Day 25: Guanajuato, Inside and Out (literally)

9:50 pm

This morning we got up at what felt like waaaay to early to go and catch a bus for our day trip to the city of Guanajuato. The six of us piled into a tiny taxi and went to the bus station. Our trip to Guanajuato was terrible; we were stuck in the back, so it was bumpy and smelly (near the bathroom) with no air circulation and I almost yakked several times. By the time we finally got there, we all piled out of the bus, gasping for air. And we were in Guanajuato.

We caught another cab (two cabs for the six of us this time) and went to meet our teachers at the Iconographic Museum of Don Quixote. That's right, Don Quixote de la Mancha. Apparently, back in the days that the mining economy of Guanajuato was in decline, they decided they needed a new gig. So they declared themselves a cultural center of Mexico and took as their literary patron saint the old oddball dreamer that was already very dear to the people of Spain; Don Quixote himself. The museum was a collection of various paintings, etchings, drawings, ceramics, sculptures, murals, and even a deck of playing cards that were all depicting or inspired by Don Quixote. I never knew that there were so many people from so many different eras and parts of the world that were inspired by that story. It also showed me that any single subject can inspire a very wide spectrum of reactions. If you'd like to see some of the works and learn more, their website is located at http://museoiconografico.guanajuato.gob.mx/ .

Then we decided to take the bus up to the mines on the outskirts of Guanajuato, which once kept the town booming and have long since been depleted. We went to a mine called San Ramón, but not after a long bus ride up the side of the mountain with a bus fuller than the UT Forty Acres during a passing period. And they kept letting more people on. And a guy walked through the aisle of the bus, pushing and nudging, to collect fares AFTER the bus was already moving. Let´s just say it´s a way to make new friends fast.

The best part of the mine visit was when we actually went down INTO the mine. We had to climb down a flight of very steep steps with a very low ceiling to get down there, not for the very claustrophobic or tall... ahem.



Later we saw a map of what all the mines under Guanajuato looked like before they were all shut down, and there was layer after layer after layer of tunnels. They must have been at least 2000 feet under the Earth. I can´t imagine being that deep under the Earth; the one we were in was only 25 meters below ground and I already missed the sun.


Also, something else interesting about Guanajuato is that a lot of its major streets are tunnels under the city. So a big part of Guanajuato´s existence is underground. We definitely saw Guanajuato, both inside and out, today.

After the mines we had lunch and then went shopping at the Mercado Hidalgo. I was so happy, because I got the chance to buy souvenirs for my little cousins and everyone; I hadn't found anything good in San Miguel. We also got the chance to explore the town a little bit. It´s a beautiful city. It´s definitely more of a city than San Miguel, which is relatively small. The two towns are very different, but I love them both. They are both so beautiful and there is so much to explore and learn there.


This is Aneesha, Mickey, me, Peggy, Daphne, David, Simone, Laura, and Clea on a typical Guanajuato street. See how vertical the background is? Guanajuato is in a valley, and it seems that they built directly into the sides of the valley. That´s part of the reason they need tunnels to get around.


Hmm... Kinda creepy. This face is about 4 feet tall and sticking out of the side of a building on the street.




This is Laura, one of the high school interns, and me playing around with one of the "musicians" in downtown Guanajuato.

Then, before we went home, we stopped for ice cream at a place called Michoacana. I ordered Choco-Chip ice cream, and, oddly enough, the ice cream part was a medium yellow color. (The chocolate chips were regular.) I think they put a lot of butter in the ice cream, because it tasted different than usual ice cream (And I don´t think I´ve ever seen yellow chocolate chip ice cream before). But it was really really good. They have Michoacana stores in San Miguel; maybe it´s a good thing I only discovered their ice cream this late in my stay, hehe.

I can´t believe how soon I´ll be home. Tomorrow is my last full day here in Mexico. I can´t believe how the time has flown! But I miss you all, and even though I will miss Mexico after I´m gone, I´ll be so glad to be home with all of you.