Mummies, Music, and Meandering

I spent a week in Guanajuato, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which once led the world in silver mining. The blocks around the center of the city are filled with tourists every day, especially at night when street performers and vendors take over the streets.

Outside of the center, however, the steep alleys in this hillside city are mostly quiet and great for exploring. There is delicious homemade street food and restaurants on every block along with bakeries, coffee shops, bars and amazing views as well. And there are small plazas everywhere, which are very helpful as climbing the steep alleys can be tiring.

Below are some of the highlights of my time in Guanajuato.

Streets of Guanajuato

Much of the traffic flows through tunnels under the city, leaving lots of room for pedestrians to explore.

The famous steps of the University of Guanajuato

My friend Gabriel introduced me to several new fruits

Hiking La Bufa

One day I took a solo hike up to the top of El Cerro de la Bufa, a mountain just outside of the city. It was a bit more arduous than expected, and I definitely got lost a few times, but I eventually made it and the views were spectacular.

Mummy Museum

Gabriel and I took a walk to the other side of town to visit this museum. The mummies are naturally preserved bodies due to the dry soil here. Many are quite “young” mummies from the last few decades. It turns out that in public cemeteries, one must rent their plot forever. If a family stops paying, bodies may be exhumed to make room for paying “guests.” Some end up in this fascinating museum.

Kayaking to the Sunken Temple

The centuries-old temple didn’t actually sink, but it was flooded, along with an entire village, when a dam was built in 1979. Only in the last decade did dropping water levels reveal parts of the building. Now it’s a kayaking destination. Gabriel and I booked a tour with Andrés who runs Aventura Total Guanajuato who we highly recommend.

Callejoneada

Another activity unique to Guanajuato is going on a callejoneada. This is a nightime tour led by students from the University of Guanajuato. They are musical tours that meander through the alleys and are full of history, humor, and fun (and maybe just a little too touristy).

Callejoneada video: https://youtube.com/shorts/9Z3uyVJpOHI?feature=share

Valenciana and Dolores Hidalgo

I took an Uber to a nearby village to see the Templo Valenciana and tour the mine there. Then I caught a bus to Dolores Hidalgo, another “pueblo mágico.”