The Bajío home businesses treasure an immense historical and economic framework that has led them to be the gastronomic and artisan symbol of Guanajuato. Discover them!
The fertile lands of the Guanajuato Bajío give rise to a dynamic agricultural and livestock activity. Someone from the Salamanca region already said that "if ten thousand bushels of grain are sown, two hundred thousand can be harvested."
In the mid-19th century, the fertile fields of Irapuato welcomed the delicious strawberry, considered a delicacy of the gods in many other countries. In Irapuato you can enjoy crystallized strawberries, in chocolate, with cream or vanilla, and in its most recent form, with spice.
The ancient basketry works are another of the wonders of Irapuato. Some researchers propose that this activity, in Mexico, was born in the year 6000 BC. Researcher Laura Zaldívar tells us that “Basket weaving is currently in our country an activity carried out, almost always, by very poor peasants, the quality of their work is rarely recognized, and almost never well paid…
Understanding the effort that has been invested in producing something, apparently as simple as a basket, and recognizing that it is necessary to use magnetization and have sensitivity to make a lot of varas or zacatecas something useful and beautiful, will allow us to enjoy that object more. and to recognize the creative capacity that their authors have, despite the conditions in which they live.
In Salamanca, perhaps the most powerful industrial center in the state, the recipe for pasta snow, a product capable of delighting the most demanding palates, belongs only to a few families. We dare to say that the flavor of Salamanca's snow is one of the most appetizing in Mexico.
One of the oldest artisan traditions is that of flaked wax. His first works date from the end of the 19th century, although the use of wax was introduced in Salamanca by the Augustinian missionaries at the beginning of the 17th century. Salamanca dazzles the visitor with its incredible Wax Births, a tradition that has flowed through the years through the blood of the Salamanca families. The flaked wax works hold the first places in the country for the scrupulousness and originality of their designs.
In Celaya you will find echoes of a deeply handmade atmosphere and you will not be able to escape the cloying charm of its typical sweets. Due to the attacks of the Chichimecas, the Franciscan friars who arrived in the area were forced to build a defensive fort. A curious fact is that of the legend that says "De Forti Dulcedo", impregnated in the shield of the city of Celaya and which means "the sweetness of the strong" or "of the strong is the sweetness", as if the great importance of this city in culinary activities.
A large number of goats lived in the city of Celaya, which led to the birth of the cajeta, which acquired its name and peculiar flavor due to the nevase made of wood and used since remote dates, the cajete. This tradition, which has also remained in the hands of Celayo families, dates back to 1820.
To enjoy Celayo handicrafts, just look for the traditional cardboard works and the newborn activity of the alebrijes. If you are considering a place to kill three birds with one stone: visit, eat and admire, take note of this route: Irapuato, Salamanca and Celaya… You are going to love it!
