We’ve been in a lot of radiant places… Copenhagen’s Nyhavn, Sighisoara’s Old Town in Romania, the Batu Cave Temple in Malaysia are a few that come to mind. But what makes the palette of Guanajuato so extraordinary is that, the vibrancy saturates the ENTIRE city. It’s not simply located in a few blocks…or a street …or a square. It’s all-consuming…spellbinding and certainly easy to see why scenes from Disney-Pixar’s recent Coco movie were inspired by this astonishing backdrop.
We became 100% lovestruck by Guanajuato the moment we arrived and could have spent much longer than the five weeks we had. Its cheerful rainbow hues filled our hearts with pure joy, its weather is practically euphoric, its callejones (alleys) offer up nonstop discovery, its people…gentle, kind, and patient with our fumbled Espanol.
Un Dia en La Vida (A Day in the Life)
For nomads like us, it became an easy place to live in as well…easy to find inexpensive grocers or markets with anything you might need and bountiful produce stands lining the streets, easy to buy necessities like prescriptions or water, easy to work online or find good quality Spanish language schools, and best of all… one of the most safely walkable cities we’ve ever been to.
It was also well within our $40/day ($1300/month) budget cap. This post documents a day and expenditures in our lives while living there.
Accommodations
We loved waking up to the view from our Airbnb apartment bedroom window, which flooded our apartment with natural light. The cost of our apartment, which was centrally located and walkable to everything, was $525 for the month ($17.86/day). We’ve heard it’s possible to pay much less.
Our bed was layered with lots of cozy blankets. Although the day time temperatures in the 70s F are very pleasant, the night time temperatures dip into the 40’s F (4-10 Celsius). Certainly no need for air conditioning or heat here!
Our kitchen is equipped with microwave, oven/stove, fridge and finally our first Mexican kettle. We miss these so much! We did scratch our heads for awhile to figure out our stove. We knew APAG meant “turn off,” as it’s a shortened version of APAGAR. However, what we didn’t get was the numbers. We later discovered 1=50, 2=100, 3=150, 4=200 & 5=250, as in degrees Celsius!
Eats and Drinks
After breakfast, (pineapple $1.50, yogurt $2 and granola $1.50), we typically left our casa in the Alhondiga neighborhood to head to Spanish class, which was 30 minutes away. We loved where we lived. On a quiet, pedestrian-only callejon, but still about a 2-10 minute walk to pretty much anything we needed, as well as all the main sites. Our street was very quiet and atmospheric. Plus, we loved the fact that we got a ton of exercise while living here! Every time you walk the 5-10 minutes into town, you had to walk down and to return, it’s back up. As you can see from the last pictures, most of the residential areas are built in a stepped formation due to the bowl-like topography of the town.
Stopping for coffee at Cafe Conquistador was a special treat. ($1.50)
We always met interesting (and adorable) characters along the way.
Free Walks!
One of our favorite squares. We loved how wonderfully empty it was in the mornings.
Passing this sign everyday made us feel an ironic connection to our previous home in Oregon. Guanajuato and Ashland (a city in southern Oregon we’ve always loved) have been sister cities since 1969. This is thanks to the two universities joining forces for cultural exchange.
In the evenings, this area by Teatro Juarez is one of the busiest hotspots of Guanajuato. But in the mornings when we walked through, it’s blissfully empty. Of course, we were told that the “crowds” have been nothing compared to what they usually are, although Valentine’s weekend was pretty hopping. According to the locals, Guanajuato is very popular for Mexican tourists, but not so much for gringos, it fortunately never feels too touristy (or expensive.)
Teatro Juarez is one of Mexico’s most premier theaters, oozing elegant Roman apparel on the outside and apparently swathed with exuberant oriental decor on the inside. Unfortunately it was closed so we didn’t get the full experience.
This is also where you can also find “the troubadours” gathering, which are a melodic group of Don Quixote wannabes who take to the streets at 7 pm to sing, dance, create dramatic monologues, and in general, inspire a delightful ruckus. We thought this had actually been canceled as well, but on our very last night, we stumbled upon the activity and it was AMAZING. We’re just so sad we didn’t have our phone to be able to share videos!
Gorgeous art for sale near the theater.
Passing lots of men hard at work was common in the morning. It was also a common time for deliveries of gas canisters and water. We actually had to have a refill one morning at our own place, which cost a meager $100 pesos ($5). These men are absolute beasts, carrying or rolling these mammoth gas canisters up and down the endlessly flowing callejones of the city. Wow. They deserve serious kudos.
Passing our favorite church, Templo de San Francisco.
Ambling under Santo’s Cafe, which makes you feel like you’re more likely in Venice than Mexico, especially because accordion players like to hang out underneath. Mandy was excited to have a delicious soy burger there one evening.
Getting close to our Spanish school in the Pastita neighborhood, we appreciated how the raised sidewalks were developed in this part of the city.
Continuing Education
Arriving to La Hacienda Spanish School, we took classes with Luis, the owner, for two hours a day in a very relaxed environment. He was a terrific teacher and we were very satisfied with the class. Also, it worked out well for us, because we got to have private lessons with him for the cost of group classes. ($57/week/each, which was not included in our monthly budget.) The school is in a former hacienda and it’s just a beautiful setting, (although it was freezing and we actually had the opportunity to use our puffy coats we were beginning to think we’d brought for no reason!)
After class, we pass by the Cervantes Theater (also closed) and statues of Don Quixote and Sancho. Evidently, Guanajuato hosts some of the biggest collections of Quixote memorabilia even though the fictional character actually resided in Spain.
Our absolute favorite square, Plaza de Mexiamora. It was always nearly empty, no matter the time of day.
Sometimes we’d just sit here and soak it in. (By the way, have to admit, Guanajuato, nor a lot of Mexico offers the most comfy benches!)
Entering into any shop, restaurant or pretty much anywhere requires 2-3 things: 1) hand sanitizer 2) walking through two mats to “clean” your feet. The first one is to clean and the second to dry (but, sorry this is kinda a joke because most places don’t even fill the first one with cleaner). 3) temperature check (sometimes.)
Health Investments
Dropping by a natural foods and supplements store, we feel like we’ve hit the jackpot. We bought an entire sackful of supplements for $225 pesos or $11! In the US, you’d probably spend that on two items!
If you’ve seen the Disney movie Coco, you might recognize this guy. Jorge Negrete, the famous singer was allegedly one of the inspirations for the character of Ernesto de la Cruz. And we walked by his statue everyday!
This is where one tunnel begins. We found the architecture so intriguing.
One of the most fetching (and often busiest) plazas in the city, Plaza Baratillo.
This plaza is so eye-catching, even movies are filmed here as we witnessed a couple mornings!
The University of Guanajuato has a stunning and very unique facade. Sadly, as you can see, it has been shuttered for COVID. Like all schools in Mexico, they have gone digital. We were a bit bummed we didn’t get to experience the “college town buzz,” but know it’s obviously for the best. The university was founded in 1732 and its most popular degrees include mining engineering (not the least bit surprising in this town) and medicine.
By this point, naturally we had worked up quite an appetite, so we stopped for lunch in the restaurant, Tortas Mi Lugar, which is near the deserted university. In our travels, we’ve learned to always eat near universities for the cheapest, most delicious and best valued foods and this one did not disappoint. We each got a massive portion of Enchiladas Mineras for $75 pesos ($3.50) which fed us both for another whole meal at home. Enchiladas Mineras is a local dish of Guanajuato which comes from mining times when the women took this dish to their husbands at the end of their work day. It’s absolutely delicious.
La Garrafa Nieves may be a bit touristy, but it’s definitely some time the best barrel-churned Mexican ice cream in the city. Mexican ice cream is closer to gelato, as it has less fat and air than American style. We tried Nescafé and Marzipan flavors, both delicious. The cups, which start at $20 pesos ($1) seem a bit small but there are surprisingly filling!
Fruit cup seller, a good alternative to the nieve?
This schnauzer, at right, looks a lot like one Mandy grew up with, sat silently on his balcony. However, overall, we would have to say one of the few downfalls to this city is the dogs. Not the street dogs. The pets. Everyone seems to keep them on their roof or balconies and they bark. Incessantly. And because city is bowl-shaped, it seems to create a tremendous echo. Fortunately we had access to a fan which allowed us to sleep with ease at night.
Picking up “KN95’s” is not a problem here. Unlike in the States where most people seem to rely on Amazon, they, along with other types of masks, are sold at pretty much every store and in every color. These cost $15 pesos each ($.75).
Greg finding refuge in the one and only bottle shop in Guanajuato. We were absolutely floored to learn awhile ago that there are NO breweries in Guanajuato, which is why we had initially set our sights on checking it out. Of course, there’s most likely a very good reason for this. Because of the mining history, the water quality is extremely problematic for brewing. ? Beers cost between $1-$4 in the bottle shop.
Our favorite fruit stand, where we would load up at least three times a week. That day we bought: 1 kilo (2 lbs) of strawberries, 3 limes, milk, a papaya, 4 mangoes and 2 avocados for $130 pesos ($6.50). On another day (right), it’s easy to see how we could go overboard especially when mangoes and passion fruit are available. This day’s market bounty $255 pesos (or $12.50). Check out the size of that sweet potato!
Continuing to walk around, which is what we did the most of to enjoy ourselves. The historic train station.
The Jardin de la Union, with its flawlessly manicured trees, is probably the most energetic, as well as alluring places, in Guanajuato. We inevitably walked through or by it at least a couple times a day. Although the atmosphere is a bit subdued now, it’s typically bursting with mariachi music, dancing, drinking and laughter. And our favorite cheesecake girl, Ana. And it’s always a lovely place to grab a seat and watch the world go by.
We loved finding Portland-esque oddities in Guanajuato. We found a creepy doll tree and house, as well as a pretty concrete Hobbit attempt.
One of the roundabouts near our house. Many of them have old mining carts, now used as planters, in the middle.
When we came back, we enjoyed a large local Modelo beer for $17 pesos ($.85)
A sublime sunset over the city.
Having dinner with Naelly Rangel, a kind, enthusiastic, resourceful, and supremely multi-talented English-speaking real estate agent, who we befriended one afternoon in the Jardin de Union. Should we ever rent or buy property in Guanajuato, we will definitely use her in the future. If you’re needing an agent, contact her at nallemarce@hotmail.com. She’s great and will walk you through the whole process!
A view of Guanajuato by night. Such a lovely city from any perspective!
Totaling It All Up
Here is the full breakdown for our daily budget that day, which we document in the Trail Wallet app. As you can see, when we grocery shop, we split the cost over several days. Our phone bill is split over the course of the month and we also bought about five bottles of vitamins and supplements at a natural shop for $11.50, which we split over many days.
We came in $122 under our $1300 final budget for the month of January. This included nine days of free accommodation due to housesitting, bloodwork for Greg ($45), a domestic flight from Puerto Vallarta ($105) and a long distance luxury bus ride ($72). Mandy also got a haircut in Guanajuato with Alejandro Soto, who was an absolute pro, and very quick as well. Haircut with tip was $110 pesos ($5.46) and color is $400 pesos ($20).
The next month, we also ended up getting five nights of free accommodation in this beautiful casita thanks to Naelly, our real estate agent friend. She’s the best and we know we’ll work with her again in the future.
