Guanajuato is a landlocked state in Mexico's colonial heartland, built on centuries of silver wealth. Its UNESCO-listed capital, Guanajuato City, is a maze of tunnels, brightly painted hillside houses, and baroque churches, while the nearby Historic Centre of San Miguel de Allende draws artists and expatriates to its pink Parroquia and cobblestone streets. The state also holds Dolores Hidalgo, cradle of Mexican independence, and León, the country's leather and shoe-manufacturing capital.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Guanajuato.
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1
Silver Discovery and Founding of Real de Minas
Spanish prospectors discover rich silver veins in the hills above the Guanajuato River, and the settlement of Real de Minas de Guanajuato is established
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2
Gift of the Virgin of Guanajuato
King Charles I of Spain and his son Philip II donate a carved wooden image of the Virgin and Child to the mining town in recognition of its growing silver wealth
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3
Discovery of the Valenciana Vein
The Veta Madre silver vein at Valenciana is struck, eventually making the mine the single richest source of silver in the world during the 18th century
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4
Templo de San Cayetano Completed
Valenciana mine owner Antonio de Ordóñez y Alcocer finishes the gold-leafed Churrigueresque church of San Cayetano as thanks for the mine's riches
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5
Grito de Dolores
Parish priest Miguel Hidalgo rings the church bells in Dolores before dawn and calls the town to arms, launching the Mexican War of Independence
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6
Battle of the Alhóndiga de Granaditas
Insurgent forces storm the fortified granary in Guanajuato City after miner Juan José 'El Pípila' sets fire to its wooden doors, in the war's first major battle
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7
Execution and Display of Insurgent Leaders
Following their capture and execution, the heads of Hidalgo, Allende, Aldama and Jiménez are displayed in iron cages on the corners of the Alhóndiga de Granaditas for a decade
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8
Guanajuato Becomes a State
Guanajuato is formally established as a state of the new Mexican republic, with Guanajuato City as its capital
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9
San Miguel Renamed for Ignacio Allende
The town of San Miguel el Grande is renamed San Miguel de Allende to honor independence leader Ignacio Allende, a native son
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10
Teatro Juárez Inaugurated
President Porfirio Díaz opens Guanajuato City's ornate neoclassical theater, built over three decades to showcase the state's mining wealth
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11
UNESCO World Heritage Listing
Guanajuato City and its adjacent mines, including Valenciana, are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their colonial architecture and mining history
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12
San Miguel de Allende Inscribed by UNESCO
San Miguel de Allende and the nearby Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco are added to the UNESCO World Heritage List
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13
Mineral de Pozos Named Pueblo Mágico
The abandoned 19th-century silver-mining town of Mineral de Pozos receives Mexico's Pueblo Mágico designation, spurring its revival as a heritage destination
Historical sites
Places where Guanajuato's past comes alive.
Alhóndiga de Granaditas
A colonial grain warehouse built in the 1790s that became the site of the first major battle of the Mexican War of Independence in 1810.
Where: Guanajuato City
Admission: 145 MXN foreign visitors / 80 MXN nationals (approx $8.50 / $4.70); free under 13
Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato
The city's principal Baroque church, built 1671-1696 to house a Virgin and Child image gifted by the Spanish crown in 1557.
Where: Guanajuato City
Admission: Free
Templo de San Cayetano (La Valenciana)
A gold-leafed Churrigueresque church completed in 1788 above the Valenciana mine, once the richest silver mine in the world.
Where: Mineral de Valenciana, Guanajuato City
Admission: Free (donations welcomed)
Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores
A neoclassical church built 1778-1806 where Miguel Hidalgo rang the bells before dawn on September 16, 1810, launching the War of Independence.
Where: Dolores Hidalgo
Admission: Free
Museo Casa de Hidalgo
The former parish house where Miguel Hidalgo lived and planned the independence movement, now a museum of his belongings and the insurgency's early years.
Where: Dolores Hidalgo
Admission: 75 MXN (approx $4.40); free under 13
Universidad de Guanajuato
The state's main university, its crenellated 1950s main building fronted by a 113-step stone staircase that has become a symbol of the city.
Where: Guanajuato City
Admission: Free
Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel
San Miguel de Allende's landmark parish church, its original Baroque structure reworked into a pink neo-Gothic facade between 1880 and 1890.
Where: San Miguel de Allende
Admission: Free
Mineral de Pozos
A 16th-century mining settlement that boomed as 'Ciudad Porfirio Díaz' around 1900, was abandoned after its mines flooded, and survives today as ruined shafts and stone walls.
Where: Mineral de Pozos, San Luis de la Paz
Admission: Free to walk the streets; Mina Cinco Señores tour 30-100 MXN (approx $1.80-$5.90)