Cobblestone kingdoms.

Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and Queretaro: Colonial splendor and the birthplace of a nation

If the plastic facades and neurotic pace of modem urban life are wearing you out, then the moment has come to escape the rat race and sedate your rhythm with a good dose of old-fashioned living.

This month we take you to the heart of Mexico's colonial past and the birthplace of the nation--a past that still thrives in the towns of Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and Queretaro. The area is a treasure of cobblestone kingdoms and quaint enchantment.

GUANAJUATO

Believe it or not, the name of the state and its capital city means "mountain of frogs" in the Chichimeco language. The reptile was once a sacred symbol to the Chichimecas who inhabited the state's hilly terrain long before the arrival of the Spaniards in 1548. Indeed, it could have been the pieces of silver they fashioned into figurines of the mystical animal that first alerted the Spaniards to the silver lying below the surface of the ground.

One thing is for certain: The discovery of the precious metal changed Guanajuato forever. It would no longer be a mere way station along the dusty Camino Real road from Mexico City to the mines in northern Zacatecas. The first silver strikes brought settlers to the area and later finds turned it into one of the wealthiest cities of the New World.

The ensuing prosperity created churches so lavish they rivaled even the best in Spain. Grand haciendas, monasteries and a world-class university were also part of the vision. The town itself, sitting 6,700 feet above sea level, was a charming ensemble of handsome houses, quaint shops, cobblestone streets and pretty plazas where the townspeople gathered.

Of course, the Spaniards had no idea that the society being created in this little corner of New Spain would, a few centuries later, be the birthplace of Mexico's independence movement.

Today, Guanajuato is one of Mexico's most magnificent cities with a very palpable air of its colonial past. So much so that it was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1988. The architecture is Spanish to the core and its medieval influences often cause the town to be compared to Toledo in Spain. Many of Guanajuato's early settlers were from Andalucia, resulting in buildings with a Moorish flair.

Despite the historic importance of their town, the Guanajuatenses take life in its stride. They are a warm and open people who park their cars in the underground tunnels that once held rushing rivers and walk leisurely to their destinations. The whole town is built above old canals that the government turned into streets in the 1960s. The student population is 26,000 strong out of a population of a little over 141,000, which gives the place a youthful energy in the midst of the centuries-old structures. At any time of day, lovers can be seen sauntering hand-in-hand beneath the Indian laurel trees at the ever-popular Jardin Union plaza in the town's center.

Guanajuato is a maze of streets and alleyways that wind around hillsides and open up onto intimate plazas. It's a compact town that is ideal for walking. The city has no traffic lights, no neon signs, nor fast food outlets and local government legislation barring such developments will fortunately keep it this way.

The city's role in the 1810 Independence movement starts at the Alhondiga de Granaditas, an 18th century granary that became a fortress for Spanish royalists during the war. According to history, a brave young miner known as el Pipila (young turkey) gained immortality after heroically setting the building's wooden door ablaze under enemy fire. This action allowed the insurgents to defeat the Spanish army. Today, the building houses a superb Regional Museum filled with archaeological artifacts and many historical documents related to the War of Independence of 1810. One of the most important items on display is the small, faded banner bearing the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which became the battle flag of the insurgent army led by the priest Miguel Hidalgo.

A more grisly reminder of the war were the four heads of the heroes of the Independence--Allende, Hidalgo, Aldama and Jimenez--which were hung from the four corners of the Alhondiga by the royalists for nearly 10 years in retribution for the insurrection. At the end of the war in 1821, the heads were removed and laid to rest at the Monument to Independence in Mexico City (otherwise known as el Angel).

To view the oldest religious icon in Guanajuato, head to the pink Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato, which contains a wooden statue of the Virgin dating back to the eighth century. Legend has it that the statue was hidden from an attacking Moorish army for eight centuries in a cave in Granada, Spain. It was a gift to Guanajuato from Spanish King Felipe II in 1557, and became the Patroness of the city. The Basilica, located at one end of the Plaza de la Paz, is done in an early Baroque style.

Sitting tall on a winding street is the Diego Rivera Museum. The four-story home is where the famous Mexican muralist was born on Dec. 8, 1886. His parents were poorly paid teachers and they shared the house with several other families. Rivera was born the same day, year and hour as Spanish painter Pablo Picasso and, later, the two forged a lasting friendship. In his early years, Rivera copied the styles of many of the great masters including Picasso. In turn, it's said that Picasso stole ideas from Rivera. Approximately 100 works are on display including the paintings Rivera created at the tender age of 12.

The Iconographic Museum is for fans of Don Quijote. It is here that the character created by Miguel de Cervantes appears in hundreds of works done in oil, ink, metal, sculpture, on dishes and in murals. The majority of the pieces have been donated by the Spanish community in gratitude for being given political asylum in Mexico during Spain's dictatorship under General Franco. Pieces by Dali, Picasso and Mexico's own Rafael and Pedro Coronel and Raul Anguiano are part of the display.

The ornate Juarez Theater, inaugurated by President Porfirio Diaz in 1903 with a performance of "Aida," is the city's premier opera house. It's also the main venue for the city's annual performing arts extravaganza called the International Cervantino Festival. Punctuated by different styles, the theater's facade takes on a classical style with Doric columns. The foyer, however, is Art Deco and the interior is Moorish.

A story is told of the great tenor Enrico Caruso, who, in the 1920s, was invited to perform there. Caruso replied that he only traveled by train, so a wealthy patron of the arts built a railroad spur to the door of the theater just for him. Besides Caruso, John F. Kennedy and Charles de Gaulle are other celebrities who have visited the theater. Today, art students from the local university can be seen busily restoring the theater's paintings.

Guanajuato University, built of translucent light green quarry stone, is housed in an 18th century building that began its life as a hospital, later was turned into a convent, then a school, and in the 20th century became a full-fledged university. It's here that the estudiantinas, or musical groups of students wearing medieval capes and hats, serenade with mandolins and guitars. Another romantic tradition is the Festival of Flowers, which takes place the week before Semana Santa. Unattached young ladies and men stroll around the square and when a man catches a lady's fancy, she gives him a flower.

Guanajuato's very Victorian-looking Hidalgo market was built at the turn of the century from cast iron and glass. It's chock-full of the city's famous spun-sugar candies, handicrafts and food stalls. The city is also known for its Majolica ceramics that are made from special clay found near the city.

The height of colonial splendor can be seen in the La Valenciana church rising from the hills above Guanajuato. It was built by the Count of Valenciana near the silver mine of the same name that turned Guanajuato into the richest mining city of the Americas. Completed in 1788, the outside is decorated with elaborate Churrigueresque carvings while the inside features three altars done in ornate Plateresque, Baroque and Chiaroscuro styles. You can walk to the La Valenciana mine for a tour and descend into the cavernous body that once produced nearly one-third of the New World's silver.

A new addition to Guanajuato's tourist attractions is the opening of a "chamber of horrors" of the Spanish Inquisition: the ex- Hacienda Cochero Museum. The chief inquisitor of Guanajuato in the 18th century was a cruel man named Don Fernando Miera, who imposed a reign of terror on the populace. He had a secret prison built in the hacienda, which remained in operation for 40 years. On display are such torture instruments of the day as the "wheel," the "rack," the "impaler," the "screw," the guillotine and others.

The ex-hacienda de San Gabriel de Barrera on the southern outskirts of town is reminiscent of the opulent days of the silver barons. Destroyed by floods and the 1910 Revolution, the main house was later restored with antique furnishings. A beautiful family chapel with a gold leaf altar is nearby and the house is surrounded by 17 landscaped gardens, each named after a different country.

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE

An hour east by road from Guanajuato is San Miguel de Allende. Founded in 1542, the town has been declared a National Monument by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). No wonder: It is a masterpiece of colonial buildings and charm. Here, the visitor can also find one of Mexico's most celebrated artist and writer's communities and some of the most beautiful crafts in the country.

Although San Miguel's wealth depended on the silver trade, (as a transport point for Guanajuato silver), it was the Allende Institute that revived the local economy centuries later, in 1950, when the town had only two hotels, dirt roads and not much else. A fine arts and language school, the Institute has attracted such distinguished teachers as the well-known Mexican painter Rufino Tamayo. It has traditionally drawn a large American and Canadian student body and many have stayed on to become permanent residents. As Sara Hoch, an official with San Miguel's state tourism office, said, "we have a very diverse culture. This place is a magnet for a creative community."

Rufino Tamayo, however, was not the only famous Mexican muralist to venture here. David Alfaro Siqueiros started a mural of Independence hero Ignacio Allende at the Bellas Artes cultural center, but a scandal broke out when it was discovered that he was a communist (painting in a former convent), and the work remained unfinished. Siqueiros was thrown out by local authorities, never to return again. You can still see the outlines of the unfinished mural covering the ceiling, walls and floor at center. If the room is locked, drop into the main office and someone will open it for you.

The highest building of the city is the La Parroquia parish church, to one side of the main square. With soaring towers, the pink, sandstone church in Gothic-revival style was designed by an self-taught indigenous mason named Ceferino Gutierrez. He supposedly drew his model from picture postcards of European Gothic cathedrals. As the postcards did not show what the back of the church looked like, La Parroquia's rear is done in an incongruous Mexican style.

In front of the church is the social center of San Miguel, the El Jardin plaza, which is busy throughout the day until about sundown and then bursts to life again later at night. The plaza is filled with wrought-iron benches, perfect for people to watch the comings and goings of vendors, shoeshine boys, students and old men catching up on the latest gossip.

Many of the buildings surrounding the splendid colonial plaza are mansions converted into cafes or elegant galleries, jewelry shops, crafts boutiques selling elaborate tin ware, bronze work, hand blown glass, masks and stores with handsome, hand-made wooden furniture. San Miguel is also known for its world-class events such as the annual International Jazz Festival and the Chamber Music Festival. There are also callejoneadas, or processions accompanied by a village band, where anyone can join in. The fun starts at El Jardin at 8 p.m, Friday and Saturday nights.

A worthwhile side trip is to Atoltonilco to the impressive church of Jesus de Nazaret. About a 40-minute drive from town, the 18th century church has been undergoing a restoration for the last three years. It is from here that Miguel Hidalgo took the banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe and led the Insurgent army into battle. One of the most unusual aspects of the church is the beautiful mural depicting the life of Christ covering the interior, which took the artist Antonio Martinez de Pocasangre 30 years to complete. Healing properties have been attributed to the well water found on the church grounds and many still visit the site seeking a cure for their ailments.

QUERETARO

An hour's drive south of San Miguel de Allende you'll find Queretaro, which also played an important role in the War of Independence. Queretaro is the capital of the state by the same name and home to 1 million inhabitants.

During the early colonial period in the 16th century when Spain was trying to consolidate its religious conquest of Mexico, Queretaro was used as a jumping off point for Franciscan missionaries venturing into northern Mexico, Central America, and what is today the southwestern United States. Today, you'll find 42 well-preserved churches, 24 chapels and many seminaries that were founded by the Franciscans, who used Queretaro as their headquarters.

A fine example is the Church and Seminary of the Cross, set on the hill of Sangremal, where a famous battle between the Spanish and Chichimecan Indians took place. According to legend, the stone cross, located on the main altar of the church, is exactly like the one the Indians saw in the sky on July 25, 1531, the day they lost the battle. Cloisters, cells of the friars, a cold-storage kitchen and classrooms can be seen there. Today, the seminary is still a teaching facility and is occupied by 40 friars. It's also historically important as the army barracks of Emperor Maximillian and, later, his prison, when he was defeated in 1867. You can visit his small chamber with its 19th century furnishings.

The Independence Plaza in downtown Queretaro, home to the Palacio Municipal (Old City Hall), is where the heroine of the Independence, Dona Josefa Dominguez, or la Corregidora as she is known, uncovered a plot to arrest the insurgent leaders. She acted quickly and sent a message warning them and saved their lives. Elegant, arcaded colonial buildings in a superb state of restoration surround the plaza.

The nearby Theater of the Republic is another cherished historical building where Maximillian was finally sentenced to death and, in the next century, the Mexican Constitution of 1917 was written.

A visit to any one of these three colonial cities not only immerses the traveler in the grandeur of Mexico's colonial past, but also opens the door to the fascinating historical events that made Mexico a sovereign nation.

Patricia Alisau is a travel editor who used to five in Mexico City. She now makes her home in Atlanta, Georgia.