Guanajuato is a small city in central Mexico and the Capital city of the state bearing the same name. It is located at 21°02'N, 101°28'W, and 370 km (230 miles) northwest of Mexico City, with an elevation of 1,996 m (6,550 ft) above sea level.
The city of Guanajuato is also the head of the municipality named after it and extending over an area of about 1,010 square kilometers. The 2005 census population of the municipality of Guanajuato was 153,364 people.

The region where Guanajuato is located was first occupied by several native ethnic groups. One of the last of such groups, the Purepechas, named the place Quanaxhuato which means "mountainous place of frogs". This makes reference to the fact that the place has hill formations that look remarkably like frogs. Also, frogs are very common in the region.
The Spanish conquistadors made their first forays into the region in the decade beginning in 1520. The native name of the region was then derived into its current Spanish form Guanajuato. In the next few decades, the region was used as ranch land for major livestock.
At about 1550, it was discovered in the region mineral veins that turned out to be very rich in silver. For the next 250 years, Guanajuato produced nearly one third of the silver in the world. The most prosperous mine of the region was the Valenciana Mine, which is located a few kilometers to the north of the main city. The Valenciana Mine produced at some point two thirds of the silver in the region.
Guanajuato had for the next couple of centuries a strong and steady growth built around silver mining. It was the Spanish King Philip V who granted its current city status in 1741. Because of the important role played by Guanajuato in the prosperity of the Spanish Empire, the city of Guanajuato was referred to as the "Crown's Jewel". The region also played a major part in the Mexican War of Independence. It was in the nearby town of Dolores that Miguel Hidalgo, considered the "Father of the Country", started the independence movement. Some of the most important battles of this war took place in Guanajuato. It was in an old grain storage building, known as "Alhondiga de Granaditas", that one of the bloodiest of such battles was fought. This building still stands near Guanajuato's downtown as a reminder of the war that brought Mexico as an independent country.

The city of Guanajuato developed along the banks of the river that passed through it. From its early days, this was for practical reasons: the processing of the ore and the production of food for the population required an abundant source of water. The Guanajuato River flowed through tunnels underneath the city. After years of raising buildings to accommodate repeated flooding, in the mid-twentieth century, engineers built a dam and redirected the river into underground caverns. The original tunnels were lit and paved with cobblestones for automobile traffic. This provides an underground road network that carries the majority of cars driving through the city today. It is one of the most notable features of the city.
This city planning has allowed to preserve the colonial architecture from the early days. The colonial look of Guanajuato is enhanced by the fact that almost every street or avenue is cobbled paved. Also, the local government has established strict regulations on the planning and construction of every building to ensure that the colonial look is preserved.
These features have turned Guanajuato into an important travel destination. Every year during October, the city hosts an arts festival known as "Festival Internacional Cervantino", named after Miguel de Cervantes, considered the greatest Spanish novelist of all time.
Unesco granted in 1988 the World Heritage status to the historic town of Guanajuato and the adjacent mines.

State of Guanajuato
City of Guanajuato
History of Guanajuato
Mines of Guanajuato
UNESCO World Heritage
Google Maps: Guanajuato
Guanajuato Weather