Guanajuato, Mexico: Jardin de la Union/Union Garden; things to do

Jardin de la Union/Union Garden in Guanajuato, Mexico

The spectacular Jardin de la Union/Union Garden square and garden dates back to colonial times, when it was the center for street markets and traditional festivities. It is lined with a neatly trimmed canopy of Indian laurel that is so dense it looks as if it is just one gigantic tree. Cafes, restaurants, and shops surround the garden, and mariachi bands entertain.

Jardin de la Union/Union Garden in Guanajuato, Mexico

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image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Introduction to Guanajuato, Mexico

Near Leon and not far from San Miguel de Allende, and about 200 miles west of Mexico City and 200 miles east of Guadalajara, Guanajuato is more or less in the center of Mexico. Its altitude is 6,500, and it can get chilly. Founded by the Spanish in the early 16th century, it is the capital of the Mexican state of the same name. More of a workers’ town than San Miguel, it sees fewer foreigners but is vibrantly filled with young adults. Attractions include the childhood home of muralist Diego Rivera, who was born here in 1886, and the ever-popular mummy museum. A World Heritage Site since 1988, this unique town sports narrow alleys (don't miss "kiss alley," depicted in this image), pedestrian streets, colorfully painted buildings, colonial architecture, multiple plazas, underground traffic tunnels, and no traffic lights.

Kiss Alley in action in Guanajuato, Mexico

Watch my video overview of the city:

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image c2009 Chris Gray
video c2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Guanajuato, Mexico: Las Mercedes; restaurant review

Las Mercedes  

Calle de Arriba No. 6. Fracc, San Javier, 473-73-2-73-75.

Contemporary local Mexican cuisine is served here at Las Mercedes in a hillside home that doubles as a family-run restaurant. Here, you literally dine in a local family's home--the upstairs is used as their residence—and, with menu selections that are tasty and refined and made with fresh local ingredients, the chef/family member definitely proves that not all Mexican cuisine is about tacos. In addition, the atmosphere is welcoming and friendly and the view expansive. The gourmet lunch I enjoyed a few weeks ago included a salad with cactus and squash blossoms, little chilies filled with cheese, a rich chicken mole, a dessert corn cake topped with coconut ice cream, and a horchata drink made of sweetened rice water.



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image c2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Guanajuato, Mexico: Diego Rivera Museum; things to do

Diego Rivera Museum

Muralist Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato in 1886. His modest home is now a museum that houses dozens of his original works, as well as galleries displaying the work of guest artists in rotating exhibits.

 
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image c2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Guanajuato, Mexico: Mummy Museum; things to do

Mummy Museum 

(Museo de las Momias)  Daily 9am-6pm. $4, 6-12 $2. No pets.

Just 2 weeks ago I visited the 56 mummies displayed here in the Mummy Museum in a clean, temperature-controlled setting. Among them is the world’s smallest mummy--a 5- or 6-month-old fetus. All were formerly interred in the adjacent municipal cemetery, where because of rocky ground and dry mountain air many corpses do not decompose but instead dry out (they are not wrapped like Egyptian mummies). Though families can pay for perpetual burial, not everyone can afford this, so to free scarce cemetery space law permits “deadbeats” to be dug up after 7 years. In the past, the occasional disinterred mummy found in good shape was placed on exhibition in the museum, but the practice of disinterring the poor ended in 1958. Currently corpses are displayed in glass cases, which prevents the repeat of incidents in which tourists snapped off a finger or toe as a souvenir. But souvenirs are still available—traditional candies that resemble a corpse are sold by vendors just outside. The museum opened in 1952.

Watch my video overview of the city.

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image c2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers