“Guanajuato is beautiful, but one can’t explain in words what makes it truly special,” exclaimed Senora Villaneueva, our kind, elderly home stay host during one of her grand afternoon meals. The Senora was born in the Mexican hill town and has lived there her entire life. “Si,” we chimed in united agreement!
My wife, Jennifer, had spent the previous two weeks living in the Spanish colonial mining town taking language courses at the Academia Falcon. Intrigued by visions of the sharp geometry and bright colors to be found in the brick and stucco architecture I flew down to meet her and spend a week photographing the sites.
Guanajuato was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 and is also the sister city of Ashland, Oregon, my hometown. The two towns have many things in common, such as renowned theater festivals, universities and thriving art cultures, not to mention both being situated in picturesque mountain valleys.
From a photographer’s perspective, Guanajuato is an endless canvass. The population is very compact and the streets are a maze of narrow alleys (callejones), cobbled streets, curving stairways and fountain squares. The rectangular houses follow the contours of the hills and are stacked atop one another in an intricate, interlocking puzzle. Brightly painted stucco of every color creates a patchwork that spreads across the landscape.
Located about 200 miles north of Mexico City, Guanajuato once sat upon the banks of a river. As the city grew the river became a channel flowing between the walls of buildings. Over time, many of the buildings were built out over the river until they met with structures on the opposite side, enclosing sections of the river in tunnels. The river would frequently flood the town until the 1960s when a dam was built and the river was diverted. The now dry channels and tunnels have been paved and converted for use as the main thoroughfares for vehicle traffic, leaving many of the narrow cobblestone streets open for pedestrians to wander at leisure.
Aside from the photography potential, the city is dense with enough old churches, theaters, museums, art galleries, restaurants and monuments to fill weeks of sight seeing. Every evening locals and tourists fill the streets around the town center to shop, eat, attend theater performances, listen to a wide variety of live street music or hang out in the taverns and dance clubs. In keeping with Latin culture, every night in Guanajuato feels like a regular fiesta.
I spent much of my time photographing doors, alleys and buildings. I also turned my camera toward some of the better-known landmarks, such as the Teatro Juarez, the University of Guanajuato, El Pipila and the Basilica Nuestra Senora.
To view my photos of Guanajuato please go HERE.