An hour and a half east of Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo is where the priest Miguel Hidalgo issued the Grito of 1810 that started the Mexican War of Independence. The parish church on the central plaza is the symbolic birthplace of the nation; Hidalgo's house museum nearby has been preserved.
Beyond the history, Dolores is now the capital of Mexico's talavera pottery industry, and the shops around the plaza sell some of the country's best (and most affordable) colourful tableware. The ice-cream stalls on the plaza are famous for their unusual flavours — corn, avocado, mole, even tequila.