Guanajuato City

A densely layered colonial city built in a narrow ravine in central Mexico, Guanajuato's silver mining wealth produced an extraordinary concentration of baroque architecture. The city is distinguished by its network of underground roads — former river channels — and steep alleyways connecting neighborhoods at different elevations. Colorful buildings stack directly above one another on hillsides, and the Callejón del Beso, a narrow alley where balconies on opposite walls nearly touch, is among the most photographed urban spaces in Mexico.