| | |  Entertainment | Books | December 2008 
Guanajuato, Mexico: A Cultural Vacation
 Doug Bower - PVNN
Doug Bower, an American freelance writer and author living in Guanajuato, shares excerpts from his latest book, "A Walk Through México’s Crown Jewel: A Guanajuato Travelogue," which describes areas of interest to American, English-speaking European, and Canadian travelers who have grown weary of the typical Mexican vacation.
Getting Here
When Guanajuato-bound travelers arrive at the Mexico City airport, it doesn't take them long to realize they should have flown into the Guanajuato International Airport instead. There is nothing particularly wrong with Mexico City's airport, as airports go.
The Aeropuerto de la Ciudad de Mexico, the country's and Latin America's largest and most important airport, can serve up to 32 million travelers per year under ideal conditions. And, as airports go, it even has hotels in the airport, which I find attractive but would anticipate an intolerable noise factor to consider.
However, once you've landed in Mexico City, found your baggage, and gone through customs, you then have the unenviable task of finding out how to get a bus to Guanajuato. I know Americans and Europeans who do this routinely. But, routine is the operative word here. They are so experienced that it doesn't faze them one bit to do this. These folks tend to have a much higher degree of spoken fluency in Spanish than first-timers into Mexico.
The thing is that flying into Mexico City is not only cheaper but also much cheaper in some cases. You do have to add in the cost of a bus ride and adding another four hours to your travel-weary bones. To fly into Mexico's busiest airport can cost you considerably less than flying into Guanajuato's airport, I checked with Priceline.com for USD prices on 12/01/2008:
New York to Mexico City - economy class: From $427 - $544
New York to Leon, Guanajuato - economy class: From $598 - $755
Los Angeles to Mexico City - economy class: From $210 - $660
Los Angeles to Leon, Guanajuato - economy class: $226 - $262
Miami to Mexico City - economy class: From $276 - $681
Miami to Leon, Guanajuato - economy class: From $542 - $1197
Though cheaper, unless you are a mega-traveler and know your away around a Spanish-speaking facility, it would lessen your stress to fly into Guanajuato's airport, which is right outside of Leon, Guanajuato. Also, this reduces the chance of being ripped off with the fake cabs and drivers with their nefarious schemes that seem to so prevalent in the nation's capitol.
After you've gone through the traveler's woe in Guanajuato's Airport, you can take a cab directly into the city of Guanajuato for about $35.00 - $40.00. This is the alternative to renting a car and driving in Mexico, which is something you do not want to do. Just think of the worst city you've ever driven in back home and then multiply that to infinity and beyond and you will come up with a nice picture of what it is like to drive in Mexico.
Here's a Tip: Before leaving the airport, change your dollars to pesos. The cab driver more than likely will not take dollars and you will need pesos once you get to The-Land-of-Cash-Only city of Guanajuato. Credit cards are still a novelty in Guanajuato and traveler's checks are so last century. If you use your debit or credit card at a Mexican ATM, you can get better rates.
What To Do and See
Guanajuato is history and culture. There are no fantasy rides, pirate ships, or huge waterslides. It is not a re-engineered Mexican city to attract cruise ship or Disneyland crowds. Guanajuato is a thriving and living city of stories, both historical and modern, to charm you to your soul or scare you out of your socks. Here are two of my favorites:
Mummy Museum – This is often a big hit, especially with the kids. It is a little ghoulish and spooky. Your kids will want to see it over and over again. They'll want to plan a picnic and maybe even camp out in the place. I've done Las Momias thing once and that was enough! I exited the museum looking for a nurse's station that would perhaps have a small cot I could lay down on and be attended to with a cold cloth on my head and maybe a little Tequila. But, alas.
The first mummy was dug up in 1865. Because of limited cemetery space, bodies had to be exhumed to make room for more eternal residents. But, to everyone's surprise, the bodies did not decay but rather mummified. The chemical composition of the soil in combination with this mountain desert town's dry climate created a natural mummification process. The action of this process creates a monster-like cadaver worthy of Hollywood's best horror flicks. Remember Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Kruger? Well, you get the picture.
The mummies are housed in glass cases that preserve them and with slick lighting and some sound effects. It is in a comfortable facility for easy viewing. It is a huge draw with Mexican kids who seem to be there most often on field-trip days. But the slick presentation wasn't always so. A Mexican friend told me that the mummies used to be housed in the basement of a work building next to the cemetery. They were bolted to the walls of the basement with metal bands around their torsos. The exhibit was accessible via a narrow, creaking spiral staircase that descended into a darkened, mummy-filled basement lit with only about a 25-watt bulb hanging by a wire from a high ceiling.
Well, the frequent comings and goings by visitors created a fluctuating climate (Guanajuato does have a rainy season) for the mummies as well as vibrations that would sometimes shake loose an arm, maybe a leg, and all too often a head would pop off at the most opportune time when there was some child standing there watching great, great uncle José fall apart. Children would screech in horror and women would swoon. The visual and consequent mental effect had to be right out of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer show! Trust me, your kids will love this.
Alhóndiga De Granaditas – Another potential hit with the kiddies is this 200-year-old granary built to look like a fortress to store seeds and grains. It was here that the first Mega-Bloodied battle for Mexico's Independence was fought. Not only was blood spilled in abundance but also heads were lost as the result of this battle.
When word reached the city of Guanajuato that the rebels were on their way, and in a very bad mood in their bid for freedom from Spanish rule, the Spaniards ran for their lives to the Alhóndiga to hole up until reinforcements came to the rescue. The rebel army, some 20,000 strong, engaged the Spanish there and eventually overcame the opposition in a violently bloody end. This is today a history and art museum, which still bears the holes from the gunfire on the outside of the building. An especially grisly reminder of the rebel's struggle for Independence came a little later. The Spanish eventually hunted down the leaders of the rebellion and not only executed them but relieved them of their heads. They hung the heads, four of them, as an object lesson (a lesson which didn't work, obviously) to those who would rebel against Spanish rule, on the four corners of The Alhóndiga in small cages for the birds to dispose of. The hooks are still there and are very visible from the ground.
The building was eventually turned into a prison and housed prisoners from 1864 until 1967. It was then converted into a museum and now hosts a bookstore, gallery, and tours can be taken for a small fee.
El Pipila – Is a monument to an alleged hero of the battle at The Alhóndiga in which Juan José de la Reyes, El Pipila, set the doors ablaze allowing the rebels to break into the granary and take the Spanish stronghold. The view of the city from this monument high over the city as if standing sentry is worth a visit.
Other Sights
A host of other sights are available for those with extended vacation time to see. Below are some that might just become some of your favorites:
Churches
Basilica
Templo de la Compañía
Iglesia de San Francisco
Callejón del Beso
Museums
Don Quijote
Ex – Hacienda San Gabriel
Valencia
Mine Templo la Valenciana
Place to Stay
Here's a Vital Hotel Tip: If you plan on being able to actually sleep at night during your trip to the city of Guanajuato, stay as far away from the Historic Center as you can possibly afford. In the online travel advice forums, I constantly hear of potential first-time visitors to Guanajuato wanting to stay in hotel accommodations in the Historic Center or El Centro. I get the appeal. They want to be where the action is and want to be able to step out the front door of their hotel right into the thick of it. They want to soak up all the charm of Colonial Mexico they can, something I totally get, and don't want to use up valuable charm-soaking time in the back of a cab.
The thing is that Guanajuato is a thriving and living Colonial Mexican town and much of the locals' affairs from entertainment to things dark and nefarious also take place all night long in El Centro and often right outside your hotel window or door. The noise factor is almost always underestimated by Gringo visitors. We come from a land of Noise Ordinances with the weight of the law of the land behind the enforcement of them. Mexico is not America and this will become painfully clear if you try staying downtown for a good night's slumber. If it isn't the all-night partying that keeps you awake, the church bells clanging will be the recipe for a really bad morning when you haven't slept all night. If you bring the kids, just think of them being up all night from the noise. If earplugs aren't what you had in mind, then book your hotel outside of The Historic Center.
Hotel Recommendations
Casa de Espíritus Alegres – La Ex-hacienda
La Trinidad No. 1, Colonia Marfil
Phone and fax: +52 (473) 733-1013
Email: info(at)casaspirit.com
Website: CasaSpirit.com
Casa Estrella de la Valenciana
Callejón Jalisco #10 Valenciana
Phone: +52 (473) 732-1784
Email: info(at)mexicaninns.com
Website: MexicanInns.com
Quinta Las Alondras – (Hotel & Spa)
Autopista Guanajuato-Silao Km 1
Phone and fax: +52 (473) 733-3030
Email: reservaciones(at)quintalasalondras.com.mx
Website: QuintaLasAlondras.com.mx
Villa María Cristina
Paseo de la Presa de la Olla 76
Phone: +52 (473) 731-2182 Fax: +52 (473) 731-2185
Email: reservaciones(at)ral.com.mx
Website: VillaMariaCristina.com.mx
Holiday Inn Express
Phone: +52 (473) 735-2000
Misión Guanajuato
Phone: +52 (473) 732-3980
Website: HotelesMision.com (click on Guanajuato)
Paseo de la Presa
Phone: +52 (473) 731-0777, +52 (473) 731-0778 and +52 (473) 731-0779
Do Your Homework
Our first visit to Guanajuato was all the more pleasant as the result of reading as much as we could before going. The result was that we weren't lost trying to figure out what to do and the things we wanted to see. So, I offer the following as sources of information Before You Go to Guanajuato, Mexico, The Cradle of Mexican Independence.
GuanajuatoCapital.com/Atractivo
bivir.uacj.mx
GuanajuatoCapital.com/Tbarrera
mexperience.com
Doug Bower is the author of A Walk Through Mexico's Crown Jewel: A Guanajuato Travelogue. Check out his website at: Mexican-Living-Guanajuato.com
Doug Bower is a freelance writer and book author. His writing credits include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Houston Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Associated Content, Transitions Abroad, International Living, Escape Artist, and The Front Porch Syndicate. He is also a writer with EzineArticles.com where his articles have been syndicated in more than 5,024 online publications.
Book Credits: The Plain Truth about Living in Mexico – Universal Publishers Guanajuato, Mexico: Your Expat, Study Abroad, and Vacation Survival Manual in the Land of Frogs — Universal Publishers, You Can Learn Spanish No Matter Your Age or Disposition — LuLu Press, The V!VA List Latin America: 333 Places and Experiences that People Love — (He is a contributor to this work,) and A Walk Through Mexico's Crown Jewel: A Guanajuato Travelogue - Unlimited Publishing |
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