During 1973, I lived and painted in Mexico. For part of that year, I lived  in the beautiful and historic Guanajuato, located  in the geographical center of Mexico.

Some twenty years later, I went back there, and, to my delight, found it virtually unchanged. Although a much larger city had grown up around the outskirts of my old friend, the original parts of this 17th century Colonial Gem  had been preserved. The only real change was more people on the sidewalks. The traffic problems can't increase, because the streets are so narrow, and many run through stone-lined underground tunnels, site of a formerly rampaging river.

On my first morning there, I was so excited to be back in Guanajuato that I jumped out of bed before daylight, hurried across the cobbled street in front of the my hotel, the San Diego, next to the Cathedral, and into the small park, el Jardín de la Unión. While waiting for the sun to come up and dispel the mountain morning chill, and for the sidewalk cafes to open and begin serving their delicious breakfasts (while street vendors stroll by selling fresh gardenias; and musicians, down from the hills, strum their guitars and sing plaintive Mexican love songs and ballads that bring a tear to my eye and coins to my hand), I climbed into the ornate wrought iron gazebo or bandstand and painted the church. Just as I was blocking in the background hill and statue, the morning sun came and gilded them. When the painting was finished, I glanced at my watch. It was 8:30 in the morning. At home,  I usually work late into the night and sleep until 10:00 or even 11:00 in the morning..

Guanajuato, the birthplace of Diego Rivera,  is an ideal place for walking and painting or photographing. Just about an hour from San Miguel de Allende, it's better known neighbor, Guanajuato offers a great deal to the traveler who wants to get just a bit off the beaten path.  

This page was last updated by John Farnsworth on Saturday, April 26, 2008