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This article is about the city of Guanajuato. For the state of the same name, see State of Guanajuato.
 Plaza de la Paz and the Basilica Colegiata de Nuestra Senora de Guanajuato (2004) The city of Guanajuato is the capital of the state of the same name.
It is located at 21.02°N 101.28°W, 370 km (230 miles) northwest of Mexico City, at an elevation of 1,996 m (6,550 ft) above sea level. The estimated population in 2003 was about 78,000 people.
Guanajuato was founded as a town in 1554 and received the designation as a city in 1741. It is located in one of the richest silver mining areas of Mexico, and is well known for its wealth of fine colonial era Spanish architecture.
The historic town and adjacent mines are a World Heritage Site.
An ariel view of downtown Guanajuato The name "Guanajuato" comes from the Tarascan word, "Quanax-juato", which means "place of frogs."
In the Panteon catacombs to the west of the city is a famous cementery noted for the natural mummies produced by the mineral content of the soil. In the late 1800's the town insituted a "burial tax" for the families of the deceased. Some of the poorest families were unable to pay the tax and so their relatives were dug up and placed in public viewing in a museum. The state removed the tax in the 1950's and no more mummies have been disinterred.
The city of Guanajuato was the birthplace of artist Diego Rivera.
Each October the city holds the Cervantino, an international festival of the arts named after Miguel de Cervantes. The festival is a popular draw for young students from across central Mexico.
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