MUSEUMS
Guanajuato?s history could easily be told by visiting its old buildings,
the very edifices that have
become many of the city?s
museums, which maintain and preserve regional culture.
Museo de las Momias (Mummy Museum) ? Located
in the city cemetery on Avenida Tepetapa, on the
southern side of Cerro Trozado, in Pueblo de Rocha. This
extraordinary museum has
more than 100 mummies on display. Some
of the corpses
that were buried alive still
have a look of horror on their
faces. Open daily from 9:00 to 6:00.
Casa Museo Diego
Rivera ? Located at 47 Positos Street. This 18th-century house was
the birthplace and residence of
famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. On display is a collection
of works from various periods
of the artist?s
career. You?ll also see 19th-century furniture that belonged to
the Rivera family, as well as temporary exhibits. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 to 7:00.
Museo del Pueblo de
Guanajuato ? Located at 7 Positos Street. This 17th-century construction house works of
art from the 18th and 19th
centuries that were donated by artists Jose Chavez
Morado and Olga Costa. It also has temporary exhibits. The building
has a Churrigueresque chapel
that was damaged probably around the 19th century. Open Tuesday
through Saturday from 10:00 to 7:00.
Museo de Arte Olga
Costa-Jose Chavez Morado ? Located
at 158 Pastita. In what was once the house
of artists Olga Costa and Jose Chavez
Morado there is a collection of oil paintings called Mano con Mano. Also on display
are the couple?s furniture and other
valuable objects. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 to 4:00 and Sunday
from 10:00 to 3:30.
Museo Ex Hacienda San
Gabriel de Barrera
? Located at 89A Paseo la
Presa. This 18th-century
hacienda with a colonial mansion
houses paintings, furniture and rugs
from that era. Quite impressive are the 17 gardens on the
grounds, as each one was cultivated
with a different style. Open daily
from 9:00 to 4:00.
Museo Regional de
Guanajuato (Alhondiga de Granaditas) ? Located
at 6 Mendizabal. This building of
huge historical importance was around during the
beginning of Mexico?s War of
Independence. On display in its showrooms are important collections that narrate the evolution
of Mexican society, from the
pre-Hispanic era to present day.
Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 to 2:00 and 4:00 to 6:00, and Sunday from
10:00 to 4:00.
Guanajuato del Siglo
XVII, Museo de Sitio
? Located on Sopeña Street, in front of the Jardin
Union. Here you can see a building
of religious architecture that predominated during the 17th century. It is also
one of the
clearest examples of the planning changes that the
city has undergone since its founding.
Museo Iconografico del Quijote ? Located at 1 Manuel Doblado. This museum has an extensive
collection of paintings, etchings, drawings, rugs, coins, sculptures and porcelain figures with a common Don Quixote theme. Among the masterpieces
here you?ll find works by Salvador Dali and Jose
Luis Cuevas. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 to 6:30 and Sunday from
10:00 to 2:30.
