Guanajuato, city, capital of
Guanajuato state, W central Mexico. The city, with an altitude of c.6,600 ft
(2,000 m), is situated in the Cañada de Marfil [ivory ravine], a
precipitous ravine encircled by barren hills. Guanajuato has narrow,
winding, steep cobblestone streets, sometimes pieced out by stone steps, and
the ground underneath is honeycombed with silver-mine shafts. Its geographic
position and economic importance as one of Spanish America's chief
silver-producing centers gave the city a key role in the wars and
revolutions that racked Mexico in the 19th and early 20th cent. Guanajuato
has become a resort city. There are several noteworthy colonial churches and
buildings, including the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, originally a
granary that was besieged and captured (1810) by Hidalgo y Costilla at the
outset of the war against Spain.
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