Two weekends ago (wow, doesn't feel that long...) I went with my fellow USCer, Alex, to Guanajuato, an old colonial city located around 4 hours east of Guadalajara. We had a three-day weekend for
el puente, the long weekend that comes with Constitution Day on Monday. We met up with several other Tec students throughout weekend, but the two of us stuck together the majority of the time. I'm gonna write a bit about the trip, so get ready for some irritating enthusiasm...
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| View of the city |
The city is so beautiful! Guanajuato has to be one of my favorite places I've ever visited, and not only in Mexico. It was founded in the mid-1500s, and quickly grew to be the world's largest silver exporter. The city itself is built into the mountains, with old mining tunnels now being used as roads beneath the city. The majority of the old colonial buildings have been preserved, only with fresh paint jobs in spectacular colors. The streets are narrow and winding, and I often felt VERY lost, but thankfully it's a relatively small place (especially compared to Guadalajara!). There is a courtyard complete with fountain around nearly every corner, along with cathedrals and museums. Alex and I did our best to hit them all, but we just barely fell short...
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| Catedral de Guanajuato |
Guanajuato has a really interesting, and as far as I could tell inexplicable, obsession with Don Quixote. The city is home to one of the largest culture festivals in the world, the Cervantino Festival, and there are statues of Quixote and his faithful sidekick Sancho Panza throughout the city. There is also a Don Quixote museum, complete with sculpture, paintings, pottery, and books (of course), all in honor of the ol' man. Don Quixote de la Mancha is one of my favorite books of all time, so I was super hyped to get to see all of this random artwork!
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| Actually bought a print of this one for my room... |
The Universidad de Guanajuato (UG) is in the center of the city. Because of this, the city has a very cool, hip college town vibe. One of my friends back home who studied abroad at UG for two semesters hooked me up with one of her friends, Richi, who met us for coffee and showed us around some of the bars where the students hang out. It was very cool seeing the contrast between the touristy Guanajuato and the real city that Richi lives in. I love them both, and hope to return some day!
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| The guy on the right is Richi (and oh yeah that's Alex on my left) |
Lastly I'll leave you with a link to a YouTube vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eFy0wrr7T8
The song is Palmar by Caloncho, one of my favorite Mexican artists, who I got to see at a free concert downtown this past weekend.
THREE RANDOM PICTURES
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| Cool murals |
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| Pretty street, you can see the colors |
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| Alex and I at the top of La Bufa, a cliff thingy that overlooks the city |
