Mummies and Mariachis in Guanajuato

Chris and I just got back (to Irapuato) from four days in nearby Guanajuato. In the photo is a real mummified baby, one of many dead people on display at the mummy museum in Guanajuato. There are hundreds of mummies - large mummies, small mummies (the smallest mummy in the world in fact), hairy mummies, anatomically correct mummies... The mummies are all in glass coffins lining a labyrinth of neon-lit rooms. Add some techno music and it would be a rave gone terribly wrong - except that people don’t bring their children to raves and quite a few families were at the mummy museum.

Mummies aside, Guanajuato is a beautiful city of sorbet-colored buildings climbing up mountains. Because many of the above-ground roads are too small for cars, there is a whole system of roads that run underground, inside the mountain. I’m not just talking about tunnels, I’m talking about a full grid of streets with signs, intersections, sidewalks and everything - all under the city. Since so many of the streets are car free, it is much quieter and cleaner than your average city. Everyone walks and, much of the walking being uphill, it is quite a workout. We found this out on our first full day when we hiked to the top of the Pipila. The good news, everything is gorgeous, and there are plenty of spots where you can use picture taking as an excuse to stop and catch your breath. (That’s Chris looking over the city from the Pipila.)

There are lots of museums, stores, and shows in Guanajuato, but the best thing is to just chill out and people watch. Everyone is very cosmopolitan, young and stylish. There are punk rock teenagers with studded bracelets, skate rats with checkerboard sneakers, little kids in school uniforms with Spongebob backpacks, university students in designer jeans, and exchange students in hippy clothes. (What is it with the skirt over the pants thing? I really want to know.) Occasionally, a tourist will come by. You can recognize the tourists by their pale/red skin, khaki-colored clothing, hideous shoes, and panama hats. They are usually carrying an extra 30 to 50 pounds and resemble an overstuffed beige sofa. We watched the parade of people from several different outdoor cafes and shady park benches. The local students prefer to people-watch from the steps of the Juarez Theater. It’s like one huge stoop.

We treated ourselves to a nice hotel right on the Jardin de Union, in the center of it all. It had a king-sized bed, wireless internet, and what I now consider to be a luxurious bathroom (fully functional, clean and including a hairdryer). From our room, we could hear music from the Jardin (garden) down below. There is a rotunda where bands play every night. There are also dozens of mariachis, who all seem to know each other, and who gather around and talk until someone hires them for a song. You always know which mariachis go together because of their matching outfits, like a life-sized game of Concentration.

That’s us being dorks in a museum in Guanajuato. We are in Irapuato until the 26^th and then its off to Mexico City. (Chris’s blog will tell you a bit about Irapuato, but I want to get more photos (especially of Natalie) before I post. Ciao.