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124-445: The Festival Internacional Cervantino (FIC), popularly known as El Cervantino , is a festival which takes place each fall in the city of Guanajuato , located in central Mexico . The festival originates from the mid 20th century, when short plays by Miguel de Cervantes called entremeses (singular entremés ) were performed in the city's plazas. In 1972, the festival was expanded with federal support to include more events to add

248-597: A 57% increase over 2009 with hotel occupancy alone up 39%. The total number of visitors in 2010 is estimated at 179,000, with 463,000 tickets to events sold. In addition to the events in Guanajuato proper, there were another 125,000 attendees to related activities in 37 cities and seventeen states in Mexico. Being named after Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes , the Festival has a special emphasis on artistic creations in

372-605: A 73% discount on tickets for selected acts. There is an event to bring together children and Mexican poets and a performance of A magic flute for children by the French ensemble Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord . In 2011, the Festival scheduled its first Art Book Fair, focusing on books about the visual and theatrical arts. Based on the program sponsored by the Lucerne Festival , the Cervantino Academy's purpose

496-610: A city on the Volga , because of World War II. Living conditions were so poor that his mother had to cut the fingers from a pair of gloves to allow him to continue to practise without freezing his hands. He subsequently began to acquire international prominence. At the age of 12 he played Franz Liszt 's La campanella to a British audience over the radio. In 1956 became a laureate of two international piano competitions: Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium, with Vladimir Ashkenazy , and

620-575: A cult classic. A mayor of the city, Dr. Eduardo Hicks, initiated the Guanajuato Mummy Research Project in 2007 to increase knowledge and awareness of the specimens. They have since been extensively studied in Mexico and the United States. The study has found evidence of medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, extreme anemia lung damage from smoke inhalation and tuberculosis. Some of the research looked into

744-538: A hotel. The city's most famous tourist attraction is the Mummies of Guanajuato , which are in their own museum on the side of the municipal cemetery in the Tepetapa neighborhood. The Mummy Museum contains a collection of specimens that mummified naturally in the adjoining cemetery. Authorities began exhuming bodies in 1870, when a new law required residents to pay a tax for perpetual burial. If survivors didn't pay

868-407: A large flat stone over his back and, carrying a flask of tar and a torch, crawled towards the main entrance. The stone protected him from the bullets fired at him. When he reached the heavy wooden door of the entrance, he smeared it with tar and lit it. This allowed insurgents to then take the building. After the battle it was used as barracks, a tenement and tobacco warehouse. From 1864 to 1949, it

992-477: A late representative of the grand school of Russian Romantic pianism. Emil Gilels described him as a "phenomenon of the musical world." Berman was born to Jewish parents in Leningrad ( Russian SSR , Soviet Union ). His mother, Anna Lazarevna Makhover, had played the piano herself until prevented by hearing problems. She introduced her son to the piano at the age of two. Berman entered his first competition at

1116-531: A margin of error of 50 years and it is already known that the mummies died between 1850 and 1950. In 2009, 36 of the mummies were displayed for the first time outside of Mexico, at the Detroit Science Center in the United States as part of a tour to last until 2012. They have been the focus of a National Geographic documentary series called "The Mummy Road Show," which covered 18 of the mummies. The world-famous Festival Internacional Cervantino

1240-666: A more international flavor. Since then, FIC has grown to become the most important international artistic and cultural event in Mexico and Latin America , and one of four major events of its type in the world. It is a member of the European Festivals Association and the Asian Association of Theater Festivals In addition to government support, there are also private sponsors such as Telmex , Televisa and Microsoft . The city of Guanajuato, where

1364-513: A pastime called "callejoneadas". These are roving parties, traditionally held by the students of the University of Guanajuato with live musicians. Today, there are callejoneadas arranged for tourists as well. Juárez Street is one of the few through streets on the surface. It is filled with stores and restaurants and has a constant flow of people and traffic. The other through streets of town are either partially or fully underground, following

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1488-401: A patio area, a gallery of minerals and a bar called El Petardo, which once was the gunpowder storage room. The Rayas mine gave rise to one of the city's original neighborhoods, after having been found in 1550 by Juan Rayas. The mine's apogee occurred in the 18th century, giving its owner, José de Sardineta y Legaspi the titles of Viscount of Sardineta and Marquis of Rayas. Today it is found on

1612-567: A pianist, and their son, talented violinist and conductor Pavel Berman. His students included Sonya Bach, Italian pianists Giuliano Mazzocante, Maurizio Baglini , Enrico Elisi , and Enrico Pace , Vladimir Stoupel , Rutsuko Yamagishi, Ioana Lupascu, Gintaras Januševičius , Vardan Mamikonian , Victor Chestopal  [ ru ] , Rueibin Chen , Antonio Formaro and Viktoriya Yermolyeva , as well as Korean pianist Chong Park and Japanese pianist Chiharu Aizawa , who later got married and perform as

1736-472: A section of the Carretera Panorámica (Panoramic Highway) that circles the city. The complex walls are tall and are held up by stone buttresses. It has one of the longest mine shafts in the world, which extends into the earth for 425 meters. The Castile of Santa Cecilia is a majestic medieval-style construction built on a former 17th century mining hacienda. The current building functions as

1860-400: A sign of their pain, convert into mummies. More commonly, it is likely the result of Guanajuato's altitude or the abundance of minerals in the soil. However, all of the mummified remains were found in the cemetery's above ground cement crypts, not in underground graves. Researchers believe the phenomenon is due to the warm, dry climate of the area, which dried out the bodies rapidly. One of

1984-456: A valued crucifix called the Señor del Villaseca and is registered as a Mexican Federal Historic Monument. The Bocamina de San Ramón mine is one of the city's early mines, with the deposit found by some travelers in the early 16th century. In 1548, its mother lode was found. Today, the mine is a tourist attraction in which visitors can descend into the earth through the old shafts. The complex has

2108-403: A various types of informative material. Most of the events related to the Festival occur in Guanajuato, but some events such as dance, plays and concerts are presented live or are transmitted to other areas of the country. These include national and international acts. The Más Allá de Guanajuato (Beyond Guanajuato) program to bring Cervantino cultural events to other parts of the country, free to

2232-409: Is a Baroque mansion that, on its façade, bears the first noble coat of arms granted in Guanajuato. The main church of the city is Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato built between 1671 and 1696. Overall, the church is a sober Mexican Baroque in style but there are popular elements from donations made by the area's miners, and other elements that demonstrate the influence of several of

2356-551: Is a mummy of a woman who died in childbirth or miscarriage (a dried placenta is attached to her) but it is not known if she is the mother of either of these mummified children. Although only one out of every 100 bodies interred in the cemetery became naturally mummified, the concentration of this phenomenon has led to theories about how they have come about. Some believe that they are the result of people who had been buried alive, after mistakenly declared dead. These people, according to belief, died of desperation and asphyxiation and as

2480-582: Is a very large building covering an entire block. It was originally built to store enough grain to feed the city for a year to protect the population against famines such as those that occurred in 1783, due to crop failure. This gave the building its name, which roughly translates to “house of grain.” The building is two floors, nearly windowless with a very large courtyard in its interior. Construction began in 1798 under an architect named Durán y Villaseñor and terminated under José del Mazo. The Alhóndiga only served its original function for eight months after it

2604-667: Is also home to the Festival Internacional Cervantino , which invites artists and performers from all over the world as well as Mexico. Guanajuato was the site of the first battle of the Mexican War of Independence between newly assimilated Mexican insurgent warriors and royalist troops at the Alhóndiga de Granaditas . The first known inhabitants of the area were the Otomi , who were then displaced by

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2728-423: Is an annual cultural event, held in the city of Guanajuato, which sponsors a large number of artistic and cultural events with artists invited from Mexico and all over the world. The event is named in honor of Miguel de Cervantes , author of Don Quixote . The festival began in 1972, as short plays performed by University of Guanajuato students based on the works of Cervantes. In 2010, special guests included

2852-499: Is dedicated to the environment, with a theme of “The Gifts of Nature” and special guests Denmark , Finland , Sweden , Norway and Nayarit . Artists include The Oslo Camerata , Geir Henning Braaten , Knut Reiersrud , Mari Boine , a dramatization of Il Postino by Pablo Neruda , the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra focusing on 19th century Russian music, especially Tchaikovsky ,

2976-469: Is heading in an eastwards direction. The westward direction passes through the center of Guanajuato. All of the tunnels have footpaths and even some of the bus stops are subterranean. The tunnel system of Guanajuato was built to prevent flooding. Túnel La Galereña is the longest tunnel of this network and was excavated in the early 19th century to lead the Guanajuato River away from the center of

3100-479: Is in the current colonia of Pastita. The city was split by a small river that serves as a main thoroughfare. Because of the extremely hilly terrain, only one main road enters and another one leaves. The main street into the city, called Belaunzarán, now runs for three km underground and follows the original course of the Guanajuato River . Unlike the regular layouts of many other Spanish and Mexican cities,

3224-748: Is manifested in its civil and religious architecture. The colonial architecture includes some of the best Baroque and Churrigueresque examples in the New World—;such as the Valenciana, Cata, and La Compañía (Jesuit) Churches, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato. Most constructions from this time are of pink or green sandstone. In the churches, the Baroque altars were gilded with gold from local mines. These structures have influenced later buildings throughout central Mexico. According to

3348-524: Is much diminished, but one ton of rock is still extracted every six minutes. The largest shaft descends for 450 meters and about 10,000 miners have worked it over its history. The mine made its owners, the Counts of Valenciana, extremely wealthy and powerful. The first Count of Valenciana, Antonio de Obregón y Alcocer had the San Cayetano Church (also known as La Valenciana Church) built near

3472-555: Is named after it. The mine is near Don Quijote Plaza. It began operations in 1558 with peak production in the first quarter of the 18th century. It was owned by the Marquis of San Clemente. The center of the neighborhood is Señor de Villaseca Church, more commonly called La Cata Church. This church was built in the 17th century in Mexican Baroque or Churrigueresque style similar to that of La Valenciana Church. The church holds

3596-562: Is still in charge today, working with the Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes , el Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes and the Instituto de Cultura de Guanajuato . In 1978, Juan Carlos and Sofía of Spain attended as guests of honor. Initially, the city of Guanajuato was only the host, with local artistic groups not participating in the event. However, efforts were soon made to lobby for their inclusion, especially by

3720-667: Is the Callejón Tecolote, through which Ignacio Allende and Miguel Hidalgo entered with their army in 1810. One alley near the State Government Palace is called the Callejón de la Condesa (Alley of the Countess). The name comes from the lady of one of the mansions who lived there in the very late 18th and very early 19th centuries. Ashamed of her husband's bad reputation with other women, before and after

3844-863: Is to train professional level instrumentalists in classical and contemporary music. The program sponsors individual students, classes, workshops, practice sessions and concerts, including at the Festival Cervantino, both by small ensembles as well as in an orchestra. Participants are under thirty and are selected by audition. The program has invited maestros from both Mexico and abroad, including Irvine Arditti , Steve Schick , Norio Sato and Salvatore Sciarrino . The program attracts students from various countries in Latin America, including Guatemala , Brazil, Cuba, and Bolivia as well as Mexico. Prior Festival events and shows related to artists scheduled to perform in upcoming festivals are shown through

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3968-537: Is well documented, in both a concert film and a Deutsche Grammophon recording of the polonaises from the 1970s. Most of his British appearances came in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In December 1976, he performed music by Sergei Prokofiev and Franz Liszt at the Royal Festival Hall . In 1980, at the height of his popularity, Berman again was barred from leaving the Soviet Union. This time it

4092-569: The Chichimeca . There was Purépecha presence as well due mostly to ancient trading routes. The oldest known name for the area is “Mo-o-ti,” which means “place of metals.” Later, it was called "Paxtitlán" by the Aztecs , which means “place of Spanish moss .” The current name of Guanajuato comes from Purépecha kuanhasï juáta (or in older orthography "quanax huato"), which means “frog hill”. Mining had been done in this area long before

4216-679: The DeMUG Baroque Ensemble , and an exhibition of Oaxacan painter Francisco Toledo in the Museo del Pueblo. The 2011 event cost 122 million pesos to set up, with most of the money coming from CONACULTA and the rest from the state of Guanajuato , the University of Guanajuato and the city of Guanajuato . The 2014 performance was opened by taiko drumming group Tokyo Dagekidan , a performance attended by Japan's Prince Fumihito Akishino and his wife Kiko . The 2020 festival

4340-809: The Edinburgh International Festival and The Anglo Mexican Foundation . Two activities in 2010 were a contest of photos taken with cell phones and another contest of short electronic music pieces, both of which were launched over the Internet. Winners received trips to the Edinburgh International Festival , the first and largest international cultural event of its type in the world. A number of performers and academic activities are scheduled with young audiences in mind. These include rock and electronic music concerts with dance and theater events. In 2011, these included German electronic music groups Moonbootica and Schlachthofbronx sponsored by

4464-780: The Franz Liszt Competition in Budapest, Hungary. As a result of these accomplishments, Berman was offered an international tour, and landed a recording deal, which included recordings of Liszt's sonata and Beethoven's "Appassionata" . In 1958, he performed in London and recorded for SAGA. From 1959 to 1971 Berman was not allowed to travel abroad due to his marriage to a French national (the marriage soon fell apart); however, he continued to tour around Soviet Union, and did some recordings at Melodia studio, including Liszt's Transcendental Études . That recording became one of

4588-656: The Goethe Institute and rock musicians Sierra León , Finde , El Otro Yo and Rubick . Theatre for youth include Vivarium Studio performing L éffet de Serge, Mauricio García Lozano and Teatro Farfullero presenting La pequeña habitación al final de la escalera and Circo Aereo and Les Objets Volants , a Finnish /French group with acrobats, comedians and other circus performers. Other events for youth include DJ Frivolous and DJ Kid Koala from Canada and German artist Brandt Brauer Frick who mixes electronic and acoustic sounds. University students can get up to

4712-511: The La Llorona story has the woman wandering its tunnels, some of which had rivers or streams running through them. The streets and alleys of the city are filled with mostly colonial era buildings, restaurants, bars, cafes with terraces and small plazas. Buildings have been constructed of sandstone in pink and green, adobe and other stone, filling the streets with shades of pink, green, ocher and red. Most of these plazas are in front of or to

4836-1043: The Teatro Cervantes , the Patio of the Faculty of Industrial Relations, the State Auditorium, the Plaza San Roque, the Esplanade of the Alhondiga , the Teatro de Minas , the Valenciana Church and the Ex-Hacienda of San Gabriel de Barrera . In addition, seven museum spaces are used for exhibitions such as those of photography. The event represents a tourist and economic windfall for the city, which brought in 423 million pesos in 2010,

4960-609: The UNESCO World Heritage Sites , the La Compañía and La Valenciana churches are considered among the most beautiful examples of Baroque architecture in Central and South America. By the end of the 18th century, the lower classes were poor and oppressed despite the great wealth coming out of the mines. One event foreshadowing the Mexican War of Independence was a revolt carried out in the city attacking

5084-569: The University of Guanajuato began to put on an annual event called the Entremeses de Miguel de Cervantes Saaevedra, short plays written by the author of Don Quixote . These plays are still part of the annual Festival. In 1972, he founded the Coloquio Cervantino from June to September to expand the annual Entremeses event. Ruelas's efforts came to the attention of the federal government through actress Dolores del Río . While in

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5208-714: The 1870s due to foreign investments encouraged by the Porfirio Díaz government. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries this renewed economic activity spurred new era Mexican projects such as the Juárez Theater, the Esperanza Dam, the Monumento a la Paz, the Hidalgo Monument and the State Government Palace. Flooding had been a serious problem through most of the city's history, due to

5332-522: The 18th century, it was the world's leading silver extraction center, making it the richest city in Mexico for much of the early colonial period. The production of the La Valenciana mine alone affected the world economy, and made the counts of Valencianas one of the most powerful families in New Spain. The city was one of the richest and most opulent in New Spain in the 18th century. This wealth

5456-700: The 1980s, these included Lazar Berman , Mercedes Sosa , the New York Philharmonic , Joan Baez , Gilbert Bécaud , Mario Lavista , Guillermo Velázquez , Los Leones de la Sierra de Xichú , the National Ballet of Canada , Nikolais Dance Theater , the Bolshoi Ballet , Sankai Juku , Theater Scena STU (Poland) and the Marionette Theatre of Hungary . In 1989, the city became a World Heritage Site which allowed most of

5580-464: The 19th century. Near La Valenciana Mine is the Guadalupe Mine, established in the 16th century. This complex was built with extremely large and thick stone walls supported by buttresses, giving it the look of a medieval fortress. The mine is no longer in operation but the complex has been undergoing redevelopment as a resort. La Cata mine is one of the early mines, and a city neighborhood

5704-510: The 2000s, the custom of having Mexican states and foreign countries and regions as “special guests” began. In 2001, the invited region was Oceania along with Veracruz . Acts featured during those years included Hélène Grimaud , Eugenio Toussaint , Juan Fornell and Los Van Van , the Vienna Symphony Virtuosi , Enrique Bunbury , Los Tigres del Norte , Panteón Rococó , Meno Fortas and Les 7 doigts de la main . The city

5828-646: The European colonization of America (along with Zacatecas also in Mexico, Potosí in Bolivia and Ouro Preto in Brazil). One of the mines, La Valenciana , accounted for two-thirds of the world's silver production at the height of its production. The city is home to the Mummy Museum , which contains naturally mummified bodies that were found in the municipal cemetery between the mid 19th and 20th centuries. It

5952-436: The Festival takes place, has historically had a large cultural scene in relation to its size. The richness of the mines in colonial times started a tradition of theaters and other cultural venues to satisfy the desires of the middle and upper classes. The city has a tradition of hosting musical, theatrical and dance events not only in its numerous theaters but also in its many small plazas with benches. In 1953, Enrique Ruelas of

6076-424: The Festival's television, radio and website. A channel called TV FIC or Canal Cervantino was created on channel 157 of Cablevision to broadcast archived footage of past festivals and performances by those scheduled to perform the upcoming year. Microsoft sponsors the Festival's web page as well as an online radio station called Radio FIC which offers online archives of music, video and photographic works, as well as

6200-486: The Holy Faith (Santa Fe). It contains other images such as a seashell supported by two laurel branches, blue ribbon and marble columns. It is topped with the royal crown of Castille and acanthus leaves. In 1741, the city received the title of “The Most Noble and Loyal City of Santa Fe de Minas de Guanajuato” and became an “intendencia” (province) in 1790 because of the abundance of riches coming from its mines. In

6324-631: The Hospitals). It received the image of the Virgin of the Rosary, now called the Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato. The Museo de Historia Natural Alfredo Dugès is on the ground floor of the University of Guanajuato's main building. It contains a national-level collection of fossils, plants and animals. The importance of this collection comes from its state of conservation and its age. The collection

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6448-583: The Mesón de San Antonio. It is planned to contain an Internet café with large lounge chairs and wireless services for those with mobile devices. Microsoft sponsors a set of academic lectures about what's new in technology and art, games and everyday life. Much of the festival is set up to attract young people from children to university age. The Cervantino Program for Youth sponsors programs for this age group as well as other activities. It has an annual Artistic Creativity Contest for Youth put on in collaboration with

6572-460: The Presea FIC was instituted to recognize the work of Mexican and foreign artists for their contributions to culture. The prize is symbolized by a statue designed by Vicente Rojo, which is awarded during the opening ceremonies. The first was awarded to Luis Herrera de la Fuente . To promote a link between culture and technology, the Festival and Microsoft México sponsor a Technology Pavilion at

6696-738: The Soviet Union were ignored by the Soviet state concert agency, Gosconcert  [ ru ] . He lived in a tiny two-room apartment in Moscow, with a grand piano occupying an entire room. But after his 1975 tour, he was immediately in great demand, with Deutsche Grammophon , EMI , and CBS vying to record him. He recorded the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto with Herbert von Karajan , as well as broadcasting it on international television with Antal Doráti , to mark United Nations Day in 1976. His playing of Chopin

6820-506: The Soviet Union, he was not generally well known outside Russia before his 1975 American tour, organised by the impresario Jacques Leiser . His now legendary New York debut at the 92nd Street Y , where he played Liszt's Transcendental Études , struck the music world like lightning. He became an overnight sensation. Before that, he had been generally restricted to the Soviet concert circuit, playing on old and decrepit pianos to audiences of varied degrees of interest. Invitations to tour outside

6944-424: The Spanish arrived. Late in the pre-Hispanic period the Aztecs had a presence here, specifically to look for metals to make ornamental objects for their political and religious elite. Some stories from this time state that the area was so rich in minerals that nuggets of gold could be picked up from the ground. The Spanish found deposits of gold here in the 1540s and soon they sent soldiers and built forts. In 1548,

7068-505: The Spanish language, with the original tradition of performing this writer's “entremeses” plays upheld by the University Theater of Guanajuato. The international aspect is to create a space for discovery and exchange. The Ballet Folklorico de Mexico under Amalia Hernández has performed every year since the beginning. Acts have been booked from all parts of the world of a wide variety from classical music, Mexican folk dance, Chinese acrobats and more. The event attracts artists from all over

7192-484: The Universidad de Guanajuato, and now artists from this university and other parts of the city and state regularly appear. Since 1982, the festival has diminished somewhat in size, mostly because of reduced funding. Another issue that arose was that the festival had become very popular with backpackers, who slept in the streets and caused problems for local residents. However, it remained a very important event, attracting notable acts and up to 140 journalists to cover it. In

7316-453: The actors and support staff are locals with that thirty participants in each event. The project is based on the original Entremeses Cervantinos done by Enrique Ruelos starting in the 1950s which relied on community participation to produce plays such as those by Shakespeare but modified to the local culture. The performances are planned and executed with communities where there are high levels of crime and family instability and violence, mostly in

7440-517: The age of four, he started studying with Leningrad State Conservatory professor, Samariy Savshinsky. In 1939 when Berman was nine, the family moved to Moscow so that he could study with Aleksandr Goldenweiser , first at Central Musical School, and then at the Moscow Conservatory , where he graduated in 1953. In 1940, he made his formal debut playing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25 with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra . In 1941, students, pupils and parents were evacuated to Samara (then Kuybyshev),

7564-413: The age of three, and recorded a Mozart fantasia and a mazurka that he had composed himself at the age of seven, before he could even read music. Berman was first noticed while participating in city young talents competition. The jury under the chairmanship of Leonid Nikolaev noticed the child's "rare exceptional case of musical and piano skills". Now, after being officially given title "prodigy" at

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7688-452: The area's steep compact hillsides. In 1760 and 1780 two major floods nearly wiped it out. This spurred construction of large ditches and tunnels to contain and divert overflows during the rainy season. These eventually crisscrossed a large part of the city. Dam construction in the 1960s brought the flooding under control, and many of the ditches and tunnels were converted into underground roadways. The first Festival Internacional Cervantino

7812-469: The body was real. The modern museum opened in 1970 with proper lighting and ventilation, and the mummies protected behind glass. The collection contains 111 mummies, mostly women, with some men and about 20 children, but only 59 of these are on display. It is considered the largest collection of mummies in the Western Hemisphere. Almost all of the people were commoners and came from backgrounds such as miners and farmers. The mummies were disinterred from

7936-404: The building itself, to its construction, its original function as a granary and its role in one of the first battles of the War of Independence. The large courtyard within the Alhóndiga is a traditional place to celebrate Mexico's Independence Day with the reenactment of Miguel Hidalgo's “El Grito de Dolores.” It is one of the sites for a number of the events of the Festival Cervantino. The museum

8060-423: The building, but the building proved difficult to penetrate due to the lack of openings and royalist gunfire. The battle remained a stalemate until a miner from San Miguel de Allende devised a way to approach the building's main entrance. This miner, whose name was Juan José de los Reyes Martínez, is better known as El Pípila , who had joined the insurgent army as it passed through his hometown. El Pípila strapped

8184-492: The city of Guanajuato, she came across the Entremeses being performed at the Plaza San Roque and was fascinated. Around the same time, former president Luis Echeverría had attended cultural festivals in Europe and was interested in doing something similar in Mexico. Through Echeverría's cousin, Del Río relayed what she had seen in Guanajuato. The federal government then established the foundation for an international cultural festival, originally proposing it for Acapulco . However,

8308-429: The city of Guanajuato. Just on the outskirts on September 28, 1810 , Hidalgo sent a warning letter to city authorities, but it was ignored. Instead, royalist troops and many of the elite made their stand at the Alhóndiga de Granaditas granary, an imposing building with few windows and thick walls. After entering the city unopposed, Hidalgo decided to attack the granary. This was the first battle against Spanish troops in

8432-404: The city proper. In 1679, by decree of viceroy of Mexico Fray Payo Enriquez de Rivera , the name was changed to Ciudad de Santa Fe y Real de Minas de Guanajuato (Very Noble and Loyal City of Santa Fe y Real de Minas de Guanajuato). It received an escutcheon in the same year, which is still in use. The city's coat of arms has a gold background with an image of a woman in the center referring to

8556-415: The city was made its capital in 1824. However, fighting in the state and the rest of the country continued as Liberals, who wanted a Federalist government, fought with Conservatives, who wanted a centralized government under a monarch or dictator. Power in the city and state changed hands between the two factions during much of the 19th century, taking its toll on mining. The city was the provisional capital of

8680-421: The city's colonial and late 19th-century architecture, including its theatres, to be restored. During the 1990s, the festival featured acts such as the Guitar Trio of Amsterdam , Voices of Change , the Vienna Quintet , Guadalupe Pineda , Krzysztof Jakowicz , Krystyna Borucinska , Kronos Quartet , Madredeus , the Open Theater of Belgrade , the Lindsay Kemp Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company . In

8804-494: The city's rich mining nobility. The Marquis of San Clemente and Pedro Lascuráin de Retana were the current building's first patrons. Later, the Counts of Valenciana left their influence as well with the donation of a clock for one of the towers and the acquisition of relics related to a saint and martyr named Faustina obtained from the Pope. These relics are in the main altar. The main portal is made of pink sandstone with “estipite” or inverted truncated pyramidal columns. The focus of

8928-403: The city. In 1960s the old river tunnels were strengthened, as they were in a bad condition and showed signs of collapse and subsidence. After the reconstruction, they were converted into a road tunnel. The first road journey was in 1961. But the old tunnels were of a suitable size for cars, medium-sized bus and vans but prevented larger transport getting into the city. A second tunnel was dug during

9052-493: The colonial period, the richest of the city's families built their main homes here, along with government buildings and the parish church, now a basilica . This plaza is a garden with a sculpture of a woman representing peace; its placement here in the late 19th century caused the official name to change to Plaza de la Paz. Today, the plaza is surrounded by the basilica, other churches, and governmental and commercial buildings, many of which were once mansions. Still remaining around

9176-479: The colonial period. The current building was constructed by Cecilio Luis Long in a European style popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and inaugurated in 1903.The façade has a Neoclassical portal in sandstone of colors typical of the Guanajuato area. It contains the legislative chamber called the Sala de Sessiones, decorated with 19th- and 20th-century paintings and somber furniture. Alhóndiga de Granaditas

9300-548: The country in 1858 as Liberal president Benito Juárez fought Conservative rebels. In 1863, the French took the city during the French Intervention in Mexico , receiving a visit from the installed Emperor Maximiliano I and his wife, Carlota . French occupation ended in early 1867. The Mexican General Florencio Antillón captured it on January 26, 1868, from the Conservatives. Mining reactivated around

9424-556: The entrance of this mine. Dedicated to Saint Cajetan , it was built between 1765 and 1788. The church has a Churrigueresque portal, which has been compared to the Mexico City Cathedral and La Santisima Church , both in Mexico City. The interior conserves a number of gilded altarpieces and a pulpit that is encrusted with ivory and precious hardwoods. The interior also contains agraffito work and paintings from

9548-572: The event due to the lack of infrastructure. Elizabeth II and the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh attended the event in 1975. By decree, an organizing committee was set up in 1976 under the Secretaría de Educación Pública, the state and city of Guanajuato and the University of Guanajuato to invite artists from Mexico and abroad. Some of the first invited by this committee were Mario Moreno Cantinflas and Dolores del Río . This committee

9672-472: The first Soviet recordings done with the use of stereo technology. From the mid 1970s, Berman was again allowed to tour abroad, which he did to high acclaim. In 1968 he married Valentina Sedova and in 1970 their son, Pavel , was born. Although he was known to international music aficionados who had heard the occasional recording on the Russian Melodiya record label, as well as those who visited

9796-420: The folklore surrounding a number of the mummies such as the man with a misshapen face thought to have been caused by a mortal blow, a woman who was supposedly hanged by her husband and a woman who is thought to have been buried alive. No scientific evidence has been found to support the last two stories. Without records, it is not possible to know exactly when some mummies died. Carbon 14 cannot help because it has

9920-606: The heavily militarized Caja Real (building to hold the Crown's share of mining production) to protest the high taxes. One year later there were large protests against the expulsion of the Jesuits . The War of Independence broke out in the state of Guanajuato in the town of Dolores , when Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla shouted the “ Grito de Dolores ” and raised an insurgent army on September 15 and 16, 1810. This army marched to San Miguel, today San Miguel de Allende , and then on to

10044-487: The influence of the politicians promoting it. The Cervantino had its greatest growth from 1976 to 1982, during the presidency of José López Portillo because of the efforts of his wife, Carmen Romano, who promoted it abroad. It quickly gained the attention of noted artists, with Berlin Philharmonic director Herbert von Karajan offering to appear at no cost. Initially the city of Guanajuato had difficulties in hosting

10168-413: The institution serves approximately 30,000 students at the high school, bachelor's and graduate levels. In addition to the main campus in the city, there are nine others in other parts of Guanajuato state. The university hosts a number of the events of the Festival Cervantino, with its famous stairway acting as seating. The best known facility of the institution is the main building in Guanajuato city, which

10292-524: The late 1960s, which diverted the river much deeper. Several additional tunnels were excavated during the 1990s. The mines that made Guanajuato rich are inside and just outside the city proper. A number of these mines gave rise to small communities with their own churches; these still exist with other institutions such as museums. The best-known mines gave their names to a number of the city's oldest neighborhoods such as Cata, Rayas y Mellado, La Pastita, San Luisito and Valenciana. Some of these mines are open to

10416-455: The main altar is the image of Our Lady of Guanajuato (Nuestra Señora de Guanjuato), who is the patroness of the city. She was donated to the city by Carlos I and his son Felipe II in 1557. In 1696, the church gained minor basilica status and full basilica status in 1957. The Legislative Palace or state government building was the site of the Aduana or Casas Consistoriales (customs house) in

10540-414: The main reasons for the mummies’ fame in Mexico is the 1972 film El Santo contra las momias de Guanajuato , which featured Mexico's most famous lucha libre wrestler, El Santo , as well as two others called Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras . In this movie, the mummies are reanimated by a wrestler known as “Satán” and El Santo fights to defeat them. It was filmed in the Guanajuato cemetery and has since become

10664-611: The marriage, the Countess began to enter and leave her home through the back door into this alley to avoid the glances of the townspeople. The most famous alley is the Callejón del Beso (Alley of the Kiss). Located on the slopes of the Cerro del Gallo hill in a neighborhood that dates back to the 18th century, it is only 168 cm (66 in) wide in places with balconies that nearly touch each other. Folklore states that couples who kiss on

10788-590: The mines found there. The very first mineral vein discovered, called San Bernabé, attracted attention not only in New Spain , but in Spain itself. The discovery brought thousands of migrants to the area, which led to the discovery of other deposits, such as at the Rayas mine. The San Bernabé find produced until 1928, when it tapped out. Today, the remains of this mine are found in the small village of La Luz, just outside

10912-474: The month of October. Events are held throughout the city, with some in other locations such as Mexico City , Guadalajara and San Miguel de Allende. The most important venue in Guanajuato for the festival is Juárez Theater, which is located close to Jardín de la Unión (Union Garden). Other important venues in the city are Teatro Principal , Cervantes Theater and facilities of the University of Guanajuato. Events are also held in area churches, plazas and even on

11036-550: The municipal cemetery between 1870 and 1958, and were people who died between 1850 and 1950. The first of the documented mummies, which has been on display in one form or another since the 1870s, is that of a French doctor named Remigio Leroy. He can be seen at the current museum. Of the children in the collection, one can see evidence of a practice where deceased Catholic children were dressed as angels, if girls, or as saints, if boys, to indicate their purity and assured entrance into heaven. Several are babies, including one considered

11160-439: The national coat of arms. In front of this is an eternal flame that is renewed each September 28. The walls of the main stairwell contain mural work by José Chávez Morado that alludes to Independence. It houses a large collection of ceramics from western parts of Mesoamerica, especially from Chupícuaro . It contains works by Guanajuato artist Hermeneguildo Bustos and photographer Romualdo García . There are displays related to

11284-402: The neighboring house. Luis found out who owned it and arranged access. One evening, while the two were on these balconies, Carmen's father discovered them as Luis held Carmen's hand between his own. Enraged, Carmen's father stabbed her, leaving the shocked Luis holding the hand of his beloved as it grew cold and lifeless, giving it one final kiss. The narrow streets and alleys have given rise to

11408-423: The northern edge of the city. It began operation in 1774. From then until the early 19th century it was one of the most productive silver mines in the world, accounting for 2/3 of the world's production at its peak. It produced 80% of all silver mined in the state of Guanajuato and one-sixth of all Mexico. For over 250 years, it produced about 30% of the world's silver. The mine continues operation today. Production

11532-419: The old drainage ditches and tunnels dug during colonial times. Originally they were used for flood control, but modern dams have controlled flooding and left them dry, so they have been turned into thoroughfares in a city with little surface area. The most important of these roads is Miguel Hidalgo or Belaunzarán, which carried the runoff from the river that used to divide the city in two. Guanajuato's version of

11656-425: The outpost was formally established with the name of Real de Minas de Guanajuato by viceroy Don Antonio de Mendoza . Despite Chichimeca attacks, the population of the area grew rapidly with the arrival of Spanish and Creole migrants and indigenous and mestizo traders and workers. It was soon declared a town with the name of Santa Fe Real de Minas de Guanajuato, with Preafán de Rivera as mayor. Its first church

11780-498: The plaza are mansions that belonged to local nobility such as the Counts of Rul, Count of Gálvez, and the Count De los Chico. The Rul house was constructed at the end of the 18th century by architect Francisco Eduardo Tresguerras . It is noted for its inner courtyard, with architectural features from ancient Greece. Alexander von Humboldt stayed here in 1803. Later, the house became known as Palacio de Otero. The Casa Real de Ensaye

11904-407: The public for tours. The first significant mine was called San Bernabé, which brought thousands of adventurers to Guanajuato and led to the discovery of other mineral deposits. This mine functioned from the 16th century until 1928. The remains of this mine can still be found in the small village of La Luz just outside the city. The most important of these mining complexes is La Valenciana mine , on

12028-646: The public. As of 2014, the program has sponsored events in over 100 venues in 26 states and the Federal District. These include schools, cultural center, libraries and correctional institutions. Much of this activity is made possible through a collaboration with CONACULTA and the Secretaría de Educación Pública. The Ruelos Project, named after the founder of the Entremeses Cervantinos, was created in 2014 to pair artists with disadvantaged communities. The Festival provides logistical support but

12152-439: The school grew and began to offer high school and professional level studies. It held several names over its history, from Real Colegio de la Purísima Concepción (1767), Colegio del Estado (1828), Colegio Nacional de Guanajuato (1867), with its current name adopted in 1945. The Colegio del Estado name was prompted by the fact that the institution became the property of the state in 1828. In 1945, it gained university status. Today

12276-509: The side of the many churches, such as the Plaza San Fernando, Plaza San Roque , Plaza de la Valenciana, Plaza de los Ángeles, and Plaza de Mexiamora. Exceptions to these are Jardín Reforma and Jardín Unión. The Guanajuato underground tunnels are a network of wide channels that help lead traffic away from the city center. These tunnels have different layer crossroads and underground junctions. The tunnels are used for traffic which

12400-458: The smallest mummy in the world. Two of these small bodies were partially embalmed by taking out internal organs and replacing the cavities with packing material. One was a fetus, which probably miscarried at about 24 weeks, and the other is a newborn male infant. This embalming process may have enhanced the natural mummification process but was not the cause. It is not known why these had been embalmed, nor are their years of death exactly known. There

12524-424: The special guests as they celebrated their bicentennials in the same year. The 2010 version had 3,161 artists from 31 countries, with special emphasis on traditional Mexican music and dance. The 2011 version brought together 2,800 artists from 29 countries, in genres such as classical and folk music to techno , open-air theatre, expositions, recent plays and other works from the 20th century by well-known writers. It

12648-411: The state of Guanajuato. They have also worked with prison populations. Ray Charles (1980) 21°1′3.74″N 101°15′23.99″W  /  21.0177056°N 101.2566639°W  / 21.0177056; -101.2566639 Guanajuato, Guanajuato The growth of Guanajuato resulted from the abundantly available minerals in the mountains surrounding it. Its mines were among the most important during

12772-434: The state of Querétaro and the country of Colombia. The 2010 edition of the festival included performers such as Tangokineses from Argentina and Cumbia Cienaguera from Colombia. In total there were 424 events over 26 days. The festival hosts events such as opera, theater productions, film showings, art exhibitions, academic conferences and talks, concerts and dance recitals. The performances occur in 70 venues over most of

12896-566: The streets of Guanajuato follow the extreme irregularity of the terrain, with small alleyways, plazas and in some cases steep staircases up hillsides. Most are paved with square cut stone, with only a limited number that are passable to cars. Most of the passageways are really alleys with a limited amount of open space in the way of very small plazas, which gives the city a more European flavor than other Mexican cities. A number of these alleys have no names and some have whimsical names such as “Sal si puedes” (Exit if you can). Another famous alley

13020-487: The streets. Festival International Cervantino Callejero is a parallel event sponsored by Centro Libre de Experimentación Teatral y Artística (CLETA) . In 2010, this event featured 300 performances with social themes. This annual event was begun in 1975, inspired in part by The Beatles ’ Abbey Road album cover. The center of the modern city is Plaza de la Paz (Plaza of Peace), also known as Plaza Mayor (Main Plaza). Since

13144-405: The tax, they exhumed the body. If the body was mummified, they stored it in a building above ground and people began paying to see them in the late 1800s. The burial tax was abolished in 1958. At first, the mummies were displayed in a poorly lit tunnel that visitors entered with a torch or candle. Visitors were allowed to touch the mummies with some even breaking off pieces for souvenirs or to verify

13268-402: The third step (painted in red) are guaranteed seven years of happiness together. The name comes from a legend of two young lovers who come to a tragic end: Doña Carmen and Don Luis. Carmen's father forbade the courting of his daughter by the young Luis, threatening to send her to a convent if she left the house to see him. Carmen's balcony reached over this alley and nearly touched the balcony of

13392-429: The tradition of the Entremeses was the main reason why Guanajuato was eventually chosen, meshing the two ideas to produce the modern event for the first time in 1972 with performances by artists from fourteen countries including Mexico. For this reason, this year is considered the foundation of the event. The Festival in its current form was a governmental effort, with the 1972 edition attracting interest solely because of

13516-466: The war and is popularly called the ' Siege of the Alhondiga '. The insurgents were unable to take the heavily defended building as royalist gunfire kept them from approaching the only entrance until a miner by the name of Juan José de los Reyes Martínez, better known as El Pípila , strapped a large flat stone onto his back for protection. Crawling, he carried a flask of tar and a torch. When he reached

13640-400: The winter. Average temperature overall is 18.5 °C (65.3 °F) with an average annual precipitation of between 600 and 840 mm (23.6 and 33.1 in). Most of the rain falls during the monsoon season between June and September. Initially, the city was divided into four barrios or neighborhoods: Marfil/Santiago, Tepetapa, Santa Ana and Santa Fe. The last is considered the oldest and

13764-464: The wooden doors of the main entrance, he smeared it with the tar and set it on fire. This allowed the insurgents to penetrate the building, defeat the Spanish royalist army and elite, and take over the heavily fortified and defended building. This action is commemorated by a colossal statue of El Pípila on a hill overlooking the city. After Independence, the province of Guanajuato was made a state, and

13888-496: The world each year in order to present typical aspects of culture from each country. Acts include those from genres such as opera, music, dance, theatre, street spectaculars, visual arts, film and literature along with various academic events. The Festival has an agreement with the MUTEK Festival of Montreal with the aim of presenting newer acts to the audiences in Mexico especially in the field of electronic music. In 2010,

14012-462: The world. However, problems with large crowds of mostly young people, drinking in public remains a problem, especially for the local populace. The 38th edition of the Festival in 2010 was dedicated to Mexico's Bicentennial of Independence and Centennial of the Revolution . Three states, Chihuahua , Michoacán and Querétaro , along with three countries, Argentina , Colombia and Chile , were

14136-724: Was because a book by an American writer (censored in the USSR) was found in his luggage while he was passing custom in Moscow's airport. In August 1990 Berman left the USSR for Norway, followed by final relocation to Italy, where he became a teacher. Four years later he became an Italian citizen, and the following year he was invited to the Musical School of Weimar, Germany, where he continued teaching until 2000. He often performed along with his son, violinist Pavel Berman. Berman died in 2005, survived by his second wife, Valentina Sedova, also

14260-548: Was built in Neoclassical style in green stone. It houses the dean's office, administrative offices and a number of the institution's departments. The main building is recognized by its long staircase with 113 steps, which empties onto the Callejón del Estudiante. Under the main roof is a 16th-century chapel that was sponsored by Vasco de Quiroga for indigenous mine workers. It's called the Templo de los Hospitales (Temple of

14384-518: Was built. The main reason for its importance today is that it was the site of the first battle of the Mexican War of Independence between insurgents and royalist troops on September 28, 1810. When Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende and the insurgent army approached the city, royalist troops under Lieutenant Riaño and the city's elite took refuge in the building, along with millions of pesos of silver and other loot. The insurgents quickly surrounded

14508-444: Was consecrated in 1555, and it was named an “ alcaldía mayor ” in 1574. Initially, the city was divided into four barrios or neighborhoods called Marfil/Santiago, Tepetapa, Santa Ana and Santa Fe. The last is considered the oldest and is in the current colonia of Pastita. This city was split by a small river that served as a main thoroughfare. The oldest neighborhoods are Rayas y Mellado, Cata, La Valenciana, and Pastita, named after

14632-502: Was declared the Cervantino Capital of America in 2005, which prompted the federal government to issue a commemorative silver coin. However, problems with the lack of funds and organizational issues brought the event to a crisis by 2006. There were structural and financial changes made during the rest of that decade, and by 2010, the Festival was able to recuperate much of its former status, attracting major artists from around

14756-485: Was gathered by Alfredo Dugés and donated to the university. Lazar Berman Lazar Naumovich Berman (Russian: Ла́зарь Нау́мович Бе́рман , Lazar Naumovich Berman ; February 26, 1930 – February 6, 2005) was a Soviet Russian classical pianist, Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1988). He was hailed for a huge, thunderous technique that made him a thrilling interpreter of Liszt and Rachmaninoff and

14880-450: Was held in 1972. The historic city center was declared a World Heritage Site in 1988. Two climates predominate. One is fairly hot and dominates in the south and southeast portions of the municipality. The other is temperate and dominates the rest of the territory, including the city. In the warmer areas, temperatures can reach as high as 36 °C (97 °F) in the summer and in the coldest area can get as low as 3 °C (37 °F) in

15004-595: Was presented online from October 14 to 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico . The events happen in the forty nine theatres, plazas and other venues in the city, with satellite events in other plazas in the state and other cities in the country. The Festival in the city of Guanajuato takes advantage of these numerous venues, indoor and outdoor which include the Teatro Juárez , the Teatro Principal ,

15128-651: Was restored in 2010 for the Bicentennial by the INAH at a cost of 5.7 million pesos as part of similar museums in Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende to form the Ruta de Independencia (Independence Route). The work was the first renovation of the building in 20 years. The University of Guanajuato began as a Jesuit school for children in the first half of the 18th century. The establishment of this school

15252-480: Was sponsored by Josefa Teresa de Busto y Moya, sister of the Marquis of San Clemente, who obtained permission for the school from the Spanish Crown in 1732 and established the institution in her home. She donated a fifth of her fortune toward it and worked to obtain donations from other wealthy families in the city. However, credit for the establishment of the school is most often given to Jesuits. Over time,

15376-624: Was used as the state penitentiary. In 1949 the building was converted into the Museo Regional de Guanajuato, documenting the history of the area and its role in Mexican national history from the pre-Hispanic period to the present divided among fourteen halls on the upper floor. On the ground floor there are large mascarons of José Mariano Jiménez , Vicente Guerrero , Ignacio Allende and Ignacio Aldama . The main hall has mascarons of Miguel Hidalgo and José María Morelos y Pavón who “guard”

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