Last weekend our little Ballard Band of Explorers visited what is termed the most traditional and romantic city in Mexico! This town is nestled between two mountain ranges and is built atop a series of tunnels and mines. The city is a mining town and we had a wonderful time there! Many of the roadways wound down under the city and we were able to drive through old mines that have since been converted into roads! The kids loved that portion of the trip.
We visited the "Callejon del Beso" (Alley of the Kiss) this is a legendary spot in Mexico. Mexican folklore tells of a young maiden from a rich family who falls in love with a simple miner. Their love is forbidden (of course) and because of secret reunions that were discovered her father ends up banishing her to her bedroom in their home. The young miner rents the room across the alley and the balconies are so close that you can kiss across the alley. So, as legend states if you come to Guanajuato you must kiss on the Callejon del Beso for good luck! So, sufficed to say there was some kissing as well at site seeing in Guanajuato! We all got kissed on the Callejon del Beso!
For some of the more scenic views we rode up one of the mountains to the statue of "El Pipila". There we looked out over the town and learned that this statue commemorates a man who carried urgent messages to the rebels fighting against the Spanish for independence - in order to keep himself from being shot he carried a large bag of rocks on his back as a shield. He is one of the revolutionary heroes.
Enjoy the pictures... the colors of this little town are beautiful.
3 comments:
What a pretty place! You guys are getting to see so many wonderful places...it's great to see that you're taking advantage of all the cultural stuff to do in Mexico.
Just be careful about leaning over the balconies for a kiss...or you might be calling it Callejon de la Caida! ;o)
Great pictures! Everything is just so colorful; it's awesome! It's great you guys are able to get out and see the sights. We miss and love you!!!
HOw fun to see the lovely architecture, the plazas, the colorful buildings! It reminds me of when I was the age of your eldest lady, and lived in Guadalajara -- I can still picture the lovely centros y plazas y fuentes! It was fun --makes me want to get down to visit! Enjoy your explorations and thanks for sharing them with us!
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