Rachel Laudan

The Sierra de Guanajuato

The mountains about the city are known as the Sierra de Guanajuato. They have evergreen oak forests, a rich range of flora and fauna, hidden villages, ruined haciendas, baroque churches, and other wonders. Most of the Sierra is inaccessible except on foot, mountain bike, horse, or van.

And that’s where Antonio Ojeda and his daughter Susanna come in. Antonio, trained as a mining engineer, knows the Sierra like the back of his hand and for ten years has run ecotours. He or Susanna will be happy to create a tour that matches your interest. I have been on two and can vouch that they are organized, fun, knowledgeable and take you to places you would never find on your own. I’ve lived here ten years and would never have discovered these places without Antonio.

For another opinion, here is a report on Guanajuato off the beaten path.

Regional Cuisine

Don’t let anyone persuade you that there is no decent food in Guanajuato. Instead make a reservation with a group of friends for a meal with Jesus and LuzMa Cardenas. Their regional Guanajuato cuisine is out of this world as this report by Steve Sando, better known as Rancho Gordo, the guy for heritage beans, shows. To contact Jesus and Luzma and arrange a menu, write them at lasmercedesbanquetes@gmail.com

Guanajuato is also lucky to have a number of good places to buy traditional candies and sweet things. Dulces del Cubilete has been in business for fifty years. They have a shop at Avenida Juárez 188 near the Hidalgo Market. Their candied fruits are out of this world. If you normally find candied fruit tastes stale and sugary, this is the place to change your mind. You can still taste the fruit and because the fruits are super fresh, the texture is still soft. I specially like their lime and orange, (and they are wonderful for baking, but their figs, pineapple, and xoconostle are all worth trying too. Most of the sweets are made right here in Guanajuato by Ignacio Agreda. Tel. 473-732-5934.

Just a few blocks up the street, there is La Catrina in Plazuela de los Angeles 74. It’s slicker and the owners put their own label on products they buy from others. They have a wonderful collection of fruit liqueurs. You might also look out for the mermelada de capulin, jam made from the Mexican wild cherry. Tel. 473-734-0203.

More coming on incunabula, baroque organs, haciendas, trips and more.

Irapuato

Irapuato is a town about 40 minutes away from Guanajuato. It’s often dismissed as just a small town with a golf course with houses for executives who work at GM or other big businesses in the region.

Not so fast. It’s now a major center of agribusiness. If you enjoy big markets, the Central de Abastos there is quite fascinating. So is the annual agricultural fair in November, serious business, and one of the biggest if not the biggest in Mexico. If you want history, it is in the middle of a region of major ex-haciendas. It was once the center of cigarette making in Mexico. Here’s a great blog that gently and gradually lays out some of the culture and history of this interesting town.

So if you’re interested in poking about off the tourist path, you might consider a day in Irapuato and its surroundings.