Guanajauto
Guanajuato was enchanting. I was here 20 years ago and the old colonial section hasn't changed much. It's about 400 miles East of Puerto Vallarta. Like Patzcuaro, they work hard to keep everything looking like it did in the 1700's. It's hard to find modern signage of any kind. You have to look hard to find the grocery stores and banks but they are there.
Always a busy area in the main plaza at Teatro Juarez. At any time of the day students are sitting on the steps.
The park is on the other side of the street from Teatro Juarez.
After you go up the funicular, you get a great view of the city.
A favorite street for breakfast.
We took a tour to get an overview of the city which included a mine. These keys are hanging as a reminder of the cruelty the Spanish imposed on the slave miners. If the miners gave them any trouble, they just closed their lips with a a chain and a lock. Ouch!!!
A fabricator's 'shop'. They are gluing quartz, jade and various stones onto crosses to sell to mostly Mexican tourists. An older tourist guide told me that when he was younger, the guides had to learn English as most tourists were from the USA or Canada. Now English isn't as important because starting around 1970, Mexican tourism began and now most tourists are from Mexico.
Some of the sugar treats that are available.
We listen to the Estudantinas play almost every night. It's a tradition that comes from Spain. Students used to play instruments and sing to earn money to go to school. They are all dressed in traditional cloaks complete with colorful ribbons. After a crowd has gathered with their songs and jokes, they lead the group through winding alleys playing along the way.
There are many different groups.
OK, maybe it's a little corny, but you can see how big this paper mache devil is.
