Guanajuato

Guanajuato, city, Mexico

Guanajuato, city (1990 pop. 73,108), 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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Guanajuato, state, Mexico

Guanajuato (gwänähwä`tō), state (1990 pop. 3,982,593), 11,805 sq mi (30,575 sq km), W central Mexico, on the central plateau. The city of Guanajuato is the capital. The state's high average elevation (6,000 ft/1,829 m) provides a moderately cool, healthful climate. Guanajuato is crossed in the north by transverse ranges of the Sierra Madre Occidental, some of which reach heights of 11,000 ft (3,353 m). In the south are fertile plains supporting stock raising and the cultivation of wheat, corn, other grain crops, and beans. The Lerma and its tributaries form the chief river system.

Despite the steadily growing importance of agriculture, Guanajuato is noted primarily as Mexico's foremost mining state; much silver and gold is extracted, and mercury, lead, tin, copper, fluorite, and opals are also produced. Industrial products from the cities—Guanajuato, Celaya, León, and Irapuato—include textiles, saddles and other leather goods, and foodstuffs. Oil refining is also a significant part of the economy.

Joined with Querétaro de Arteaga, the state was a Spanish intendancy until 1824. A leading silver producer of Spanish America, Guanajuato declined in economic importance during the wars of the 19th cent. There has been significant outmigration from the state to the United States in recent years.

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Guanajuato

State (pop., 2000: 4,663,032), central Mexico. It covers 11,773 sq mi (30,491 sq km), and its capital is Guanajuato city. It lies on the interior plateau. The north is mountainous, while the south, consisting of fertile plains, is largely devoted to agriculture. The state is drained by several rivers, including the Lerma. The first Spanish settlement was at San Miguel de Allende (1542). During colonial times it was an important silver-mining area. The region became a state in 1824. Mining (silver, gold, tin, lead, and opals) remains the principal economic activity.

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Guanajuato

City (pop., 2000: 74,874), capital of Guanajuato state, Mexico. It lies about 6,700 ft (2,000 m) above sea level. Founded in 1554, it is an outstanding example of a Spanish colonial city. One of the greatest silver-mining centres of the 16th century, the city's wealth was manifest in its richly endowed churches, several of which date to the 17th century. In 1810 it was the first major city to fall to the independence leader Miguel Hidalgo. It later declined until increased tourist trade and federal support of mining and agriculture in the 1930s brought recovery. It is the site of the University of Guanajuato (1945).