Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende

Guanajuato's colourful houses packed into the valley around a yellow church with a red dome.

03Cities and regions

Guanajuato state

Central Mexico holds two colonial towns on the World Heritage list. Guanajuato was built in a narrow valley, so its streets wind; many are alleys closed to cars or long stairways up the slopes, and several roads run underground. Its fortune came from the silver mines around it, and its centre is built of pink or green sandstone; the town and its mines were listed in 1988. San Miguel de Allende lies 97 kilometres away and 274 kilometres from the capital, with ochre, orange and yellow facades, carved wooden doors and hidden courtyards; it was listed in 2008. From the twentieth century it drew artists who founded art schools there, and galleries followed. Both centres are compact and steep, best explored on foot. Guanajuato hosts the Festival Internacional Cervantino, and at its peak its Valenciana mine produced two-thirds of the world's silver.

1988
Guanajuato World Heritage: 2008
San Miguel World Heritage: 0 km
Between the two towns: 0 km
San Miguel from the capital

Highlights

Valenciana MineAt its height it produced two-thirds of the world's silver, and the town was listed together with it.
Teatro JuárezA Neoclassical theatre built from 1873 to 1903, with Doric columns and two bronze lions on its entrance stairs.
Festival CervantinoAn international arts festival that brings performers from Mexico and abroad to the town's squares and stages.