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Guanajuato History
The beautiful mining city of Guanajuato, Jewel of the Americas, owes its fame and fortune to the discovery of rich mineral veins of gold and silver.
In prehispanic times, the region was inhabited by nomad tribes known as Chichimecas. The Spanish first arrived in 1541, and Guanajuato was officially founded in 1570. In 1741, Guanajuato was granted the title of City by King Phillip V of Spain.
During the presidency of Benito Juarez, Guanajuato was temporarily the capital of Mexico . In 1903 General Porfirio Diaz, then president of Mexico, inaugurated the Teatro Juárez, the Legislative Palace, the Monument to Peace, the Monument to Hidalgo, and the reservoir Presa de la Esperanza.
In 1945, the State College became the University of Guanajuato, and in 1953, performances of the short comic plays known as Entremeses Cervantinos began. These performances would later be the seed for the creation of the most important artistic and cultural event in Latin America, the International Cervantino Festival, which began in 1972.
Guanajuato, World Heritage Site
Guanajuato, historically and culturally, is one of the most important cities in Mexico . This heritage, together with a certain atmosphere which surrounds its venerable colonial houses, captivates the city's visitors. Student minstrel groups stroll through plazas and narrow streets singing merrily, and below ground, traffic flows through tunnels unlike any others in the world.
Because of its beauty, its historical importance and its monuments, Guanajuato was declared "World Heritage Site" by UNESCO in 1988.
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