Also see our Guanajuato guide and photo gallery.
“Guanajuato is one of my most favorite spots in the world. I love the colors, the pace the energy that the city processes and shares.
Guanajuato is an amazing city; literally a labyrinth of tiny colonial streets leading into tunnels underground in the belly of the city. Colorful small houses and grand colonial buildings dot the urban landscape and center around a plethora of tiny treed squares that pop out throughout the city.
The best way to explore this city is to park your car and lace up the walking shoes. Start at the top and work your way down to the park. The first day just wander. The second, take a map and make sure you see everything you want to see.”
Name: The earliest name for the area is “Mo-o-ti,” which means “place of metals.” The Aztecs called it “Paxtitlán” meaning “place of straw.”. The name Guanajuato means “Mountainous Place of Frogs” in the indigenous Purépecha language.
Location: Guanajuato is located in central Mexico.
Weather: Warmer in late spring/ summer (May is the warmest month), cooler and dryer in the Winter Rainy season: May to October
January Average Highs 22.3C (72.1F) Lows 6.9C (44.4F)
July Average Highs 26.9C (80.4F) Lows 14.1C (57.4F)
Population: 172,000
Elevation: 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Founded: In the 1540s the Spanish found Gold. In 1548 a fort was built and called Real de Minas de Guanajuato by Viceroy Don Antonio de Mendoza
Medical:Major Medical & Dental
Money: Bajor Banks
History:
Some of the nomadic tribes worshipped the spirit of the frog and settled in this area where a mountain appeared in a frog-like shape. Situated in a basin of the Sierra de Guanajuato range, the area was flooded constantly from the Guanajuato River that overflowed from 3 kms beneath the earth.
Various indigenous bands inhabited the area prior to the arrival of the Spanish; the Otomi, the Nahua, the Guamares and the Purépecha. They settled along the river and as the population increased, homes and settlements expanded up into the hills following the path of the river.
Today:
High Tourist Season – Mid December to Mid March especially Christmas and Semana Santa, July and August are busy with Mexican vacationers.
Semana Santa – Week preceding Easter
Cervantino Festival in mid-October.
Industry – Tourism and agriculture
