Cobblestone Chronicles: Oddly Enthralling Things to Do in Guanajuato in October

Essential (And Slightly Bizarre) Things To Do In Guanajuato In October

October in Guanajuato presents visitors with the city’s most distinctive attractions while adding seasonal enchantments that transform standard sightseeing into cultural immersion. The month’s activities range from world-class artistic performances to encounters with mummified remains – often within the same day, because Guanajuato doesn’t believe in emotional monotony.

Festival Internacional Cervantino: Mexico’s Cultural Olympics

From October 12-30, 2023, Guanajuato hosts Latin America’s most important arts festival, transforming the city into something resembling what might happen if South by Southwest and the Kennedy Center had a Mexican love child. The Festival Internacional Cervantino features performances by artists from over 20 countries, with tickets ranging from $15 for smaller shows to $50 for headline performances.

The insider move is booking performances at least two weeks in advance, particularly for weekend events. Free outdoor concerts take place nightly in Jardín de la Unión, where locals and visitors mingle beneath the laurel trees while sipping mezcal. For the ultimate Cervantino experience, catch a performance at Teatro Juárez, where the building’s ornate French/Moorish architecture creates acoustics so perfect they could make a mediocre high school choir sound like angels.

Callejonadas: Musical Pub Crawls Led by Costumed Students

These evening musical processions are among the most distinctive things to do in Guanajuato in October, when cool evening temperatures (around 60°F) make wandering the narrow alleys particularly pleasant. Led by traditionally costumed university students, these musical tours ($10-15 per person) wind through the city’s narrowest passages, where the stone walls create natural amplification for the students’ guitars and voices.

Join a callejonada at Jardín de la Unión around 7pm, where groups assemble nightly. The tours stop at key landmarks while the student performers share legends, sing traditional songs, and occasionally roast audience members with good-natured humor. October’s clear nights mean the stars and moon illuminate the colorful buildings above as the music echoes through passages sometimes barely wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side.

Mummy Museum: Where “Preserved” Takes On New Meaning

As Day of the Dead approaches, Guanajuato’s famous Museo de las Momias takes on special significance. This macabre collection features naturally mummified bodies exhumed from the local cemetery, preserved by the unique mineral composition of Guanajuato’s soil. The $5 entrance fee buys visitors intimate encounters with dozens of preserved individuals, including the world’s smallest mummy – a fetus whose mother died during pregnancy.

Located a 15-minute walk from centro (or a $3 taxi ride), the museum attracts larger crowds as October progresses and Day of the Dead approaches. Morning visits avoid both crowds and the odd guilt that might come from viewing human remains immediately after lunch. The museum provides an unvarnished reminder of mortality that somehow fits perfectly with October’s seasonal contemplation of life and death.

Teatro Juárez: Architectural Extravagance Hiding in Plain Sight

Even when not hosting Cervantino performances, Teatro Juárez deserves exploration. This 19th-century architectural marvel combines French neoclassical and Moorish elements in a building that looks like it was airlifted from Paris and bedazzled upon arrival. The $2 entrance fee provides access to guided tours (English tours available at 11am and 1pm for an additional $5).

October visitors enjoy special access during the Cervantino festival, with the theater’s interior looking particularly spectacular when illuminated for evening performances. The theater’s exterior steps double as the city’s prime people-watching spot, where locals joke they’ve been “standing at the Juárez” for so long they’re practically part of the building.

Day of the Dead Preparations: Halloween’s Sophisticated Cousin

While actual Day of the Dead celebrations occur in early November, late October in Guanajuato sees the city preparing for this deeply meaningful tradition. Marigold markets spring up throughout town, with vibrant orange flowers being sold by the armful for altar decorations. Local workshops offer altar-building classes ($25-30 for a 2-hour session with materials included) where visitors learn the symbolism behind this tradition.

Unlike Halloween’s commercialized spookiness, these preparations focus on memory and celebration rather than fright. Early cemetery visits begin in late October, with families cleaning gravesites and planning decorations. For visitors, observing these preparations offers insight into a tradition that handles mortality with remarkable grace and beauty – like watching Halloween’s sophisticated, less-commercialized cousin who went to art school and reads poetry.

Funicular to El Pípila: Vertical Transportation with Views

Guanajuato’s topography demands creative transportation solutions, and the funicular to El Pípila monument delivers both practicality and panoramic payoff. For $3 round trip, this cable car whisks visitors up the steep hillside to a monument honoring a local hero who carried a stone slab on his back to burn down the Spanish-held granary during Mexico’s independence movement.

October’s clear skies make this the perfect month for this ascent, with sunset views (around 7pm) offering photographers that magical golden hour light washing over the city’s multicolored buildings. The viewing platform provides the quintessential Guanajuato photo opportunity, revealing how the city’s buildings pack tightly into the narrow valley below. For those counting their steps, the funicular saves approximately 600 of them each way.

Plaza de los Ángeles: The Local’s Alternative to Tourist Central

While tourists cluster at Jardín de la Unión, Plaza de los Ángeles offers a more authentic slice of Guanajuato life, especially during October when the city fills with festival-goers. This lesser-known square, surrounded by pastel-colored buildings, hosts local food vendors selling tamales for roughly $1.50 each – the perfect economic and gastronomic alternative to restaurant meals.

During Cervantino, the plaza becomes an unofficial gathering spot for musicians practicing before performances, creating impromptu concerts between scheduled events. The square’s steps provide perfect people-watching perches, and the lack of tourist crowds means conversations with locals happen naturally rather than feeling like cultural transactions.

Hiking La Bufa: Panoramic Rewards for Moderate Effort

October’s temperate weather (starting around 60°F in mornings) creates ideal conditions for hiking La Bufa, the distinctive rock formation overlooking the city. This moderate trail takes 3-4 hours round trip and rewards hikers with sprawling views extending far beyond Guanajuato. The hike begins near the Valenciana Mine, itself worth exploring as the source of the silver that built Guanajuato’s wealth.

For the best experience, start before 9am to avoid afternoon warmth, wear proper footwear (those fashionable but flimsy travel sandals are begging for a twisted ankle), and carry at least 1-2 liters of water per person. The trail offers several Instagram-worthy vantage points that put those funicular views to shame, though without the funicular’s refreshing beer vendors awaiting at the top.

University of Guanajuato Stair Climbing: Architectural Cardio

The 113 steps leading to the University of Guanajuato’s main building offer both architectural beauty and unintentional cardiovascular assessment. These iconic stairs, framed by colonial buildings that narrow perspective as they rise, feature prominently in most Guanajuato photo galleries. During October’s festival season, the steps buzz with additional energy as students mix with international visitors.

After conquering the climb, reward yourself at nearby student cafes offering espresso for about $1.50 – which seems fair compensation for scaling what feels like a vertical marathon. The university area represents another excellent thing to do in Guanajuato in October, as student-led theatrical performances and impromptu music sessions frequently spill into the surrounding streets during Cervantino.

Mercado Hidalgo: Culinary Exploration Under Eiffel-Inspired Architecture

This 1910 market housed in an iron structure reminiscent of Paris’ train stations offers culinary adventure without pretension. October brings seasonal ingredients like calabaza en tacha (candied pumpkin) and chiles en nogada to food stalls. The market’s central location makes it perfect for midday refueling between sightseeing expeditions.

Don’t leave without trying enchiladas mineras, the local specialty created to sustain silver miners, available at several stalls for around $4-5. These cheese-filled tortillas topped with potato, carrot, and spicy sauce tell Guanajuato’s history through flavor. The market’s second level offers economical eateries where $7-10 buys a substantial meal accompanied by abundant people-watching opportunities and occasional product demonstrations that border on performance art.