The Scenic City of Guanajuato
“Flight # 327 rose from the runway, a howling bird in a dense Christmas sky. Wings swept back, tail held high, the sleek silver bird soared into the clouds and headed south by southwest to Dallas/Fort Worth and then Leon/Guanajuato. There, in the bright mountain sun, creative adventures await … “
journal entry 12-25-2015
Guanajuato City, the Capitol of Guanajuato State (Estado), is an old Spanish Colonial mining town located about a 5-hour drive to the northwest of Mexico City. Snuggled in a valley in a mountainous area, Guanajuato rests within a vast region once inhabited by the ancient Aztecs, whose culture and traditions (along with the colonizing Spanish), molded this mysterious and enchanting town noted for its intriguing Colonial history and stately Baroque architecture. Guanajuato is an official UNESCO site.
For artists, Guanajuato offers many opportunities to paint in quaint plazas, charming gardens and vibrant city streets that twist and turn, following the contours of the enclosing hills. The town is a maze of neighborhoods (barrios) and a stunning central, historic district (centro historico). Guanajuato is a town you won’t forget. The image above is a map I made for one of Guanajuato'' beautiful plazas, Plaza Mexiamora.
Guanajuato was a Spanish colonial mining town known for it precious metals –gold, silver, copper, quartz, etc. Many mines in the area brought in great wealth to governments, aristocratic families, the Catholic Church and merchants. With impressive expertise in mining engineering, the town built a subterranean infrastructure of tunnels and passageways, which now serve as roads, parking, sewage routing and associated uses. Hence, much of the street traffic found in traditional cities of this size is routed underground, allowing for a large part of the central area to be pedestrian dominant. The surface traffic that does exist is primarily buses, taxis, delivery vehicles and pedestrian drop-offs. The street life is thus vibrant, active and safe. Guanajuato’s handling of trafficis a rare and brilliant solution for town planning.
Guanajuato State is about the size of the US state of Rhode Island in area. Besides Guanajuato City (Ciudad de Guanajuato) the three other magical towns included in this book in el Estado de Guanajuato are Dolores Hidalgo, San Miguel de Allende and Mineral de Pozos. Dolores Hidalgo is where the Insurrection began which led to the revolution and the birth of the Mexico Nation. As such, Guanajuato is often referred to as the “heart of Mexico”.
Getting there You’ll likely get there by flying to the Léon Guanajuato Aeropuerto(BJX) and then take a van (camoneta) or taxi for a 20-minute ride into town, some of the drive within the town through a maze of tunnels. Alternatively, you may fly to Mexico City or Queretaro and take a bus to Guanajuato. There you’ll find ample lodging, from luxury hotels to B & B’s or hostels.
Guanajuato is a compact, pedestrian town where having an auto is unnecessary. Ever-present taxis and a regular bus service provide all the transportation you’ll likely need. The town is well organized for exploring, with abundant street signs, historic place markers and plentiful map signs, so all of the recommended painting locations are easy to find.
A university town (University of Guanajuato), Guanajuato has a vibrant, youthful academic culture that supports, bookstores, art galleries, museums, bars, cafes, yoghurt shops and the likes. There is much to explore and discover in this delightful and enchanting town.
Places to Paint. For artists, our main area of interest is the town’s historic center (centro historico). Many vibrant areas of narrow streets and open spaces lined with civic buildings, churches, colorful row-houses, shops, restaurants, banks and bars –will surely make your stay inspiring, engaging and artistically productive. You’ll find pastel colored buildings lining the streets like rows of cupcakes. The civic architecture, built during the Colonial era in the High Baroque and Spanish Renaissance style, is characterized by stone masonry and stucco that form a riot of geometrical shapes and blocks of color. The buildings are adorned with balconies edged with wrought iron, potted plants and quaint lamplights. The maze of zigzagging streets is paved in patterned stone and lined with colorful doorways and wrought iron gates, exposing numerous gardens. For visual artists, Guanajuato offers the following art themes:
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| A Park (La Presa) at the Edge of Town |
* townscapes and architecture
* garden and park scenes
* café art
* panoramic mountain-valley landscapes
* themes and detailed studies
My book explores the town and identifies places to paint or photograph in some of its most scenic and interesting areas. You’ll find lavish details of a half dozen scenic locations in the section on Guanajuato City.
To purchase a “Painting Mexico” book from publisher (less expensive):
http://www.blurb.com/b/8596527-painting-mexico-magical-pueblos-in-guanajuato
(This site is set to allow you to view all the pages in the book)
Please help me fund my art-travel books by purchasing prints on FineArtAmerica.com. (All expenses for the production and publishing of these books are self-funded by me. I consider much of my effort to promote scenic tourism to towns in Mexico to be charity).
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| Plaza San Francisco-1 |
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| Plaza San Francisco-2 |
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