Guanajuato is one of my favorite Mexican cities. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, not only because it dates back to the 1500s, but because of its location and evolution. This mining city, where the houses are all tucked into the canyon, has had its ups and downs during various centuries. Some of its famous silver mines are still found around the city. In the old times, these mines produced 30% of all the silver in the world, enriching the Spanish Crown and enabling it to build its powerful Spanish Armada.The Guanajuato River used to pass at the bottom of the canyon causing great floods and massive destruction. To avoid this, tunnels were built allowing the city to grow above them.
Later on, the river was diverted to build a dam living the tunnels empty. In the 1950 city planers decided to use these tunnels as one of the main routes to direct the growing car traffic. The six existing tunnels are part of an efficient traffic system, which not only protects the city but allows it to keep its charming and historical down town.
Mountains with panoramic views of the colourful houses and historical buildings surround the city. Its many plazas and narrow streets, some of which can only be reached by foot, give this city a quaint and pleasant atmosphere. It is the home of many artists, some of them very famous like Diego Rivera.
Since 1972 Guanajuato host every year the famous “Festival Internacional Cervantino”, named after Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, considered the Shakespeare of the Spanish language, and who is the writer of “Don Quijote”. The international festival presents dance, theatre, poetry, music and fine arts. One of the most uplifting happenings are the “estudiantinas” (group of young students) dressed in middle-age velvet costumes; singing old traditional songs; gathering in all corners and plazas; competing for the best “estudiantina” in the Spanish world.
This painting represents and contains some of the features I think are part of this unique city. The mountains with their rugged and stony surface, the colorful houses in all angles just holding on to the canyon, the colonial architecture of its many churches and convents, the resilient cactus trees found in its landscape and the clear blue sky of the Mexican highlands.
