La Casona de Don Lucas

La Casona de Don Lucas sits on Guanajuato's lively Plaza de la Paz in a restored colonial mansion with baroque character. The plaza is framed by the yellow Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato, at the center of the UNESCO centro histórico, whose pastel houses spill down the hillsides like the palette God dropped. You can take in that view from above, especially when the late afternoon sun lights up the rooftops. The area is closely tied to mining and to statesman Lucas Alamán, born here in 1792 to a mining family. A criollo son of a mining administrator, he studied engineering locally, then took part in Spain's Cortes in 1814 and argued for New Spain's autonomy. After independence, he served as foreign and interior minister and founded the Banco de Avío in 1830, an early development bank that funded textiles and mining to support industrialization, despite his conservative views. Guanajuato's silver boom, from the 16th through 19th centuries, was driven by the Veta Madre's epithermal-to-mesothermal veins, over 10 km long, 5-20m wide, and more than 600m deep. The rich ore supported deep mining and baroque wealth. At its peak, Mexico supplied about a third of the world's silver. Flood markers on nearby streets sit higher than head level. Túnel La Galereña, built in the 19th century, diverted the Río Guanajuato. A deeper tunnel built in the 1960s now manages floods, while the original tunnels carry traffic and Day of the Dead markets. Dams such as Presa de la Olla help prevent major floods. For a view of the mountains, tunnels, colorful roofs, and old mines, walk a short distance or ride the cable car up the hill. Guanajuato's architecture and celebrations also inspired Coco's colorful Land of the Dead. #Mirador Hacia El Pipila #Guanajuato Lookout bench