Week 5: Heaven your name is Guanajuato!

This week was another great week at UTR! Continuing upon our discussion from last week, students delivered presentation on how does Fairtrade work, what are the advantages, and how it contributes to a more sustainable and green economy.

Moving on to the weekend, I had the opportunity to go to the charming colonial city of Guanajuato (GTO) with some amazing friends. Guanajuato is a central Mexican state known as the birthplace of the country’s independence. The city has been inscribed in UNESCO World Heritage List and it was founded in 1559 due to the region's rich silver and gold deposits. We started our trip on Saturday morning, driving from Aguascalientes to Guanajuato. The 2 h 30 min ride was interesting as it meandered from flat Aguascalientes and Leon to the elevated Guanajuato.

Arrived in GTO, I was amazed at the beauty of this colorful city. We started our tour by walking around the colorful historic central streets of the city. It is the city of color because many of the beautiful colonial buildings are painted in all the colors of the rainbow. One of the most fascinating things about GTO is the tunnels situated underneath the city, which help regulate the traffic. Our walking tour continued through the city, and I wish I had been able to pay more attention, as I was so busy taking photos, as you can see below!

We are the world!

Guanajuato!

View from my hostel

Colours! <3

Teatro Juarez

Museo Iconográfico del Quijote

Centro Histórico de Guanajuato

After lunch and a few hours rest at one beautiful hostel located in the central part of the city, we went to visit the University of GTO. It is known as the oldest university in Latin America (built in 18th century), and it is among the 10 top-rated tourist attractions of the city! Definitely a must-see! To get to the main university entrance, you need to climb almost 130 steps; which nowadays, I believe it’s only being used by tourists, as students have access to other entrances. When you get to the top of the steps, you’ll be able to see some of the building's splendid interior during a visit to the university's natural history museum, as well as its old church. it's simply jaw-dropping!

One of the best ways to explore the city and a must-do cultural activity in GTO, is the traditional Cllejoneadas tour and walk along the streets, while listening to the music performance of the Estudiantinas who accompany you for a 2-hour show. We got our tickets for MX$100 per person (= 8 CDN) prior to the start of the tour. The show started with one of my favorite Mexican songs, and also a favourite of people all over Mexico and specially those who live in the state of Guanajuato. It is called “Caminos de Guanajuato" originally performed by José Alfredo Jiménez; a well-known singer-songwriter whose songs are considered an integral part of Mexico's musical heritage. The tour continued by a fun walk along with singing, dancing and drinking through the colonial streets. It was a great way to make my night more pleasant in the city!

The next day morning, we rode up in a funicular to visit the monument to El Pípila, which is a giant statue of a local hero of GTO, stands high above the city. I immediately fell in love with the view. It was breathtaking! This place is one of the best vantage point of the city which provides tourists excellent panoramic views of Guanajuato.

My last stop before driving back to Aguascalientes was the Mummies Museum (El Museo De Las Momias), which is the most visited attraction of GTO. After visiting Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, León and Guanajuato, I realized that all of these cities are beautiful in its own way and I cannot say I like one more than the other. However, I totally recommend to do yourself a favor and go explore Guanajuato! :)