After months spent in the relaxed beach vibes of Sayulita, the craving for a change of scenery became undeniable. The desire for diverse culinary experiences, a respite from the constant humidity, and a break from the battle against dengue-carrying mosquitoes grew stronger. While I often profess to be more drawn to quieter, smaller towns, the Mexican coast had me yearning for the vibrancy of a larger, and surprisingly, colder destination: Guanajuato.
And indeed, Guanajuato delivered on the cold front, and so much more.
While the photographs might suggest warm sunshine, the reality was a crisp, invigorating chill in the air. Dave and I arrived in our new destination after an overnight bus journey. The comfortable, reclining leather seats of our overnight bus had been a welcome luxury, and we were excited to finally set foot in Guanajuato, our eyes wide with anticipation as we took in the kaleidoscope of colors that painted the city buildings.
However, our arrival wasn’t without its hiccups. A sharp headache quickly escalated into a day spent battling nausea in our Airbnb bathroom. Dengue fever, a recent concern from our time in Sayulita, was the immediate suspect, especially as several acquaintances there had contracted it. Food poisoning was another possibility, but as the day wore on, a different culprit emerged.
“Just how high are we here?” I asked Dave, a sudden thought striking me.
“Pretty high, I think,” he responded, mirroring my discomfort with a hand rubbing his temples. He looked as unwell as I felt.
A quick online search confirmed our suspicions: Guanajuato sits at approximately 2,000 meters (around 6,500 feet) above sea level. Altitude sickness. Could it really be this intense? The realization sparked a wave of concern about our upcoming travels through South America, where even higher altitudes awaited. Friends already experiencing those heights offered little sympathy, finding humor in my rather dramatic reaction.
My arrival in Guanajuato, to say the least, was less than graceful.
Thankfully, after a couple of days dedicated to hydration and rest, the altitude sickness subsided. I stepped out of our apartment, a genuine smile replacing the previous grimace.
Guanajuato’s beauty was truly captivating, and adding to the charm, the city was already embracing the festive spirit of Christmas!
Even a nativity scene on a truck bed signaled the approaching holidays.
One of my favorite rituals upon arriving in a new city, once settled, is to seek out a panoramic viewpoint. My first destination in Guanajuato was El Pípila, the iconic reddish-stone monument perched high above the city. This monument honors a local hero of Guanajuato, El Pípila, who played a crucial role in Mexico’s fight for independence.
The uphill walk to El Pípila proved more challenging than anticipated, a testament to both the altitude and my current fitness level. Yet, reaching the summit, breathless but triumphant, was absolutely rewarding.
Wow.
Guanajuato was undeniably stunning. It instantly sparked a desire to make it our temporary home. Just a few years prior, I had visited Chefchaouen, Morocco, and declared it the most photogenic city I had ever encountered. Guanajuato was now giving Chefchaouen serious competition.
Our Airbnb apartment proved to be a highlight in itself, easily ranking among my favorite Airbnb experiences. For less than $40 per night, we enjoyed a beautiful space complete with a well-equipped kitchen and a rooftop terrace that offered breathtaking views of the vibrant cityscape. After spending so much time in basic guesthouses, simple amenities like a proper oven, a comfortable sofa, and the luxury of not having to work from bed felt like pure bliss.
However, Guanajuato presented a minor culinary challenge. The Christmas season had led to the closure of many local restaurants, and finding a place to eat often involved navigating a maze of alleyways, often ending in tourist-centric establishments offering uninspired cheese sandwiches. Breakfast was particularly difficult, with most cafes not opening until late morning.
We did discover a fantastic taco stand near our apartment, where we bravely sampled sesos (brain) tacos, but beyond that, finding consistently good food proved to be a bit of a treasure hunt.
Fortunately, the discovery of a massive Mega supermarket solved our food woes. Having access to a wide range of groceries meant we could cook our own meals and bypass the restaurant scarcity. The mountainous terrain surrounding Guanajuato also meant our trips to the supermarket involved passing through the city’s unique tunnel system.
Speaking of tunnels, we ventured through them again a few days later, this time en route to Guanajuato’s most talked-about tourist attraction: El Museo De Las Momias – the Museum of the Mummies. Every travel guide and article about Guanajuato insisted on a visit, promising an encounter with…well, mummies.
The experience, however, left me with conflicting feelings. While I appreciated the Mexican cultural perspective on death, particularly after witnessing the joyful Day of the Dead celebrations in Sayulita, the museum felt ethically questionable.
The museum’s origins are rooted in a cholera outbreak in Guanajuato during the early 1800s. The high death toll overwhelmed the city’s cemeteries. To manage the space shortage, a tax was implemented, requiring families to pay an annual fee to maintain burial plots. If the tax went unpaid, bodies were exhumed. During these exhumations, cemetery workers discovered that some bodies had naturally mummified due to the dry conditions of the local soil. Initially stored away, these mummified remains eventually became a tourist attraction when workers realized their morbid appeal could generate income.
The room dedicated to mummified children was particularly unsettling. Tiny infants in dresses, displayed in glass cases with mouths agape. One exhibit featured a woman who died in childbirth, with her mummified fetus, a mere six inches long, beside her. Another chilling display was of a woman buried alive, her hands positioned defensively over her face. A man who had been stabbed to death was also on display, a visible wound in his abdomen. Visitors were encouraged to photograph the exhibits, but the entire experience felt deeply unsettling.
Was I simply being overly sensitive about death? Or was there a genuine ethical concern surrounding this museum? After my visit, I couldn’t categorize it as a “must-see” attraction, nor readily recommend it to others. The overall atmosphere was profoundly uncomfortable.
Sharing photos from the museum feels inappropriate, but for those curious, a Daily Mail article provides a glimpse.
Shifting to a more uplifting subject: Christmas! Being away from home during Christmas always creates a somewhat surreal feeling. When traveling internationally, it often feels like just another day, albeit with festive decorations.
This year, however, Dave was grappling with homesickness more intensely than usual. It was the first time I had witnessed him longing for home so acutely. He missed family and friends, especially his nephew. The thought of a Christmas dinner in Mexico, far from loved ones, was less than appealing, especially when it involved a dish he was allergic to.
In true comedic fashion, my attempt to create a festive Christmas meal involved purchasing a large joint of meat, only to discover days later that it was generously stuffed with bell peppers.
Dave is severely allergic to bell peppers.
Merry Christmas, darling! Here’s a side of stomach cramps.
Despite Dave’s homesickness and my near-poisonous Christmas dinner offering, we managed to salvage the day and create a lovely, albeit unconventional, Christmas filled with its own set of clichés.
Christmas music played throughout the day as we indulged in far too much food. I insisted on a viewing of “Home Alone” and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and we concluded the evening watching the sunset from our rooftop terrace, wine glasses in hand.
I was genuinely falling in love with Guanajuato.
Then, we made a significant misstep: we changed apartments. I firmly believe that accommodation location can significantly impact a travel experience, and our second apartment was located almost an hour’s walk from the city center.
Under different circumstances, the new apartment might have been idyllic. It boasted stunning panoramic views of Guanajuato from its hillside perch, offering a sense of peaceful isolation ideal for writing. However, Guanajuato was experiencing unusually cold temperatures, the lowest in years, and this hillside retreat turned out to be the coldest place I have ever stayed. The unseasonable chill was the main topic of conversation among locals, who assured us it was far from typical. My wardrobe, unfortunately, was entirely unprepared for winter conditions.
Worse than constantly shivering in every layer of clothing I owned: everything was closed for the Christmas holidays, except for a tiny local store with a very limited stock of potatoes, eggs, and little else. We subsisted on omelets for an entire week.
It was particularly disappointing because our apartment hosts were incredibly kind. Seeing how cold we were, they brought us warm stewed fruit punch, invited us to breakfast in their home, and even lent us their cat for companionship. Their generosity was heartwarming, but I remained perpetually, profoundly cold.
In conclusion, my time in Guanajuato was a mixed bag of experiences. It is undeniably the most visually stunning city I have ever visited. I adored our first apartment and the simple joy of wandering through its vibrant alleyways. Since leaving, I often think about returning during the summer months to establish a base there for a month or two. However, for this particular trip, it was time to move on. I was ill-equipped for the cold, tired of an egg-based diet, and, once again, yearning for a new destination.
We had ambitious plans for the remainder of our time in Mexico: a month-long stay in Oaxaca, culinary explorations in Puebla, exploring Mexico City, and venturing south to discover remote Mayan ruins.
Instead, huddled under piles of blankets in our freezing apartment, we booked a flight to Cancun.
We were in desperate need of warmth.
We were heading straight back to the beach.
What is the most beautiful city you’ve ever been to?
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