Visiting Guanajuato wouldn’t have been complete without visiting the local markets and neighborhoods. So we were off to exploring the neighborhoods of Guanajuato again on our second day there. This time we were headed out to Mercado Hidalgo. This was a Saturday and you could feel the energy people have when the weekend arrives.
Mercado Hidalgo https://guanajuatomexicocity.com/Guanajuato-guide/Mercado-Hidalgo-Market-Guanajuato.html is in a large building situated on the cusp of what our map referred to as the Historic District. And the Historic District, we would discover, is not to be missed. It is quite different from the colonial structures I had been seeing in Guanajuato the previous day.
The Mercado Hidalgo was originally designed as a train station. This was 1905 when they began. The was the age of steel, iron and glass. Look for the clock tower above the latticed steel structure. Apparently, it was important enough that Monsieur Eiffel (of the famous Parisian tower) was chosen to design it. Completed in 1910, this costly building stood abandoned for some time. Then the President of Mexico, Porferio Diaz, transformed it into a market. So there it is today, a market still and quite busy.
Leaving the market we crossed the street to a church. Another amazingly beautiful church! All part of a day in Guanajuato. The Parish Church of Belen has walls and altars adorned with old museum worthy paintings and statuary. When we left the church, it was with no particular purpose in mind but to explore the neighborhoods. We had no destination in mind
The wonderful thing about this day of exploring the neighborhoods of Guanajuato again was that no matter where we turned we discovered a place as beautiful as the one before.
Neighborhoods
This particular day the air was soft, the temperature spring perfect. We chanced upon one lovely courtyard after another. There was a Saturday local crafts market, then a patio where we had coffee and crepes. We entered another church, then on to steep winding alleys with uneven textures and lively colors.
Restaurants in Guanajuato
We never worried about where we would eat in Guanajuato. There are places we visit that I do a lot of research and get all excited about certain restaurants. In Guanajuato we followed our noses and ate when we were hungry. Aromas or inviting entrances would call to us and the truth is every meal was delicious. That’s not to say that there are not some real gourmet places to eat with lovely settings. But that would have meant reservations and a schedule. We were freelancing it this trip and it worked out perfectly.
If you will be doing a lot of exploring Guanajuato by foot, as we did, you might want to check the other Neighborhood post: https://roadtosuchness.commexico-exploring-the-neighborhoods-of-guanajuato/
