El Callejón del Beso – Guanajuato

Last Friday, we took our guests for a day trip to Guanajuato (pronounced “gw-on-uh-hwa-tow”). This is a famous location in this colonial city. There are various versions of the legend associated with this location. The following is my best reconstruction of what we’ve heard over the years.

Legend has it that a young couple still living at home were secretly dating. The father of the girl forbade her from ever seeing the boy and threatened to kill them both if he ever caught them together. They lived on opposite corners on the corner (rincón) of this alleyway (“callejón”). They were madly in love with each other and just couldn’t resist seeing each other. Finally, the father of the girl caught them kissing while leaning over the balconies of their respective homes. In a rage, he killed them both. Now they say that to come to the corner and give your lover a kiss will prove that the power of love is forever and can never be thwarted, even by death.