Gorgeous Guanajuato, Mexico

From San Miguel de Allende I decided to try my luck hitchiking to Guanajuato, about an hour an a half further north in Mexico. I was picked up right away by Sergio, a truck driver hauling a specialized pig feed to a farm on the way to Guanjuato. We had a good trip together and he got to practice his English that he learned as teenager living in the United States. I asked if I could see the farm that he was going to and it turned out to be an interesting experience. I wasn't able to see much of the process, but I met the managers and had plenty of time to hear all about it. As it turned out the trucks hydrologics to transfer the feed were shot when we arrived and they needed to be repaired. I spent a couple hours with Sergio and the head of operations as they were deciding what to do. They were very friendly and would have let me see the place if it wasn't for biological contamination issues, and soon I understood why.

Here is a summary of how the place works. The particular farm where we were was just where pigs were born and raised for a couple of months. There were 1300 female pigs and 17 male pigs. Ah, how great it would be a male pig, right? Not necessarily, all of the female pigs are artificially inseminated and the male pigs have there own version of the blow-up doll. Once the females become pregnant and have their piglets they are kept for a few months before being sent off to the main farm. At the other farm there are over 10,000 pigs hanging out for about 4 months before they are large enough to slaughter.

Sergio decided to wait for the part to repair the hydrolics so the manager of the operations drove me back out to the main road to get to Guanajuato. It was an interesting diversion from what I thought my route might be, driving through farm field after farm field, and ending up at a industrial pig farm, but I wouldn't have had it turn out differently.












Riding with Sergio on his way to a farm halfway to Guanajuato












Trying to unload the the pig feed into the silos

Guanajuato is gorgeous colonial town set in a steep mountainous ravine. Historically famous as an opulent mining town, the architecture and beauty reflect the wealth of its mines. Guanajuato is a Unesco world heritage site and it has done much to preserve its historical setting. Although the streets and alleys can be narrow, steep, and irregular it is a very walkable town that has plenty to see. The architecture is terrific, not as old world as San Miguel de Allende, but with beautiful colors and a unique setting of steep and varied topography. The patronage of wealthy mine barons also helped to create some beautiful buildings and parks.












Looking out onto Guanajuato












Looking towards the basilica












Looking up at the great monument of the "Pipila" which represents a young miner who carried a stone slab on his back to shield himself from the Spanish gun fire, allowing him to get close enough to torch the door to the well fortified grainery that they were occupying.












looking down from the "Pipila" monument












Church dome and the city












Building tops












Colorful city












Looking down on a plaza












Looking up at the market












Colorful buildings and tangled wires

The narrow twisting alleyways were a fun part of the city. I spent a lot of time walking and having fun getting lost in them and finding interesting parts of the city. As long as you go downhill they generally empty out on to one of the main avenues through town.












Tight buildings











Narrow alleyways












Steep steps












Colorful windows












Strawberries












Baseball stadium












Baseball field

One of the very interesting aspects of Guanjuato is that most of the vehicular traffic has been routed through tunnels under the town. And there are only four main streets at ground level. The tunnels originally directed water through the town, but then were converted to roads once flooding was diverted around the town. now they serve as a brilliant way to keep traffic from impacting the beauty of the city.












Tunnel and city












Open maze of tunnels












Looking out from the tunnels

As in many other places in Mexico here the streets are alive and and there is plenty of entertainment all around. People are out enjoying the parks, mariachis, comedians, and a type music called “Estudientina” where they dress is old garb and parade through the city with people following behind.












Theater Juarez












Central park












Plaza












Boy playing with pigeons












Tuba and old buildings












Resting bass











Mariachis playing at night












Playing "Estudiantina" music

Guanajauto is a college town and a popular place for foreigners to study Spanish. The mix of travelers and students gives allows for a great mix of night life. My favorite place to hang out was the “barfly.” It was a lively place and one of the nights they had live band play “surf” music of all things.












The Barfly












Colorful murals inside the Barfly












Great "surf" band playing at the Barfly

One of the strangest quirks of this beautiful and culturally rich town is the Museum of the Mummies. As graveyard space grew scarce and families failed to pay the small fee to maintain their relatives graves, naturally mummified bodies were exhumed and either cremated or put on display. There are currently over 100 mummified corpses on display in this disturbing museum, showing only the most grotesque or unique corpses. While the museum is not for the faint of heart it does illustrate the unique fascination and view of death that exists in this part of the world; demonstrating that the body is merely a vessel for the soul.












Gallery of mummies at the Museum of the mummies












Mummy clutching a note













Less disturbing Mummy












Flowers, still dead but much more beautiful