Guanajuato, another well preserved Spanish town in central Mexico, has been declared a Unesco World Heritage site for its incredible architecture, underground roads, splendid landscape, lack of traffic signals in the downtown area (where necessary, they have police with loud, annoying whistles) and just for being a great overall city. Only another of my never-ending four or five hour bus rides away from Guadalajara, I was really looking forward to this city. A fairly small town, I was thinking I'd be in for a peaceful, laid-back time in a nice mountain town with cool air and friendly people. My only concern was one or two sentences in my guide book that were sort of listed as an after-thought - a Cervantino (as in Miguel Cervantes) theater festival for most of the month of October. Hoping it wouldn't affect the town too much, I decided to take my chances, though I was a bit scared when I arrived at the bus station. Packed with young twenty-somethings, the place was absolutely buzzing with people. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's not what I was hoping for from this town of less than 100,000 people. I quickly found a cheap taxi into town, having to show him on the map of my tiny book the hostel that I was hoping for, since he seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. Heading into town, hippies and non-hippies alike lined the streets, along with tons of stalls of food, t-shirts and jewelry. After asking a few of the local police officers for directions to the hostel, we headed into the first of the underground roads of the town. The road that had been carved out into the hard stone seemed to go on forever, and then I saw something strange, something that you don't usually see in a tunnel. Up ahead was a set of speed bumps and a four way intersection, with another road crossing past us. Beyond that, there were a few more roads that merged in and out, some stairways to the land above, and I even saw a few benches and bus stops in the tunnel. It seemed completely out of place to see such a developed network of roads underground, especially in such a rocky place where every inch of these tunnels would have had to be blasted out by dynamite. Apparently the city suffered from a lack of space and adequate roads early on, as it is crammed onto the hillsides of a narrow valley, so this was their solution, which actually looks quite interesting. Throughout the small streets of the city, there are stairways and road tunnels down to the larger underground roads, much like there would be for a subway system. Eventually, we popped out of the tunnel, made a few quick turns, and we were outside the hostel in this disorienting town. There was not a straight, direct road to be found in town, which is part of what adds to its appeal and personality.
Despite the town being crowded, I was fortunate to find an empty bed in the hostel, so I had a place to stay for the next two nights. Leaving the hostel, I rounded the corner to the main road, not too pleased to find it completely full of revelers. The festival has grown a lot recently, attracting tourists from all over Mexico, though very few gringos, to see the acts of theater and music, along with just partying in the streets. The town seemed almost too small to contain the event, reminding me of the tiny streets of Pamplona being overrun with tourists during the Running of the Bulls. Not to be deterred, I slithered my way through the crowds, taking in the charming city. Theaters, churches, plazas and nicely shaped trees lined the narrow road, along with shops and restaurants catering to every need. This was originally a silver mining town with some very profitable land, so there was more than enough wealth during its early days, and it's apparent that the money flowed freely while this town was growing up. Walking around the town and its winding streets is wonderful, with great views and attractive buildings around every corner. I walked up and down the main street, enticed by the comical t-shirts and lovely smells of food: tacos, sandwiches, churros, potato chips, fresh fruit, and so much more. Within about a ten block radius, there are about six theaters and five to ten other plazas with street performers and musicians, entertaining the crowds all around. I ventured down below the town for a bit, walking through the dark, rocky tunnels, deciding that the exhaust fumes were a little strong to stay down there for a long time. I ventured into the crowded market just long enough to get an early dinner, and then I took my food to the steps to relax a bit. This sandwich was awe-inspiring. A huge Cuban sandwich full of ham, hot dogs, some sort of barbecue, melted cheese, jalapeรฑos, lettuce, tomato, and maybe more on a huge roll. In addition to being amazing, it was only about $3, so that already eased the pain of the abundance of people in what was supposed to be my little gem of a town. As evening was coming, I took the funicular (cable car) up the very steep hill to get an aerial view of the city. Only taking a few minutes, the 42 degree angle of the incline looks much steeper on the precarious cars during the journey up and down. On top of the town stands a monument to La Pilapa, a huge statue of a man that was said to have tied a huge rock to his back and was thus able to fight off the Spanish without being shot...I guess he was fighting backwards, I don't know. There were a few stairs and viewpoints of the city below, and anxious locals gathered around to tell stories of the wars, the silver mines and the mummies to anyone who would listen and possibly pitch in a few pesos. The overhead views of the city are beautiful, seeing the rooftops and chapels below, spreading far in each direction of the tight valley. I stayed for about an hour and a half, gazing at the town below and watching the sky grow dark and the city lights begin to shine. Heading in for the night, I decided not to partake of the partying and insanity that would line the streets.
Unfortunately for me and the rest of the hostel patrons, one of the cars just outside of our window had a very sensitive car alarm, literally being activated every single time a loud car or diesel engine would pass. Also unfortunate, this event seemed to happen much more than expected in a small town. We become accustomed to the dreadful sound of an approaching diesel engine and the ensuing symphony of beeps and buzzes as the alarm went through each of its delightful phases. Waking up in the morning, I felt as though I hadn't slept, but I was thankful to be up and able to walk away from the incessant sound. I once again hit the streets of Guanajuato, happy to see that they had somewhat cleared out, since the weekend was over. There were still some performances during the week, but of course the weekend was much busier. There was still a vibrant feel and people along the streets of this enchanting town, but it was a much more manageable quantity. My main attraction for the day was the Museum of the Mummies, well known throughout Mexico. Due to the ideal combination of warm, dry conditions, many of the bodies originally buried in the town become mummified, and they are now on display in the museum. These bodies were those that were buried in public graves and had not been claimed five years after their burial, at which point they become property of the municipality. Highlighting Mexico's fascination/lack of fear of death (also apparent in their huge festivals and celebrations on the Day of the Dead on November 2), the mummies and relatives that have passed are not viewed as morbid, but as a part of life and not really out of the ordinary. As I passed into the dark hallways of the museum, I wasn't sure what to expect or how I'd feel about the exhibits. The first set of exhibits were simply the remains of human skeletons with the leathery skin still attached and even remnants of eyebrows, pubic hair and even hair on the head of some of the bodies. Many of the bodies were over a hundred years old and had suffered through early vandalism and robberies. Initially, each one had an identification card with information about the body, though only a few of those were remaining. The placards told stories of the peoples' lives, professions and amount of time that they'd been in the museum. Told in first person, the stories had a strange feel, truly personifying the figures all around that I'd hoped to have passed off as just an exhibit.
They also had a few more noteworthy exhibits, including a mummy with a fetus that was removed and is now the world's smallest mummy, only a few inches tall and more than just slightly disturbing. One room of four mummies was a set from about one hundred years ago, and another room showed mummies that died of various causes including stabbing (where you could see the blood stains on the skin), drowning (where you could see that the skin had turned a bit blue) and being buried alive (where you could see scratches on the forehead and the arms in a position as if trying to break out). This was all a bit too realistic, since, well, it IS real. But, as I said, this doesn't seem to bother the Mexicans as much as it would most Americans, so whatever. Also, this museum and 'tradition' has given rise to the people of Guanajuato being nicknamed mummies (momias), a fact related to me by the weird, friendly guy in the San Blas bus station. One little note, though: they don't take kindly to this nickname, so you probably shouldn't say it to their faces. Unless they're already dead...ha.
Anyway, after the museum, I did more walking through the lovely town, the pastel buildings, colorful storefronts, narrow cobblestone streets and pleasant parks. My next touristy stop was the Callejรณn del Beso (the Alley of the Kiss). Just as above the town, almost any of the locals around were willing to tell the legend of the alley for a suggested donation. Basically, this is the narrowest of the very narrow alley that line the hills of the city. As the story goes, a rich young girl lived in one of the houses and fell in love with a miner (working class man), who was forbidden by the father to see his daughter, due to his social position. Not being deterred that easily, the miner rented a room in the upstairs apartment across the tiny alley from the girl, and the balconies are so close, that it is said that they exchanged kisses from one balcony to the other, which actually is possible in this alley only a few feet wide. Eventually the father found out, didn't say anything to the daughter, and soon the miner met a tragic end. Now, of course, there is legends saying that if you and your lover walk through the alley without kissing, it brings 7 years of bad luck, or, conversely, kissing on the steps of the alley brings 15 years of good luck. The guide also related a series of jokes on all the different types of kisses which was actually pretty funny, though I can't remember/translate them well enough to do them justice. Sorry, but that's just the way it is. If you want to hear them, learn Spanish, catch a flight to Guanajuato and do your best to find this tiny alley. It actually took me about 20 minutes of narrow, steep roads with no signs to find it. Other than that, I mostly just wandered more around the town, taking in the sounds of the comedians and street musicians, in particular, an extremely loud and boisterous cumbia performance from some Venezuelans that had drawn quite a crowd. I also returned to the central market for a return performance of my beloved Cuban sandwich, which was every bit as delicious the second time around.
Eventually, I made it back to my hostel for the night where I met a few interesting people from Australia, Israel, Canada and a Korean exchange student living in Wisconsin. The Canadian was taking it upon himself to truly immerse himself in the true Mexican tequila culture, downing shot after shot along with healthy helpings of lime. We exchanged travel thoughts and itineraries, and a few of them very accurately recited the opinions of their Lonely Planet guidebook, which is exactly why I hate that book, which, much to my dismay/delight, has been very helpful thus far. All in all, Guanajuato is an amazing town in a great natural setting, but this is a whirlwind tour of Mexico (as whirlwind as a month and a half can be), so there's no time to waste. My next stop is Morelia, another colonial, typically Mexican town in the central highlands.
(The town of Guanjuato, from the top of one of the many hills overlooking the city.)
(The narrow crowded streets just a few hours after arriving. Check out the tie dye shirt in the front...groovy, man.)
(A typical street with the well manicured trees, and a Mexican VW bug.)
(Coming out of the underground tunnels, there are also tunnels to the left and right of this picture. The main road is one level above all of this.)
(The confluence of the main road and the main pedestrian street, with some nice greenery. This is also Monday, so you can see the streets are busy but not packed.)
(A tunnel to the netherworld, or maybe just the main road. There are a few of these around town.)
(Callejรณn del Beso - The Alley of the Kiss. Note how narrow it is. The kiss would have occurred right about where the flowers and the light are.)
(A view of Guanajuato around 8 pm at night, as the city lights started coming on.)
(One of the many plazas...perhaps called Plaza del Fuente. Fuente means fountain.)
(Teatro Juarez, along the main road. I forget what it was, but something about this theater was supposed to make it one of the best in the world, for one reason or another. Maybe the best place to see traditional Guanajuatan theater.)
(Another plaza off the main road - Juarez.)
(Is that Teatro Juarez again, but this time at dusk? Mmhmm.)
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