Callejón del Beso (Alley of the Kiss)

Mexico Desconocido, a Mexican travel magazine, gives the width of the alley as 68 centimetres, and other travel sources also quote about 68 cm. At that width people on facing balconies can lean across and nearly touch. English Wikipedia describes Guanajuato as filling a tight valley, where many streets wind as pedestrian-only alleys or steep staircases, and calls the Callejon del Beso one of its most famous alleys.

According to Mexico Desconocido, Carmen was the only daughter of a violent, authoritarian father. Luis, a poor miner from a nearby village, courted her, and when her father found out he locked her up and threatened to send her to a convent, while wanting her to marry an elderly Spanish noble for his wealth. Carmen asked her lady-in-waiting, Brigida, to send Luis a letter with the bad news, and Luis then moved into the house across from hers, whose balcony faced the alley so closely that he could touch the opposite wall. The lovers talked from balcony to balcony until one day her father burst into her room and stabbed her with a dagger, and Luis kissed her hand for hours after she died.

Other tellings change the details. Some versions name the lovers Ana and Carlos, and the ending varies. This is a folk tale and not a documented event, and Mexico Desconocido does not say whether it is based on real events. A related piece of folklore holds that couples who kiss on the third step, which is painted red, will gain seven years of happiness together.

The alley is part of a historic town that UNESCO inscribed in 1988 as the Historic Town of Guanajuato and Adjacent Mines. Spanish explorers found silver deposits in the 1540s, and the outpost was formally established as Real de Minas de Guanajuato in 1548. Wikipedia reports that the city sits at about 2,045 m above sea level and had about 70,000 residents in the 2020 census. Floods in 1760 and 1780 nearly destroyed it, prompting ditches and tunnels, and many of those channels were later converted into roads, so the city also has a network of underground streets. The La Valenciana silver mine began operating in 1774.

Nearby sights in the city include the Teatro Juarez, built between 1872 and 1903 and inaugurated with Verdi's Aida, the Alhondiga de Granaditas, the site of the first battle of the Mexican War of Independence on 28 September 1810, and the Jardin de la Union, a triangular garden beside San Diego Church. The alley is also a frequent final stop for callejoneadas, the roving musical walks led by student groups.

The alley is short and often busy, and the experience is mostly about the atmosphere and the story. It is best understood as one stop in a longer walk through the center, where a local guide can tell the legend, point out nearby sights and explain how the city grew from a mining camp. A private guided walk is a good way to handle the steep, narrow streets at a comfortable pace.