Guanajuato and its Heritage Cities
Camino Real de la Tierra Adentro
The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, also known as “Camino de la Plata”, is formed by five sites (Guanajuato, Querétaro, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, and Durango) and 55 other sites located along 1,400 of the 2,600 km of this long route that starts in northern Mexico and reaches Texas and New Mexico, in the United States.
The historic City of Guanajuato and the Mines.
Founded by the Spanish in the early XV century, this city became the world’s first silver mining center in the XVIII century. Its mining past is reflected in the “subway streets” and the impressive “Boca del infierno” (Hell’s Mouth) mining shaft, which has a depth of 600 meters.
The churches of the Compañía de Jesús and La Valenciana are among the most beautiful examples of baroque architecture in Central and South America.
Guanajuato was the most important silver mining center in the world in the XVIII century, which led to the construction of large religious, civil, and industrial buildings; also tunnels, dams, farms, and mining facilities, both in the central area and in the neighboring colonies, in a natural setting excellently modeled and modified by man.
The city’s fine baroque and neoclassical buildings, the result of the prosperity of the mines, have influenced buildings throughout central Mexico. The churches of La Compañía and La Valenciana are considered among the finest examples of baroque architecture in Central and South America.
Villa protectora de San Miguel el grande and the sanctuary of Jesus Nazareno de Atotonilco.
Founded in the XVI century to protect the royal road to the interior of the country, the city of San Miguel de Allende reached its apogee in the XVIII century, a period in which numerous religious and civil buildings were built in the Mexican Baroque style. Some of them are masterpieces of the transitional style between baroque and neoclassical. The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro is part of the Spanish Camino Real Intercontinental from Mexico City to Santa Fe.
Due to its location, San Miguel de Allende was a true melting pot of mutual influences between Spanish, Creole, and indigenous cultures, and constitutes an exceptional example of the cultural exchange between Europe and Latin America. Its architecture and interior ornamentation show the influence of the doctrine of San Ignacio de Loyola.
