Mexico Guanajuato Travel:
The Jardín Unión, a Mexican Lunch
at Casa Valadez, a Walk to the University and a
Tour of Quinta Las Acacias
My first few hours in Guanajuato had already exposed
me to so much of the unique history and architecture
of this gorgeous Mexican silver mining town. We
had started our tour with a visit to the Boca Mina
San Ramon mine and the adjacent exquisitely ornamented
baroque Church of La Valenciana. Then we travelled
through Guanajuato’s fascinating underground
tunnel system to one of the town’s main sights:
the huge monument to “El Pípila”,
the city’s local hero during the Mexican War
of Independence.
After enjoying the sweeping views of the city from
the terrace in front of the monument we came back
down the mountain, parked the van and started to
walk towards Guanajuato’s main square, the
Jardín Unión. Surrounded on all sides
by restaurants and bars, this triangular square
is anchored by neatly trimmed laurel trees and a
bandstand. It is a favourite gathering place for
the whole town, and in the evening it bustles with
mariachis, shoe-shiners and buskers.
Guanajuato's main square, viewed from the mountain
Across the street clusters of university students
were sitting on the stairs of the Teatro Juarez.
Sujei explained that on weekends the Church of San
Diego at the southern end of the Jardín Unión
becomes the departure point for an important local
evening ritual: “Las Estudiantinas”
are local strolling student minstrel groups that
have been filling the narrow streets and alleyways
of Guanajuato with music since 1963. Locals and
tourists alike join in for a musical walk through
the atmospheric corners of the city. The Estudiantinas
typically leave from the southern end of the Jardín
Unión from about 8 pm.
We were definitely hungry now from all these local
explorations so we headed into the Casa Valadez
restaurant, at the corner across from the Teatro
Juarez. Located in a building that dates back to
1760, this historic restaurant was first opened
by the Valadez family in 1930. Major remodeling
took place in the 1980s and 1990s and today Casa
Valadez presents itself as one of Guanajuato’s
top ranked restaurants.
Shoeshiners on the main square of Guanajuato
Our meal was an opportunity for Sujei to give me
an introduction to the local cuisine. We started
off with an appetizers that consisted of a selection
of international breads, accompanied by three sauces:
salsa pico de gallo (made of tomatoes, onion, cilantro
and lime juice), chimichurri (a combination of chili
and mayonnaise), and a salsa verde, actually a dark
red sauce made with chilies, green tomatoes, onions
and garlic.
Lunch is always colourful in Mexico. I loved these
appetizers..
Our culinary tour of Mexico continued with one
of my absolute favourites: sopa azteca, a tomato
based soup with tortilla chips, chilies, sour cream,
cheese and avocado. Roberto continued with an “ensalada
Thailandesa”, Thai salad with fruits and vegetables.
Our main dishes included Sujei’s fish filet,
which was presented on a bed of local vegetables
including “jicama”, which translates
as “yam bean” and is similar to turnip.
Roberto enjoyed “fajitas de pollo”,
more of a Tex-Mex creation, while I enjoyed enchiladas,
rolled up corn tortilla with a chicken filling and
covered with a chili pepper sauce.
Sujei's fish filet looked delicious
Feeling much better after a good meal we continued
our discoveries on foot and stopped at Guanajuato’s
Cathedral, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato.
This baroque church was recently repainted with
a strong dark yellow and orange colour scheme and
is home to a thousand year old statue that was donated
by the Spanish King Charles I. In front of the cathedral
stretches the serene Plaza de la Paz which also
houses the Palacio Legislativo, the legislature
of the State of Guanajuato.
The brightly coloured Cathedral of Guanajuato
On the north side of the square we walked through
a steep narrow alleyway to reach the University
of Guanajuato, an impressive white stone building
dating from 1732 that features a long stretch of
stairs. From the top I enjoyed a magnificent view
over the city. El Pípila was looking at me
from the hill across from me.
The University of Guanajuato with its sweeping staircase
Sujei then took me into the interior courtyard
of the university, an impressive space, and then
past the Jesuit Temple. Historic baroque-era architecture
abounds in this part of Guanajuato. On one of the
small squares in the downtown area we looked up
on the rooftop of a brightly painted house where
we saw a tiny Chihuahua dog standing on guard. He
was surveying the area attentively. We were just
hoping that he would not be audacious enough to
jump down. But he made a great mascot for this little
square in front of the Bar La Creperie.
We were all hoping that this little guy wouldn't
jump
The afternoon was slowly coming to an end and after
an intense day of sightseeing my expert local guides
dropped me off at my hotel. I had arranged an interview
and tour with the general manager of the hotel.
Javier Perez, a dynamic young entrepreneur, graciously
told me the story of Quinta Las Acacias. The building
dates to 1890 and his father purchased the property
in the 1990s but had to restore it from the ground
up as the building had stood abandoned for quite
some time. In 1998 it opened its doors as a luxurious
boutique hotel with 17 completely uniquely decorated
rooms and suites.
Javier Perez, manager of the Quinta Las Acacias
On the main floor Javier showed me the reception
area with its elaborate wood carvings and the more
than 100 year old piano that adorns the corner.
Various parts of the building feature original stained
glass from the late 1800s. Two dining rooms are
also located on the main floor which serve breakfast
to the hotel guests and serve as a restaurant for
lunch and dinner to the public. The Perez family
is intimately connected to this building: Javier’s
great-grandmother lived here for several years during
the early 20th century. Historic family photos from
the 1920s adorn some of the walls in the corridors.
Nice flowers adorn the grounds of the Quinta Las
Acacias
Javier showed me three standard rooms: The Angel
room, La Abuela (“the grandmother”)
and La Condesa (“the Countess”) which
are all decorated in a Victorian theme. Most of
the furniture includes authentic antiques and the
rooms feature a deep colour scheme. All the rooms
have recently been redecorated and have balconies
that face out to the adjoining park.
Victorian-inspired room at Quinta Las Acacias
Up one flight of stairs I got to see three attic
rooms, all equipped with a king size bed and located
right underneath the metal roof. The rooms also
have interesting wooden and metal supports that
show the construction of the roof, an interesting
architectural detail. All the rooms are equipped
with a state-of-the-art bathroom with a glass-enclosed
shower stall and attractive wash basins.
Gorgeous bathrooms at the Quinta Las Acacias
At the back of the house are eight suites that
offer magnificent views of the mountains. Five of
them feature Mexican motifs and three are designed
in a classic European style. The Galerena room features
crafts from Guanajuato and was a former kitchen.
The huge copper hood and the cooking area were preserved
and make for a fascinating and unique architectural
detail in this room.
The cooper hood and former kitchen of the Galarena
room
The Purepecha suite is decorated in a colourful
style with handicrafts from Michoacan. Further up
the stairs Javier took me out into the garden which
has an amazing elevated location with a fabulous
view of the surrounding mountains. The grassy garden
with its ornamental trees is frequently used as
a venue for special events and weddings. At night
romantic dinners by candle-light turn the garden
into an enchanted place. The westwards view from
the garden includes a local church and the hotel’s
Jacuzzi whirlpool.
Quinta Las Acacias has beautiful gardens with a
nice mountain view
Further up the hill are the recently constructed
suites that surround an open space called the “nopalera”.
“Nopales” are prickly pear cacti that
grow into actual trees. All the suites are equipped
with Jacuzzi tubs and are decorated with arts and
crafts from different regions in Mexico. The crowning
touch in this area is the Master Suite called “La
China Poblana”, which features a decorating
scheme from Puebla, and the Presidential Suite,
a huge suite with a large bedroom, a living room
with two individual sofa beds, an interior patio
with a fountain and plants as well as a huge balcony.
Frida Kahlo has inspired the décor of the
Presidential Suite, and images of the famous Mexican
painter appear in different parts of the suite.
The luxurious Presidential Suite pays hommage to
Frida Kahlo
The sun was starting to set now and it was getting
cooler. I thanked Javier for giving me a tour of
this unique hotel property. I was pretty exhausted
by now, and the cold weather in the last couple
of days had given me the sniffles. I did not really
feel like going out again, so I decided to turn
in early and enjoy the luxurious comfort of my suite.
I was staying in “El Charro”, a spacious
suite with arts and crafts from Jalisco. “Charros”,
incidentally, are Mexican horsemen or cowboys.
After taking a long jaccuzi bath to warm up I snuggled
into my huge king size bed, watched a bit of satellite
television and did some research over the wireless
Internet connection. I was in the perfect place
for a relaxing evening.
Frida Kahlo immortalized at the Quinta Las Acacias
