Guanajuato: A Good Place to Vacation or Retire
My neighborhood on the southeast side of Guanajuato, the capital of the state of Guanajuato, consists of a cul de sac-like valley enclosed by nine or so mountains.
It is on the edge of town and has a rural feel. In fact, I often see herds of goats, sheep, cows, and horses grazing on my mountain. A burro and a few chickens live nearby and frequently add their voices to those of the neighborhood dogs.
Though my neighborhood is fairly quiet, Guanajuato is actually a bustling university town of around 100,000 people. It has plenty of cultural offerings and historical sights to make it an excellent place for a vacation getaway or an ideal place to retire.
Guanajuato has several interesting museums in which to spend an afternoon or a whole day. For fans of Cervantes’ Don Quixote, a whole museum is dedicated to this legendary would-be knight. Housed in a former silver baron’s mansion, the museum displays more than 800 statues, sculptures, paintings, and other items relating to Don Quixote and other characters in the book. The museum has paintings by Picasso, Dali, Jose’ Guadalupe Posada, and Pedro Colonel. There is also pottery, playing cards, a tiny set of silverware, bookends, carved wooden statues, and much more. My favorite pieces were a set of tiny scrimshaw tiles.
For art lovers, Guanajuato offers the Diego Rivera House museum, where the famous Mexican painter was born and lived for the first few years of his life. About 100 of his works are on display. In addition, the Museum of the People of Guanajuato, the Gene Byron (a famous Canadian painter) House Museum, and the Olga Costa-Jose’ Chavez Morado House Museum have both permanent and rotating exhibits.
For a macabre thrill, the Mummy Museum is not to be missed. These are not the purposely mummified, bandage-wrapped mummies you may be used to seeing in Egyptian collections. These were naturally mummified because of Guanajuato’s semi-arid climate and to the minerals present in the soil. If a family could not keep up the payments on their dearly departed relative’s grave, the body was exhumed after five years to make room for another one. The workers noticed that some of those they exhumed were in good shape. Not knowing quite what to do with them, the workers propped the mummies up along the fence surrounding the cemetery (the mummies sometimes fell over on the mourners!). At last, the city decided to build a museum to house the mummies and charge admission. Schoolchildren seem to enjoy the museum immensely.
Guanajuato also offers the Alfredo Duges Natural History Museum, the Mineralogical Museum, the Ex-Hacienda del Cochero (displaying various instruments of torture used in the Catholic church’s Inquisition in Mexico), and the Alhondiga de Granaditas Regional Museum (archaeological, historical, and artistic displays). In addition, a few of the silver mines that made Guanajuato famous give tours.
Guanajuato abounds with interesting places to shop if that’s your passion. You can find silver jewelry just about everywhere as well as Talavera pottery and tiles, silky rebozos (shawls), wool serapes (colorful blankets), hand-embroidered blouses and dresses from Chiapas, Oaxaca and Zacatecas. My favorite shops are in or around the main plaza (Jardin de la Union) and include Rincon Artesanal, La Florecita, Artesanias Vazquez, and Arte Mexicano.
After all these museums and shopping, you are bound to need a break. El Tapatio, located across from the University of Guanajuato, offers an inexpensive yet filling meal of the day as well as the best Milanesa de Pollo (breaded chicken filet) in town. El Retiro, just a few steps from the Jardin, has giant burritos to satisfy the largest appetite.
Truco 7 has a good-sized steak served with French fries, rice, guacamole, and rolls for less than $6.00. Casa Valadez, on the corner of the Jardin, serves an elegantly presented, delicious meal of the day for around $5.50. They also have a great bacon cheeseburger and the best Enchiladas Mineras in town.
Guanajuato also has several private language schools where you can learn Spanish or improve what you already know. Some of the schools offer cooking classes where you can learn some Mexican recipes and enjoy trying some Mexican foods. Some also offer salsa dancing instruction, literature classes, and tours of the surrounding cities and countryside. Most offer homestays with Mexican families. The list of schools includes Instituto Miguel de Cervantes, Escuela Mexicana, Don Quijote, and Espa�±ol Universal. In addition, the University of Guanajuato offers a semester-long immersion program.
Because of the presence of the University, you can choose from a variety of cultural programs. The University Symphony Orchestra performs almost every week, various chamber music groups give concerts, there are fine art films, lectures, plays, workshops, and art exhibits.
In October, Guanajuato hosts a three-week-long cultural festival called “Cervantes International Festival”. Every year, a foreign country and one of Mexico’s states are featured. There are plays, concerts, art exhibits, films, conferences, lectures, and literature readings. People from all over the world fill the city. It is an exciting, interesting, loud time.
If you want to visit some interesting museums, learn Spanish, find gifts and d�©cor for your home, attend a variety of cultural events, and enjoy traditional Mexican foods in a traditional Mexican town, Guanajuato is the place. Whether you are looking for a weekend getaway, a vacation, or a place to retire, Guanajuato fills the bill.
