Museo Regional de Guanajuato Alhondiga de Granaditas, Guanajuato

Admire an old and storied building at Museo Regional de Guanajuato Alhondiga de Granaditas, a former grain storehouse now containing an art and history museum. Built between 1798 and 1808, the building displays an impressive neoclassical architectural style and bears traces of its main uses, as a warehouse, military barracks, and then prison. Turned into a fortress by Spanish troops and loyalists in 1810, when a group of rebels led by Miguel Hidalgo lay siege to the building, the doors were eventually set ablaze and the rebels killed everyone inside. When the rebellion was quashed, the four main insurgents, including Hidalgo, were executed and their heads were hung from the four corners of the fort. They stayed there until Mexico gained its independence 10 years later. Acting as a prison from 1864-1948, the building now contains several murals and exhibits dedicated to heroes of the independence movement, and a large collection of pre-Columbian art. Plan to visit Museo Regional de Guanajuato Alhondiga de Granaditas and other customer-reviewed, writer-recommended Guanajuato attractions using our Guanajuato trip builder app.