• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Other Side of the Tortilla logo

  • RECIPES
  • INGREDIENTS
  • ABOUT
  • TRAVEL
  • RESOURCES
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • INGREDIENTS
  • ABOUT
  • TRAVEL
  • RESOURCES
search icon
Homepage link
  • RECIPES
  • INGREDIENTS
  • ABOUT
  • TRAVEL
  • RESOURCES
×
  • Tejocotes, also known as Mexican hawthorn, in a blue and white ceramic bowl over a white marble countertop
    What are tejocotes?
  • Avocado, queso fresco and fresh salsa verde are served inside a blue and white ceramic talavera molcajete atop a table at a restaurant. There is a spoon inside the molcajete.
    What to eat at El Cardenal in Mexico City
  • La Gruta Ehden: A Taste of Lebanon in Mexico City
  • How to make a Day of the Dead altar
  • jicama: top left peeled, top right sliced, bottom right whole jicama, bottom left jicama sticks
    What is Jicama?
  • red chamoy Gushers on a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with Miguelito chamoy powder
    How to Make Chamoy Gushers
  • tomatillos in their husks inside a white ceramic colander on a white and gray marble countertop
    What are tomatillos?
  • Peach ring gummies covered in chamoy and Tajín
    Chamoy peach rings
  • mexican pan de anis in a square pan
    How to Make Pan de Anis
  • Sugar Crunch Rosca de Reyes
  • Polvorones
  • Atole de nuez

Travel Tuesday: Escape to Guanajuato

Published: Mar 29, 2011 · Modified: Feb 6, 2017 by Maura Wall Hernandez · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet

It's no secret that I love Mexican playwright Tanya Saracho's work. This past weekend I was in the third row of the opening night of her newest show, El Nogalar, playing at the Goodman Theatre through April 24. It was so amazing, I'm going to have to go back to see it again. I cried, I laughed, and at the end I was sad it was over. My only regret about the show is that there is no Act II; despite the 1 hour 40 minute run time with no intermission, I could have watched that story continue to unfold for a few hours longer. You can listen to Tanya talk about the play in a clip from Chicago Public Radio's Eight Forty-Eight show from last week.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Tanya last year for a feature in Café magazine, in which she was named one of the publication's 2010 Latino Luminaries – an award for Latino leaders who served as inspiration and for the contributions made in their respective fields and communities. And she's so brilliant, even the New York Times has taken note.

So suffice it to say that I was absolutely thrilled to see a travel piece in the April issue of Chicago magazine about Guanajuato, featuring Tanya as the trusty tour guide. Originally from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Tanya is a longtime Chicago resident. The article touts Guanajuato as "the anti-spring break," a different alternative to visiting Mexico than just heading to typical places such as Cancún.

She and I have one major thing in common: spending time in Mexico opens the floodgates of creativity. I'm always able to write to my heart's content while I'm there because everything in Mexico seems to inspire me. Whether it's the bugambilias or a trip to the mercado, I write like a fiend every time I'm visiting México lindo y querido. Tanya reveals in the piece that she wrote most of her stage adaptation of Sandra Cisneros' "The House on Mango Street" for the Steppenwolf Theater on a writing trip to Guanajuato.

I loved what she said about history, culture and peace as part of what makes a perfect travel destination and I couldn't agree more. I passed through the state of Guanajuato (one of the many states with a city by the same name) on my road trip to Aguascalientes last summer. I hope I get a chance to go back someday to visit more of it. The state is also home to one of my favorite places, Irapuato.

Read the Chicago magazine article by Catey Sullivan, complete with a few recommendations of places to stay and things to do, and then learn more about Guanajuato (the city) from the Mexico Tourism Board. Guanajuato is also part of the Tourism Board's Ruta Virreinal (the Colonial Route), which I got to travel along last summer.

  • Have you been to Guanajuato? What do you love about it?
1

More Guanajuato

  • Wordless Wednesday: Papel picado in San Miguel de Allende
  • Eating strawberries on the highway in Irapuato

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle Gonzalez says

    April 13, 2011 at 10:11 pm

    What I love about Guanajuato? It's just so utterly romantic. Little cafes everywhere, a skyful of colorful buildings. It's all very sigh-worthy. 🙂

    Reply
    • Maura Hernandez says

      April 27, 2011 at 10:39 am

      Thanks for the comment, Michelle! As much as I love the beach, Mexico has so many beautiful colonial cities around the country that it's hard to choose a favorite. Aguascalientes is very similar with romantic views, little cafes and colorful buildings. There's just something about colorful buildings that makes my heart sing!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

¡Bienvenidos!


Hi, I'm Maura Hernández, an award-winning food and travel writer, recipe developer, and former journalist sharing my passion for all things Mexico. I've traveled Mexico extensively over the last 18 years and Mexico City is my home away from home. Here, you'll find a mix of traditional and modern Mexican cooking, along with my advice on where to eat, stay and play on your visit to Mexico!

More about me

Paletas

  • Berries and cream popsicles are a mixed-berry spin on the traditional Mexican fresas con crema dessert. Recipe via theothersideofthetortilla.com
    Moras con Crema Popsicles
  • How to make strawberry hibiscus popsicles via theothersideofthetortilla.com
    Strawberry hibiscus popsicles
  • Mangonada popsicles displayed on a cookie sheet
    Mangonada popsicles
  • How to make banana, chia and coconut milk popsicles. This recipe is dairy-free and vegan-friendly! Via theothersideofthetortilla.com
    Banana chia popsicles
  • Mango cantaloupe and chile powder paletas from The Other Side of The Tortilla
    Mango cantaloupe paletas with chile powder
  • #Vegan fudge #popsicles made with avocado, raw cacao powder, coconut sugar and coconut milk. Get more #recipes from theothersideofthetortilla.com #paletas #receta #recipe
    Vegan avocado fudge pops

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer

Contact

  • Contact Me
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © The Other Side of The Tortilla, 2009-2024