The initial tunnels were built to prevent flooding and later more were added to help divert car traffic from the city center. Nowadays, the tunnels add a sense of intimacy and intrigue to the already romantic atmosphere of the historic center. I do have to admit that the first time I saw an entrance to the tunnel, it looked so much like an entrance to an underground metro station that I was temporarily confused.
“I’ve never seen a Mexican metro station outside Mexico City before,” I said.
“And you still haven’t!” Victor told me and led me down into the tunnel.
This brings us to the number one attraction in Guanajuato and the place that we intentionally did not visit. Our taxi driver taking us to the airport on the last day absolutely could not believe his ears when Victor told him in Spanish that we were in town for 3 days and did not visit Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato.
“But that’s our best tourist attraction!” he insisted, “You must visit one day!”
We nodded, with absolutely no intention of following through.
El Museo de las Momias hosts mummified remains of people who died a few hundred years ago and were unearthed in 1865 when descendants were unable to continue paying for the burial space. Once unburied, it was discovered that the remains did not turn into skeletons, but into mummified flesh due to many environmental factors. This macabre collection with grotesque human forms and horrifying facial expressions was then displayed in the tunnels underneath Guanajuato for any unsuspecting passerby to stumble upon and then was finally moved into a museum. It took Victor and I just a few minutes on the museum website featuring many photographs of its dreadful exhibitions featuring babies, children, and half-dressed and naked mummies to decide that we absolutely did not want to visit this in person.
I have a few regrets about my Guanajuato visit – not planning a longer visit, not eating more Nun Farts, and not speaking enough Spanish to understand the callejoneadas, a tradition of evening tours around the town with songs and stories led by local college students. But not visiting grotesque mummies is certainly not one.