Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato

The city's main church, a deep yellow baroque pile completed in 1696 and dominating Plaza de la Paz at the centre of the colonial grid. The interior is rich in gilded altarpieces, but the focus is the silver-and-jewelled statue of the Virgin set on a base of solid silver — a gift from the Spanish crown in 1557.

Free to enter, dress modestly. The plaza outside is one of the most photographed corners of the city.

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The image of the Virgin enshrined here is said to have been given to the people of Granada by King Charles V in 1557, hidden from the Moors for centuries, and then brought to New Spain in 1577. It is the oldest piece of Christian art in Mexico.

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