Inland trip to Guanajuato

We left Sayulita Wednesday morning. After a brief stop in Puerto Vallarta we headed inland on JAL544, a less travelled state highway though the mountains toward Guadalajara. We were told that the town of San Sebastion Del Oeste was interesting so we planned to stay there for the night. As it turned out, San Sebastion turned out to one of the least interesting towns we have visited. After arriving we had a beer and a snack at the only hotel in town that seemed to be open. Then we went for a walk only to return to the hotel to find out that the restaurant was closed for the day. It was only 5 pm! Nothing else was open either. A taco stand opened later so we got a bite to eat.

The next day we continued toward Guadalajara. The road was interesting and we stopped for a break at a nice little town called Atenguillo. This area is off the normal tourist route so hotels were not abundant. We headed for Ajijic, a town on Lake Chapala, where we had stayed before and found accommodation. It was slow going though the mountains. We didn't average more than 40kph, so it was along day.

A bridge in the mountains inland from Puerto Vallarta.



Guanajuato is an interesting city. It is built in a narrow valley. The center of the city is on the valley floor and residential areas are on the hill sides surrounding the city. Guanajuato is a vibrant university city, state capital and of great historic importance. The town started as a silver mining town and was once the richest city in Mexico. The first battle of the war of independence from Spanish rule was fought here.

The geographical location caused flooding problems that threatened to destroy the city so to resolve this issue tunnels were built under the city to evacuate the rain water. Later aqueducts were constructed and the tunnels became redundant. As motor vehicle traffic increased these tunnels were turned into roads and even more tunnels were built. Now the city has a vast network of underground roads. Some even have underground intersections. The city is virtually impossible to navigate for the uninitiated. And GPS doesn't work so well!

View of city from near the top of the residential area.

Many of the "streets" are narrower than this one.
Some are only 2 meters wide and have stairs.

Exit to ground level from one of the tunnels.



The city is full of culture. There are 17 museums, 9 grand churches, 3 large theatres, numerous plazas and gardens, and countless outdoor restaurants and cafes. The night life is vibrant.

Tonight we are going to the the Teatro Juarez to see a dance performance with a fellow and his friends that we met last year in Sayulita.

Teenagers hanging out in one of the plazas

Teatro Juarez



Tomorrow we plan to head back though Guadadjara to the town of Tequila. Then back to Sayulita the next day.