I just reread my Guanajuato: We’re Home post and we certainly had a fun first couple of weeks there. The second half of our stay may have been even better because in addition to experiencing more food and history, we also had the opportunity to attend a couple of music events, plus our day trip to Dolores Hidalgo that I wrote about in my last post. Here are the main highlights of our last two weeks or so in Guanajuato.
The Alhondiga
We learned a bit about the Alhondiga earlier in our stay on our private walking tour with Ramses, which ended at the back corner of the building. Alhondiga means granary in Spanish, so was a center of fortification and commerce in colonial times. In the first battle of the War of Independence, the insurgentes led by Miguel Hidalgo stormed the Alhondiga and eventually overtook it. The battle was very dramatic and you can read a good summary on the Alhondiga’s Wikipedia page. Unfortunately, the Spanish eventually took it back and also captured and executed several of the area insurgent leaders, including Miguel Hidalgo. They then displayed the heads of the leaders at the four corners of the building, which Ramses pointed out to us and showed us how the building now has the leaders names on the four corners to honor them.
Like several museums and historic sites in Mexico, the Alhondiga Museum has a different price for nationals versus foreigners. I think this is fair, especially if (as I suspect) the museum receives public funding. For us, entry to the Alhondiga was 145 pesos (about $8.50) per person, cash only. Mexicans pay 85 pesos. When we were there on a late Tuesday afternoon, there were very few other visitors.
After entering the Alhondiga, you go up an impressive staircase with murals of the war painted by the artist José Chávez Morado between 1955 and 1966. These were pretty awe-inspiring and worth the price of admission alone. The second story has most of the exhibits, which describe the history of the war and the Alhondigas role.
After the battle, the Alhondiga was used as a jail until 1949 when the state built a new jail. Then it was turned into the museum. The ground floor included an exhibit about the creation of a replica of the famous bell Miguel Hidalgo rang to start the war and memorials to some of the fallen heroes, including an eternal flame. The last corner had a gallery of folk art.
We enjoyed our visit to the Alhondiga and learned a lot. It is definitely a must-do in Guanajuato.
El Pípila Monument
Another must-do is going up to the El Pípila monument above the city. You can walk up or go by funicular. We chose to walk one late morning. Apparently I neglected to take any photos of our trip up but it was an easy route to follow on Google maps. It took about 20 minutes of steadily climbing steep roads and stairs, but the view was worth it. El Pípila is the legendary hero of the battle at the Alhondiga, who successfully set the door on fire to breach the building by approaching it with a large flat rock on his back to block the bullets from the Spanish muskets. There are vendors around the statue selling street food but none were open when we were there around noon, so we headed back down the hill and found some tasty Mexican empanadas for lunch.
La Musica – Jazz and Symphony
When walking back from La Presa on Valentine’s Day, I noticed a flyer for a jazz show at Presa 97 on one of the walls. Travel writer Tim had recommended Presa 97 as a fun venue for cultural events, so I took a photo and registered for the show that Thursday. The band was called Las Momias de Jazz, a reference to Guanajuato’s famous mummies. The cost was 150 pesos per person paid in cash at the door and they’d have food and drink for sale as well.
On the night of the show, we walked up to La Presa and enjoyed a beer on the porch of a cafe called La Rustica overlooking the park and dam. Then we walked a few minutes down to Presa 97, a converted colonial mansion that now houses a cafe, restaurant, shops, gym, and a coworking space. The organizers have done a great job making it feel cool and welcoming.
When we arrived at Presa 97 they had a table reserved for us right up front in the courtyard. We ordered some wine, edamame, and buffalo cauliflower, which we managed to eat most of before the band started. We had a fantastic time enjoying the music, which seemed to be mostly originals. The leader of the trio was a non-native Spanish speaker so I was able to understand much of his banter between songs. All three musicians were very talented.
I also found a listing of cultural performances through a Facebook group I joined at Tim’s recommendation called Guanajuato TQM. The one that stood out was a performance by the University of Guanajuato symphony at the beautiful Teatro Juarez on Friday, the day after the jazz show. We enquired at the theater one day about buying tickets and were told to go to the Teatro Principal a couple blocks away. However, the actual ticket sales were in the UG museum across the street. Tickets were general admission and also 156 pesos per ticket.
We ate at home before the symphony since it didn’t start until 8 p.m. We arrived at the theater at 7:30 and were able to get right in with our pre-purchased tickets. They were also selling tickets but there was a bit of a line for that, so I’m glad we bought in advance. We chose great seats on the main floor near the back that were on a little rise.
The symphony was excellent and included a short piece called Bacanal by a contemporary composer, Eduardo Angulo, a classical piece by Carl Phillip Stimitz, and then Symphony No. 7 from the famous Russian composer Serguei Prokofiev. Also, the interior of Teatro Juarez is as beautiful as its impressive exterior. It was a great place to see a performance.
Very rarely do we get a chance to see musical performances two nights in a row, especially our two favorite genres in two lovely unique spaces. It was a great couple of nights!
More Museums and Architecture and Food
Another date night we visited two small museums, each in historic structures with a modest (31 pesos I think) entry fee and a couple blocks from each other. First we visited the Museo del Pueblo de Guanajuato, the city museum. It featured a couple of temporary exhibits about pottery, including some really stunning pieces by Dolores Porras, a sculptor from Oaxaca known for using indigenous techniques. A highlight was a video from the 1990s showing her at work. It also includes a private baroque chapel that was in built 1696 in the upstairs courtyard, which now has another mural by José Chávez Morado, who did the murals at the Alhondiga. And there was an exhibit of folk art including a model of the Alhondiga battle.
After the city museum, we walked a couple blocks to the Museo Palacio de los Poderes, a former government building where they have preserved an opulent legislative chamber. It also had an interesting exhibit on the 1910 centennial celebrations and a less interesting temporary exhibit of contemporary art on the ground floor. It was definitely worth a visit and is a beautiful building.
The museums didn’t take very long so we decided to round out our date with tinto de veranos on our terrace. On the way back to our place, we picked up steamed garbanzo beans from one of the many street carts selling them. He added some sauces and spices and they were a good healthy snack. Later that night we went out to dinner at a delightful French restaurant called La Table de Andree. The food was very good and we enjoyed chatting with the owner/chef/waiter. It was a great date night.
Other Photos and Memories
Frequently when we come to the end of a long stay, I feel a bit bittersweet about moving on. That was not the case in Guanajuato. We really enjoyed our time there but felt like it was more than enough. I’m glad we chose Guanajuato for a month and we hope to come back someday for the Cervantes Festival, but we aren’t in a hurry to return. However, it is a beautiful city and has a lot to offer. And it is so photogenic! Here are some other photos of nice meals and walks I want to record. I’m going to add the captio
Airbnb review – We had a wonderful one-month stay here. Communication with Yunuem was excellent before and throughout our stay. She was waiting for us when we arrived to welcome us and show us the home. When we arrived in early February, it was a cold spell and the apartment was pretty chilly. We were fine overnight with the warm blankets provided but it was a bit chilly during the day, around 16C (60F) inside. The weather warmed up after a week or so and the rest of our stay was very comfortable. It is a very unique, beautiful space and looks just like the photos. The kitchen is very well-equipped for cooking and eating in. The wifi was very stable throughout our stay. The best part is the location with view of the Alhondiga from the terrace and lots of friendly shops and food stands on the street. Easy walk to all the main tourists spots of Guanajuato. There’s a bus stop nearby where you can take the bus to Dolores Hidalgo. We’d definitely choose this apartment again and highly recommend it.