Guanajuato

Alfredo Dugès Natural History Museum

Museo Alfredo Dugès

Small but interesting collection of animal and human specimens. Many stuffed animals and some grisly body parts in jars of formaldehyde.

10ː00 - 18ː30 (until 14ː00 on Tue)

Alhóndiga de Granaditas

Regional Museum of Guanajuato

This building is where the independence revolutionaries burned the Spanish troops, and now houses a museum devoted to the history of the region, as well as an important photographic library.

Tue-Sat 10:00-14:00, 16:00-18:00; Sun 10:00-15:00·A fee for adults, free for students/teachers/seniors/children under 13

Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato

Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato

Built from 1671 to 1696. Inside this church there is a 1000-year-old statue donated by Spanish King Charles I who tried to protect it from the Arab invasion in Spain.

Callejon del Beso

Alley of the Kiss

Two balconies separated by only 69 centimeters is home of an old love legend. For a few pennies some children will tell you the story.

Casa Museo Gene Byron

From 1962 to 1987 this was the home of Canadian artist Gene Byron.

Mon-Sat 10:00-15:00, last admission 14:30·M$30, free on Mondays

Casa de Tía Aura

Sort of house of horrors that's sweet in its corniness. Inside this house a woman was buried alive inside the walls. The tour is conducted (appropriately enough) in Spanish and will be difficult to understand for those not fairly fluent, though the sights are self-explanatory and the gasps and screams comprehensible in any language.

Daily 11:00-18:00·M$35

Church of San Cayetano Confesor

Templo de la Valenciana / Templo de San Cayetano Confesor

Built from 1765-1788 with funding from the rich silver mines, this is considered to be one of the best examples of Mexican Churrigueresque architecture. Particularly noteworthy are the finely-carved, elaborate altars covered in gold leaf.

Tue-Sun 06:30-18:00

Church of San Diego

Iglesia de San Diego

This is the only surviving building from the original 17th-century convent, with a splendid rococo exterior.

Daily 08:00-20:00

Don Quixote Iconographic Museum

Museo Iconografico del Quijote

Small, but very well done. Art exhibits focused on Don Quixote.

Tue-Sat 09:30-18:45, Sun 12:00-18:45·M$30, free on Tuesdays

El Pípila

A 28-m-tall statue of an independence hero. Juan Jose Martinez, or also known as El Pípila, was a legendary hero who wore a stone slab on his back to protect himself while burning the Spanish troops holed up in the Alhóndiga, or granary, in September 1810. The view is beautiful, particularly at night.

Free

Escuela Normal Superior Oficial de Guanajuato

Teacher's school. The building also houses an English language lending library open Tuesday and Thursday.

Mon-Sat 08ː00 - 21ː00 (closed Sun)

Ex-convent Museum Dieguino

Museo Dieguino

The underground excavated remains of the original 17th-century cloister, of which the Templo de San Diego is the surviving remnant today. Occasionally photography and art exhibits are also hosted in this space.

Tue-Sat 10:00-18:30, Sun 10:00-14:30

House of Legends

Casa de las Leyendas

Exhibits about local myths, legends, and folklore with stories behind local oddities, like the infamous mummies, as told through animotronics.

Daily 11:00-18:00

Jardín de la Unión

This space was built as the atrium for a 17th-century convent, of which the Templo de San Diego is the sole surviving building. It now functions as the central plaza, and always has a lot of things going on, day and night. There are a number of restaurants surrounding the garden, and in the afternoons and evening there free concerts are often given from the central gazebo.

Mina de Valenciana

The richest mine in Guanajuato still in operation today. It supplied enough silver to sponsor the Spanish Empire and its colonies.

Mineralogy Museum Eduardo Villaseñor Söhl

Museo de Mineralogía Eduardo Villaseñor Söhle

One of the richest collection of minerals in the world. Ex-hacienda de San Matias.

Museo Casa Diego Rivera

The birthplace of Diego Rivera, a well-preserved traditional Mexican residence. Be sure to check out the collections of his simple, socialist-inspired works.

Tue-Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 10:00-15:00·M$25 (adults), M$10 (students)

Museo Casa del Purgatorio

Small museum about the Spanish Inquisition, displays feature a number of macabre torture devices.

M$35

Museum of the Holy Inquisition

Hacienda del Cochero Galeras de la Inquisición

Features dungeons and torture instruments. Tour guides are required;;they dress as monks.

Daily 10:00-19:00·M$50, M$20 children

Museum of the Mummies

Museo de las Momias

A must if you're in Guanajuato. In 1910, due to the overcrowding of the local graveyard, the authorities were forced to exhume several bodies and when they did that they found the bodies had turned into mummies rather than fully decomposing. After that they founded this really strange and unique museum.

Mon-Thu 09:00-18:00, Fri-Sun 09:00-18:30·M$85 (adults)

Museum of the Town of Guanajuato

Museo del Pueblo de Guanajuato

Three floor museum with many historical artifacts and artworks about the city of Guanajuato.

Tue-Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 10:00-15:00·M$25 (adults), M$10 (students)

Palacio Legislativo

Congreso del Estado de Guanajuato

It was built as the city hall in 1903 and inaugurated by President Porfirio Díaz.

Plaza de la Paz

Beautiful town square in front of the Basilica. Cafes in the area, good people watching spot.

Plaza del Baratillo

Small, secluded, colorful plaza around a central fountain with narrow callejons leading off it.

Presa de la Olla

Dam of La Olla

Built in 1749 to supply fresh water to the town. In this place you can rent a little boat. There's also a park and a great statue of Miguel Hidalgo casted in Italy also inaugurated by President Porfirio Díaz in the early 1900s. This area is very tranquil and quiet to have a break.

Teatro Juárez

The architecture of this theater is part Neoclassical and part Moorish, making it a really beautiful building. Inaugurated in 1903 by President Porfirio Díaz.

Teatro Principal

An 18th-century neoclassical theatre that used to host vaudville-style comedies. Used as a cinema in the early 20th century, renovated and reinaugurated in 1955. Now operated by the University of Guanajuato and used as a venue for dance performances and for the Festival Cervantino.

Templo de San Roque

Built in 1726, this was a Jesuit school in the latter half of the 18th century.

Opening hrs vary

Universidad de Guanajuato

There is a 3-4 story series of steps that lead up to an auditorium, offering good views over the colonial city.

Church of the Company of Jesus

Templo de la Compañía de Jesús / Oratorio San Felipe Neri

Built between 1747 and 1765.

Daily 08:00-20:00