Overlooking Guanajuato and behind and above our hotel, was a very large statue of Pipila. It was a very useful landmark for orienting ourselves.
Toby always seemed to know where Pipila was. But me?? Not so much. So it became a bit of a game. he'd ask me..."Where's Pipila?" I'd look around. Take a guess. Mostly wrong.
So who was Pipila?? He was a poor crippled man who became a hero during the battle for independence from the Spanish. Early in the Independence Movement, the Spanish barricaded themselves into a large stone building where they hoped to stay until reinforcements arrived.
On September 28, 1810, Pipila strapped a large stone on his back to protect himself from the Spanish arrows, grabbed a bucket of tar and a flaming torch, and ran to the only vulnerable part of the building, the large wooden door. When he arrived at the door, he covered it in tar and set it on fire. The smoke allowed other Independence fighters to rush the building and demolish the door.
Our heroe's real name was Juan Amaro. Pipila was a nickname he was given because he walked "like a turkey" - a Pipila. The statue, which was built in 1953, is 20 meters tall and depicts Pipila as a very big strong man.
Pictures
1 & 2) Courtesy of Google...a picture of Pipila and the funicular that you can take to get up to visit Pipila.
3) Our tickets for the funicular. I really liked how they looked. Kinda old fashioned and classy
4) There was a big platform around the statue of Pipila, with lots of people and vendors. It was a fun place to hang out for a while.
5) Our picture from the funicular. It was a pretty fun ride!
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