Guanajuato is
a city and municipality in central Mexico and
the capital of the state of the same name. It is located in a
narrow valley, which makes the streets of the city narrow and winding. Most are
alleys that cars cannot pass through, and some are long sets of stairs up the
mountainsides. Many of the city’s thoroughfares are partially or fully
underground. The historic center of the city has numerous small plazas and
colonial-era mansions, churches and civil constructions built using pink or
green sandstone.
The origin and growth of the city resulted from the discovery
of mines in the mountains surrounding it. The mines were so rich that the city
was one of the most influential during the colonial period. One of the mines,
La Valenciana, accounted for two-thirds of the world’s silver production at the
height of its production.
It is also home to the Festival
Internacional Cervantino, which invites artists and performers from
all over the world as well as Mexico. [Wiki]
