Monumento Al Pipila — Attraction in Guanajuato

Great spot and a delightful view of El Centro, the downtown city center and the river of commerce that flows through its base. You can see a big chunk of this historic city from here but certainly not the whole thing, you need to visit La Buffa to see it all and that's a hike, like an actual hike with a bit of amateur rock climbing required. Bring a hiking stick if you go up there, it's like a third leg. But back to Pipila. There is a short funicular ride up for $40MX pesos. A steal compared to the heart attack you might have trying to take the path and steps which are not marked well, if at all. It doesn't look very far away or up and maybe technically it isn't but you aren't walking a ladder up to it so it's a pretty circuitous route. I recommend hitching a ride up on said funicular and then walking down from there. Behave like water here and you will never be lost. Just keep going downhill until you can't and you will be at the basin of the river of commerce and everything leads from there. Behave opposite of water and you will find little treasures off the beaten path. Better food and charming shops. You cannot get lost because if you don't know where you are you only need behave like water and soon enough you'll splash into the river of commerce again. This place was built up by geological forces and carved out by millennia of floods and monsoon rains. Don't fight it. Get lost. Be water. Be found. Find a bench....

Reseña en Español

El Monumento al Pípila en Guanajuato: historia, vistas y antojos

El Monumento al Pípila es uno de los íconos más representativos de Guanajuato. Fue inaugurado en 1939 y construido en cantera rosa por el escultor Juan Fernando Olaguíbel. Esta majestuosa estatua rinde homenaje a Juan José de los Reyes Martínez Amaro, mejor conocido como "El Pípila", un valiente minero que durante la Independencia de México se convirtió en héroe al prender fuego a la puerta de la Alhóndiga de Granaditas en 1810, permitiendo la entrada de los insurgentes.

Ubicado en el cerro de San Miguel, el monumento ofrece un mirador impresionante desde el cual se puede ver toda la ciudad de Guanajuato. Es un sitio que se puede visitar caminando o tomando el funicular, y vale completamente la pena.

El monumento al Pípila con su mirador es asombroso, y lo más interesante es que hay muchos negocios de comida alrededor para que uno pueda comer algo rico mientras disfruta del paisaje. Me recordó muchísimo a cuando fui de pequeña a Janitzio... esa mezcla entre historia, altura y sabor que se te queda en la piel.

La vista es simplemente increíble, se ve todo Guanajuato extendido como un mapa de colores y tejados. Solo que sí, jajaja, es una de las ciudades más calurosas de la vida, así que no olvides tu botellita de agua.

Review in English

The Monument to El Pípila in Guanajuato: history, views and tasty stops

The Monument to El Pípila is one of Guanajuato’s most iconic landmarks. It was inaugurated in 1939 and sculpted from pink stone by Juan Fernando Olaguíbel. This majestic statue honors Juan José de los Reyes Martínez Amaro, famously known as “El Pípila,” a brave miner who, during Mexico’s War of Independence, set fire to the doors of the Alhóndiga de Granaditas in 1810, allowing the insurgents to break through.

Located on San Miguel Hill, the monument features a breathtaking viewpoint from which you can see the entire city of Guanajuato. You can reach it either by foot or by funicular — and trust me, it’s absolutely worth it.

The Monument to El Pípila and its viewpoint are amazing, and what’s even more interesting is that there are plenty of food stands around, so you can eat something delicious while enjoying the view. It really reminded me of a childhood trip I once took to Janitzio… that blend of history, height, and flavor that stays with you.

The view is simply incredible, you can see all of Guanajuato spread out like a colorful quilt. Just know that, haha, it’s seriously one of the hottest cities ever, so bring your...

The government of this city is clearly becoming greedier. There were days that they allowed greedy companies with big money rent the viewing platform for dinners, but yesterday, Nov 29, on a Friday afternoon (and on a payday), they basically closed the majority of the platform for some horrible music festival. The platform was closed for the whole hour just when we arrived, with no actual event happening yet, just testing out loud obnoxious music with rude people working at the festival. If greedy corporate events like this continue to hog public and very popular viewing points like this, then it is truly a sad day for tourism for people from all over the world coming to this pretty little town that has...