Editing Guanajuato (city) (section)

===Alhóndiga de Granaditas===
[[File:Explanada de la Alhóndiga de Granaditas durante el FIC 01.JPG|thumb|Historical monument of [[Alhóndiga de Granaditas]] for a night concert during the [[Festival Internacional Cervantino|Cervantino Festival]].]]
Alhóndiga de Granaditas is a very large building covering an entire block. It was originally built to store enough grain to feed the city for a year to protect the population against famines such as those that occurred in 1783, due to crop failure.<ref name="descubre"/> This gave the building its name, which roughly translates to “house of grain.”<ref name="stampart11">Guanajuato, p. 11</ref> The building is two floors, nearly windowless with a very large courtyard in its interior.<ref name="rincones97"/><ref name="leyendasgto16">Leyendas, p. 16</ref> Construction began in 1798 under an architect named Durán y Villaseñor and terminated under José del Mazo.<ref name="mexdesgto"/>

The Alhóndiga only served its original function for eight months after it was built.<ref name="iniciaen"/><ref name="rincones9697">Gonzalez, pp. 96–97</ref> The main reason for its importance today is that it was the site of the [[Capture of Alhóndiga de Granaditas|first battle]] of the Mexican War of Independence between insurgents and royalist troops on September 28, 1810.<ref name="encmuc"/> When Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende and the insurgent army approached the city, royalist troops under Lieutenant Riaño and the city's elite took refuge in the building,<ref name="descubre"/> along with millions of pesos of silver and other loot.<ref name="leyendasgto16"/> The insurgents quickly surrounded the building, but the building proved difficult to penetrate due to the lack of openings and royalist gunfire.<ref name="leyendasgto16"/>

The battle remained a stalemate until a miner from San Miguel de Allende devised a way to approach the building's main entrance. This miner, whose name was Juan José de los Reyes Martínez, is better known as [[El Pípila]], who had joined the insurgent army as it passed through his hometown.<ref name="leyendasgto16" /> El Pípila strapped a large flat stone over his back and, carrying a flask of tar and a torch, crawled towards the main entrance. The stone protected him from the bullets fired at him. When he reached the heavy wooden door of the entrance, he smeared it with tar and lit it. This allowed insurgents to then take the building.<ref name="leyendasgto16" />

After the battle it was used as barracks, a tenement and tobacco warehouse.<ref name="rincones9697" /> From 1864 to 1949, it was used as the state penitentiary.<ref name="stampart11" /> In 1949 the building was converted into the Museo Regional de Guanajuato, documenting the history of the area and its role in Mexican national history from the pre-Hispanic period to the present divided among fourteen halls on the upper floor.<ref name="descubre" /><ref name="stampart11" /><ref name="rincones9697" /> On the ground floor there are large mascarons of [[José Mariano Jiménez]], [[Vicente Guerrero]], Ignacio Allende and [[Ignacio Aldama]]. The main hall has mascarons of Miguel Hidalgo and [[José María Morelos y Pavón]] who “guard” the national coat of arms. In front of this is an eternal flame that is renewed each September 28. The walls of the main stairwell contain mural work by [[José Chávez Morado]] that alludes to Independence.<ref name="descubre" /> It houses a large collection of ceramics from western parts of Mesoamerica, especially from [[Chupícuaro (archeological site)|Chupícuaro]]. It contains works by Guanajuato artist [[Hermeneguildo Bustos]] and photographer [[Romualdo García]].<ref name="rincones9697" /> There are displays related to the building itself, to its construction, its original function as a granary and its role in one of the first battles of the War of Independence.<ref name="iniciaen" /><ref name="reestructeran">{{cite news |title= Reestructuran la Alhóndiga de Granaditas |agency=Agencia el Universal |newspaper=El Universal |location=Mexico City |page=1 |date=October 14, 2010 |language=es |trans-title=Reconstruct the Alhondiga de Granaditas}}</ref> The large courtyard within the Alhóndiga is a traditional place to celebrate Mexico's Independence Day with the reenactment of Miguel Hidalgo's “El Grito de Dolores.” It is one of the sites for a number of the events of the Festival Cervantino.<ref name="rincones97" /> The museum was restored in 2010 for the [[Bicentennial of Mexico|Bicentennial]] by the [[INAH]] at a cost of 5.7 million pesos as part of similar museums in Dolores Hidalgo and San Miguel de Allende to form the Ruta de Independencia (Independence Route).<ref name="iniciaen" /><ref name="reestructeran" /> The work was the first renovation of the building in 20 years.<ref name="reabre">{{cite news |title= Reabre Alhóndiga de Granaditas |newspaper=Reforma |location=Mexico City |page=29 |date=October 12, 2010 |language=es |trans-title=Reopen Alhondiga de Granaditas}}</ref>