Guanajuato
During the XVIth Century, Chichimeca Indians inhabited the region of Guanajuato. The Chichimeca used to live in a place called Paxtitlan, famous for its numerous frogs. It is said that the name Guanajuato comes from the Tarascan word Quanashuato (Place of frogs). Between the year 1546 and 1553, important mining sites of gold and silver were discovered. The Spanish mining camps who settled in the place were known as reales, out of which the most important one was called "Santa Fe".
The place was known during most of the colonial period as "Villa de Santa Fe en el Real y Minas de Guanajuato". The place reached its city status in the year 1741, when king Phillip V named it "Real de Minas de Santa Fe de Guanajuato". The forced development of the city established some particular urban characteristics, which led to some unique streets, plazas & stairways of extraordinary appearance. Today, Guanajuato is considered one of the most extraordinary colonial cities in Mexico.
Initially, Guanajuato was formed by four neighborhoods: Marfil, Tepetapa, Santa Ana and Santa Fe. Guanajuato's most important constructions were built out of pink quarry, whilst the more modest ones were built out of adobe and bricks. This mixture of materials gives the city a colorful appearance, which is one of its particular characteristics.
Guanajuato reached its most important point in the colonial period during the XVIIIth century. It was during this period that the main religious and civil buildings that can be still seen today were built. Two of these are the San Francisco and the San Diego Temple, both buildings with a baroque façade typical of the XVIIth century. The city offers today some extraordinary spaces of beautiful perspectives, with small plazas that frame the most important buildings.
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