Yesterday I went to Guanajuato City, Guanajuato. The city is beautiful. Famous for its’ very colorful homes, picturesque cathedral, and underground mummies.
We arrived at the city at about 10:30 AM. We went straight to the mummy’s museum. Before we went in, the director of the program cautioned us that it might be a bit graphic. I ignored the warning completely. When I walked inside, there were innumerable mummies. Some still had their shoes on, others still had their teeth, and at least one of two eyes.
The mummified babies had the clothes on in which they were buried. Their clothes seemed to be sewn by hand, and most of them had their little heads covered. The most riveting mummy was that of a woman and her unborn baby. She had died while pregnant, six months pregnant, and had her baby taken out of her to be put on display, its’ corps completely mummified. It was smaller than a regular loaf of bread and said to be the smallest mummy in the world. It was ungodly and heartbreaking.
The history of the mummies is that in life, they were too poor to have a proper burial, so when they died their bodies were put under a church. Due to the conditions, the bodies didn’t rot, instead they were mummified. In life these people were too poor to afford a proper burial, but in death thousands of people pay entry to see their mummified bodies.
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After the mummies we went to the Regional Museum of Guanajuato Alhóndiga de Granaditas. There we saw everything from pre-Columbian artifacts of about five pre-Hispanic civilizations, to 18th century religious art work. Everything was breathtaking.
Outside of the museum, our guide told us to look at the street name. “Hidalgo.” He said the streets are named after the four men who were heroes in Mexico’s independence. On each street, their heads were displayed on a metal hook. This gruesome act was done to send a message to the Mexican people, that they needed to relax. This infuriated the country thus the war began.
Our last stop on GTO was the famous viewpoint. There, one can appreciate the beauty of the city. Each house is painted a bright, vibrant color. The cathedral is a bright yellow with a deep red top. The landscape looks more so like a picture, instead of an actual city.
