Guanajuato: The Land Of Frogs

When theme parks, beaches, scuba diving, and whalehas a population of between 100,000-120,000 people. It
watching have lost their charm after multiple vacationsis nestled in a ravine with the city literally built up the
to Mexico, perhaps a visit to The Land of Frogs insides of the bowl-like surrounding mountains. If nothing
Central Mexico is in order.else, a trip to Guanajuato would be worth the time and
The City of Guanajuato, which is called The Crownexpense just to marvel at how the Mexicans figured
Jewel of Mexico's colonial cities, was named The Landout how to build this city. To call it a marvel is a gross
of Frogs by a group of indigenous people. By someunderstatement.
accounts, the indigenous took one look at the terrainAnother marvel to behold is Guanajuato's system of
and said, "Nothing but frogs could live here!" Some sayunderground tunnels. Originally, the Guanajuato River
the indigenous found thousands of frogs in theflowed through the center of town. Numerous
mountainous terrain. Other accounts say it was thedevastating floods occurred over the centuries, and
shape of the mountains that reminded the indigenousengineers decided to divert the river away from the
of frogs. Whichever account is true, Guanajuato is amiddle of town in the early 1900´s. After diverting
place to get to know.the river, the riverbed was turned into a maze of
Guanajuato earned its place in world geography whenunderground streets-this time to divert traffic.
the Spanish found the surrounding mountains rich inHow To Get Here
silver deposits. In fact, at one time more than one-thirdMore American tourists we meet are driving to
of the world's silver riches were mined in Guanajuato.Guanajuato. This is not as difficult as one might
Though none of the usual summer vacation activitiesimagine. Go to and type "driving to Mexico". You will
exist in Guanajuato, this city exudes history with everyfind numerous articles on the logistics of driving here.
unsteady step you take through its cobblestoneThe only problem you will encounter when arriving in
streets.Guanajuato is parking. Although city officials are
The state of Guanajuato is the Cradle of Mexicanworking to solve this problem by building more parking
Independence. It was here Mexico began its quest tofacilities, it is a nightmare. Parking is at a premium and
become Mexican. Guanajuato is the perfect spot toyou will rarely find adequate and safe parking near
see where and learn how Mexico began to fight for itsyour hotels.
hard-earned independence from Spain. Although small,The best way to arrive in Guanajuato is to fly to Leon,
the city of Guanajuato has outstanding colonialGuanajuato. From there, you can take a cab for about
architecture built with the silver revenue from times$25.00-$30.00 to Guanajuato. It is about a 45-minute
past. With modern museums, cultural events almostride.
year-round, one of world's oldest universities, and anA way to combat the difficulty of your Leon cabbie
almost perfect year-round temperate climate in whichknowing where your lodging is located, especially if you
to enjoy this country's Crown Jewel, Guanajuato canhave arranged a private apartment for your vacation
be the perfect alternative to the usual vacation fare.stay, is to have the Leon cabdriver take you to the
Many first-time visitors we've interviewed haveGuanajuato's Holiday Inn or to the bus station. From
expressed amazement to find that Guanajuato defiesthere, it is a simple matter of switching to a
their stereotypical expectation of Mexico. Many whoGuanajuato cabdriver who will know where everything
have traveled extensively throughout Europe have toldis in Guanajuato's confusing maze of streets.
us Guanajuato could be a town from Spain orLodging
Northern Italy that was somehow magicallyGuanajuato has a large influx of wealthy travelers to
transplanted to this side of the planet.whom the hotel industry caters lavishly. You can find
Depending on whom you ask, The City of Guanajuatoaccommodations to boggle the mind and pocketbook.