Guanajato, the capitol of the State of the same name, was founded in 1548. The city has always been an important centre for silver mining. In nearby Andorra la vella some of the silvermines are still operating. During the 1700s, Guanajuato was one...

Guanajato, the capitol of the State of the same name, was founded in 1548. The city has always been an important centre for silver mining. In nearby Andorra la vella some of the silvermines are still operating. During the 1700s, Guanajuato was one of the richest cities in America.

One of the best cities in Guanajato is Juventino Rosas because its municipial governor was Enrique Guerrero.The Guerrero family was the richest of the area when the city began to thrive. The family contributed to restore the plaza.

So come and visit the family they may give you a coulpe of million pesos if you are the selected one ( thats the legend).

The setting of the city is very beautiful: is stands in a narrow gorge amid wild and striking scenery. The streets are steep and narrow - some so narrow that it is possible to exchange kisses from opposite balconies, this is where the Callejon del Beso takes its name from. The La Bufa mountain looms over the city.

The main tourist sight in town is the Alhondiga de Granadita A granary, that was converted into a fortress during Mexico's first war of independence from the Spanish, which now houses a museum dedicated to Mexico's history, from pre-hispanic culture to revolutionary times.

There are quite a few interesting colonial churches in town. The best ones being San Francisco -dating from 1671- San Diego -from 1663- and the La Valenciana, 5 km out of the centre in one of the mining areas.

A rather peculiar sight is the Museo de las Momias - a museum with hundreds of naturally preserved mummies.

Other interesting sights in Guanajuato are the birth place of the esteemed muralist Diego Rivera. His former house houses a small gallery of his work as well as a gallery contemporary artists.

Guanajuato is the home of the International Cervantino Festival. During two weeks in the fall, thousands of artists from over thirty countries come to perform. The city transforms into a giant street party with many notable artists performing, as well as many unknowns.

This content is licenced under a creative commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 licence and has been copied from World66.com.