One of the fascinating things about the city of Guanajuato is that the streets are not laid out in anything resembling a grid. There are only a few major streets that cross a good portion of the city. There is a road in the hills that circles the city (the road we live on). And crisscrossing those roads are many, many smaller roads that allow cars, and many more alleyways and plazas that do not. And there are subterranean tunnels that also allow cars and walking; these used to be a way to divert the river to avoid flooding, but since they built a dam, they have been converted to roads.
As a result, there are many ways to get anywhere you want to go within the city. To illustrate this unique aspect of Guanajuato, the following is a description with photos of a small subset of the ways that I can walk from my house to the main market in the city, the Mercado Miguel Hidalgo.
ROUTE #1
This route is downhill from my house and avoids most of the heavy tourist traffic:
All routes start here, taking these stairs down from our house.Next step for all routes, walk down our driveway.For routes 1-3, next I head downhill from our house.Next step for routes 1-3, walk down this street with several state government offices, several homes, a few hotels, and a tienda (small store).Routes 1-3, next walk through this park.Routes 1-3 continue down this street for a while, until I am almost to the mercado.For routes 1 and 2 I cross the street at some point when I am able to do so.Continuing routes 1-2. Side note is that the OXXO store to the right is one that I sometimes go to in order to pay bills (cell phone, cable TV, electric bill, and water bill).Routes 1 and 2 diverge up ahead. Route 1 goes to the left of the tree/park area and route 2 goes to the right around the corner.Route 1 continues up this street. To the upper right is the Alhóndiga, an important site during the war of Mexican Independence from Spain and now a museum.Next I head down this street towards the mercado. It is the building in the center of the picture with a clock tower and an arched entrance (you can only see the top of the entrance at this point).At the bottom of the street you arrive at the entrance to the Mercado Miguel Hidalgo.
ROUTE #2
This route is also downhill from my house and is the route I usually take. It is not as direct as some other routes, but it is less steep (aging knees).
After heading right around the small park, diverging from route 1, I walk down this street and under this archway.Just around the corner from the archway I am now in sight of the mercado, recognizable in the middle of the picture by the clock tower. If we need to catch a bus we usually catch it here. Also, just past the bus area is where we often catch a cab.
ROUTE #3
This route is shorter but goes through a tunnel. I usually avoid walking in the tunnels (car exhaust, dark, water dripping, etc.) but this tunnel is short, so I do use it sometimes.
Same street as routes 1-2, but I stay on the right hand side in order to go through the upcoming tunnel.Approaching the tunnel.Entrance to the tunnel.Approaching the exit to the tunnel.Just after exiting the tunnel.Next I walk through this park.Then down these stairs.Down this street.Up the stairs on the left.Past the Red Cross.And now approaching the mercado, clock tower in the center to the right of the park area. This merges with route 2 here.
ROUTE #4
This route is uphill from my house and goes through a very steep pedestrian alleyway.
Diverging from routes 1-3, routes 4-5 start by walking uphill from my house.Route 4 goes down this callejon (alleyway), just uphill from our house.Continuing down ….…. and down ….…. and down ….…. and down ….…. and down ….…. and down ….The end is in sight!Now merging with routes 1-3.
ROUTE #5
This route avoids the steep alleyway. To go to some places other than the mercado this is shorter than my normal route (#2). It isn’t as pedestrian friendly in sections as my normal route. But, it is another route one could take from my house to the mercado.
Continuing on my street past the alleyway pictured in route 4. I walk by an uncounted number of additional alleys on this route.Continuing on my street towards centro.Continuing towards centro ….…. continuing ….Up ahead is where my street ends at a glorieta (roundabout).Approaching centro.Now merging with route 3.
This is just a small subset of the routes I can take to the mercado. Just the various permutations of alleyways alone would probably add at least 15 more!
We are having fun exploring the city and getting to know our “favorite” routes.
You are welcome! The streets are definitely tricky. For us we feel like our fitness level has improved here, but as I said in the post, we do have aging knees so normally avoid some of the steeper routes (i.e., the alleys). My legs were actually sore after taking the photos for that route. It would be difficult for some with mobility challenges to navigate. We see some people walking very very slowly with canes or on the arm of a family member or friend. I suspect that some people probably stay mostly at home and have family members that care for them if they can’t navigate the streets.
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Loved walking with you! I love the colorful buildings, but the streets look a little tricky. Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome! The streets are definitely tricky. For us we feel like our fitness level has improved here, but as I said in the post, we do have aging knees so normally avoid some of the steeper routes (i.e., the alleys). My legs were actually sore after taking the photos for that route. It would be difficult for some with mobility challenges to navigate. We see some people walking very very slowly with canes or on the arm of a family member or friend. I suspect that some people probably stay mostly at home and have family members that care for them if they can’t navigate the streets.