Guanajuato is a muse
We've been in Guanajuato for three weeks. From day one it's been nothing but event after event and a deep glimpse into the culture that dominates this city. And in the quiet moments, more glimpses through the architecture, street art, street food, street dog, and people as they go about everyday life.
The day after we arrived, we were wondering why the town constantly had whistles being blown. I mean there was a constant high pitched whistle happening. We found out why the next day when we saw the town was set up for a bike competition - they blow the whistle every time a contestant passed a certain point in the ride to tell people they were coming. The riders rode from the top of the main hill (some 90 meters high), down a maze of tightly woven streets and stairs to be dumped at a ramp and final jump in the main town square. I think they also rode through the tunnels at some point. Oh and there was also a marathon happening the same weekend.
The city road system uses old drainage tunnels underneath, making a two (or more) level system that keeps a lot of traffic off the main streets, which are pretty tiny. I read recently that the tunnels were originally created to divert the Guanajuato river as the city grew, and they have since dammed the river upstream and diverted it there... making it possible to use the tunnels for transportation. Some tunnels go for miles, branch to others, go under others, have bus stops and parking in them, and are generally a way of life around here. Taking a cab ride through them is truly a Disney ride experience.
We are considering adding a "mystery parade counter" to our blog to count the parades, marches, and other group gatherings that wander through town with no readily apparent reason. We will go and sit in a square somewhere and invariably something like a parade will will happen. We've been told that sometimes it's to honor a saint, sometimes they are caroling for Christmas, and sometimes it's a mystery to all.
The Virgin of Guadalupe Day was a treat to be part of. The mystery parades surrounding this event made sense after we learned what an important day it is. Some people we talked with see it as just an excuse to feast, and some see it as an important religious day. Either way it's a pretty amazing party the whole city gets in on.
Street food is a staple in Mexican culture. Flan, hot dogs, tacos, gorditos, chalupas, cut fresh fruit, ice cream, churros, and local specialties like Guacamayas and Dorilocos can be found daily.
December 20th marked the 200th anniversary of independence from Spain for Guanajuato. We watched the city stop and set up a huge stage, tons of banners, a free cake dispersion center, and call in probably all the cops in a 200 mile radius for the event to keep it safe. Free cake was handed out to the whole city, they did projection mapping on the church, played live music, and of course had a huge fireworks show. And then they took it all down the next day. We thought maybe they would have more events to celebrate it than one night, but I guess you have to leave room for all the other stuff.
For all the events, or just because, we've loved seeing dressed up dogs. Sometimes in flower-covered collars, sometimes in full-on dresses.
Street art is everywhere. I mean EVERYWHERE. The myriad of paths and streets give plenty of wall space for color and paint. It looks like some have been commissioned (like the really large murals), but most seem to be pained by the community or put up by people just to add more flair to the city.
And the city itself, with it's Spanish colonial influence and how it's nestled into a range of hillsides, is just plain beautiful. I haven't yet tired of just sitting and taking in a view, or taking a walk where you'll find something new or different even if you've walked the same way many times. On our usual walks it's common that some doorway we thought just opened into someone's home would be open with a shop of some kind inside. I don't know if I could live in a place like this, but it sure has been a blast so far to visit.
