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.
Best souvenirs
Authentic items worth bringing home.
Dolores Hidalgo Talavera Ceramics
Hand-painted Talavera-style pottery, tiles, and dinnerware produced in Dolores Hidalgo's ceramics workshops, one of Mexico's leading centers for the craft outside Puebla
Price: MXN 100-3,400 (approx USD 6-200)
Where: Dolores Hidalgo ceramics workshops and showrooms along the roads into town
Leon Leather Goods (Zona Piel)
Boots, jackets, belts, bags, and shoes from Leon, Mexico's self-proclaimed leather and shoe capital, sold direct from factory outlets and the dedicated Zona Piel district
Price: MXN 350-6,800 (approx USD 21-400)
Where: Zona Piel district and Plaza Piel outlets in Leon
Cajeta (Goat's Milk Caramel)
Rich, caramelized goat's milk confection originating in Celaya, sold in jars plain or with nuts, rum, or vanilla, a signature Guanajuato sweet
Price: MXN 60-250 (approx USD 4-15)
Where: Celaya sweet shops, Mercado Hidalgo, grocery and gift stores statewide
Guanajuato Silver Jewelry
Silver rings, earrings, and pendants reflecting the state's centuries-old silver-mining heritage, sold in jewelry shops around the historic mining district of La Valenciana
Price: MXN 250-5,000 (approx USD 15-294)
Where: La Valenciana jewelry shops, Guanajuato City centro historico silversmiths
San Miguel de Allende Folk Art and Textiles
Hand-woven textiles, tin ornaments, painted wood, and mixed-media folk art from the artisan cooperatives and galleries associated with San Miguel's arts scene
Price: MXN 150-4,000 (approx USD 9-235)
Where: Mercado de Artesanias and Fabrica La Aurora galleries, San Miguel de Allende
Guanajuato Mezcal and Regional Spirits
Bajio-produced mezcal and charanda-style spirits sold in bottle shops and specialty liquor stores across Guanajuato City and San Miguel de Allende
Price: MXN 250-900 (approx USD 15-53)
Where: Specialty liquor shops in Guanajuato City and San Miguel de Allende
Traditional markets
Where locals shop and travellers find treasures.
Mercado Hidalgo
Guanajuato City's landmark iron-and-glass market building, designed with input from the studio of Gustave Eiffel and inaugurated in 1910, filled with food stalls, crafts, and everyday goods
Where: Av. Juarez, Centro, Guanajuato City
Hours: Daily 8AM-8PM
Mercado de Artesanias San Miguel de Allende
A covered artisan crafts market a short walk from San Miguel's Parroquia, with rows of stalls selling folk art, textiles, silver jewelry, and hand-tooled leather from across the region
Where: Calle Colegio, Centro, San Miguel de Allende
Hours: Daily 9AM-8PM
Fabrica La Aurora Arts and Design Center
A converted early-20th-century textile mill turned gallery and design complex, home to dozens of art studios, antique dealers, and design shops in a distinctive industrial-heritage setting
Where: Calzada de la Aurora, San Miguel de Allende
Hours: Tue-Sun 10AM-6PM (individual galleries vary)