Guanajuato - A Riot of True Colors

My 8 peso bus ride came to an abrupt end somewhere deep inside a dark tunnel. The driver signaled everyone on board that this was the last stop. My only doubt at the time was: if I could barely see my fingers in this tunnel, how would I know that I have arrived in Guanajuato?

I wasn't sure what was happening: Did I take a fake bus and fall into some sort of dark-cave kidnapping scheme? Not sure what was going on, I followed other "hostages" - many with luggage bags inside the dark tunnel. Eventually we reached a very narrow and steep staircase - so narrow that only one person could go up at a time.  When it came to my turn, I slowly and carefully followed the person ahead of me......

When I reached the surface, I found myself standing in the middle of a bustling market. Toys, magazines, and counterfeit DVDs followed by loud yelling of street vendors hinted that this location was probably not some remote village kidnappers ditch their hostages to When I looked up, I saw the statue of Pipila - one of Mexico's national heroes. Yeah,there was no doubt that I was in Guanajuato.

Now come to think of it, I had to say that tunnel system was possibly one of the most impressive urban designs I had ever seen. 

Going underground and entering the tunnels of Guanajuato from the historic city

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The exterior of Gunajuato's public market- the first major building in sight after I ascended from the tunnel below

Many foreign visitors say that "if God accidentally flipped over a palette, the result will be the colors of Guanajuato". Flipping over a palette can be a random act creating a random result. The colors of Guanajuato, however, were created for a very practical reason: To help government and services to identify addresses. If people say "God flipped a palette and created the Rainbow Mountain", I think it's OK. But for the vibrant colors of Guanajuato, I have to give the credits to the people of that city.

Life in Guanajuato

Walking through the alleys of Guanajuato was an adventure, although a relaxed and fairly enjoyable one. I didn't know exactly which alley would lead to which part of the town, but hey, surprise me. I encountered locals who were on their way back home form the market. I walked into the ground of an elementary school without even noticing it in the first place. Of courses, random cathedrals I entered were full of beauty and delights. 

How did I prevent myself getting lost? Well, here are two secrets (and will lead you to two amazing places): 

Secreto Numero Uno:  you can simply look for the giant orange dome of Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato. The area immediate to this architectural marvel is the historic city center of Guanajuato: Plaza de La Paz to the west, and Jardin de la Union to the West. Plaza de La Paz is a square where you'll find many restaurants and street vendors. Jardin de la Union is the garden where you'll find the traditional gazebo and high-end restaurants, hotels, and performing arts center (Teatro Juarez). 

Can you spot the giant orange dome?

There is another smaller orange dome in the city, but you'll know the difference

Secreto Numero Dos: Some of the back alleys that require you to climb stairs will lead you towards the hill rather than the historic city center. You can look for the statue of "El Pipila" mentioned earlier in case you get lost. The viewing platform from the statue of "El Pipila" offers the best view of Guanajuato from above. Pipila, an indigenous miner who ventured into the Spanish fortification in Guanajuato and set a blaze there during Mexico's War of Independence is seen as a national hero. From the statue, you can take the funicular straight back to the city center. 

"El Pipila" is visible even from many parts of the city

The statue of "El Pipila"

Back alleys along the slope will normally have signs pointing people towards the statue of "El Pipila", like the one shown in this picture

View of Guanajuato from "El Pipila"

View of Guanajuato from "El Pipila"

Guanajuato at night from "El Pipila"

During some weekends, local musicians would even take you on a "music tour" of the city when they walk and sing through the alleys of Guanajuato at night (and make sure you watch the video about Guanajuato shown in this post, or click here).

Musicians of Guanajuato

Juarez Theatre at night

The city of Guanajuato itself is a UNESCO Heritage Site, and it is such an interesting fact to me. The traditional style houses Guanajuato is proud of are seen as "signs of backwardness", or are simply defined as "slum houses" in many other developing countries, particularly in Asia. Many countries like China, Thailand, and Vietnam have torn down these buildings of "shame and backwardness" in favour of "modern", flashy skyscrapers instead. Such act have forced millions of people to relocate.  In many cases, especially for those who have lived in those houses for generations, it wasn't only a building they lost: To many of them, it was home that was demolished, so was their identities and emotional attachment to the land. 

Fortunately, people of Guanajuato didn't have to go through what people in other countries had to go through: forced relocation

When thousands of lives and houses come together, it becomes Guanajuato

The Guanajuato I saw didn't have any skyscrapers, nor ultra modern "architectural masterpieces" . Yet an ironic fact is that the same countries that haven been busy demolishing these so called "slum houses" are also spending billions to construct replicas of "great ancient sites" hoping to lure tourist money. Then"shanty towns" like Guanajuato ended up attracting people from all over the world and is designated as a World Heritage Site. Many of the replica projects, in contrast, struggled to convince tourists that they were worthy of people's time and money; some couldn't even see the completion date after the developers had to file bankruptcy for various reasons.

The more I look at these "slumhouses", the more soothing they appear to me

Unlike "fake" tourist sites, I felt the sense of community in Guanajuato. People's attitude and reactions were genuine. The city wasn't perfect, but it was real.There has been an outcry in the traveler's community that even places like Guanajuato won't be like Guanajuato in the next couple of decades. As affordable jet travel allows more people to see the world, (to me, it's a good thing. It gives more people the opportunity to learn about and engage with our world), places are getting more and more crowded than ever before. I've both heard and seen many community-orientated places becoming  profit-orientated places. 

Beautiful public squares in Guanajuato are enjoyed by both tourists and locals

Inside Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato

Will that day when Guanajuato becomes Disneyland come? I don't know. However, when I walked through the confusing streets of Guanajuato, I saw daily lives that were much similar to my own. When I observed local family run restaurants and craft shops getting prepared for another day of hard work in the wee hours of early morning, I knew the Guanajuato many people loved and missed was still there.

 
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