Teatro Juárez is Guanajuato's opera house and concert hall, on the Jardín de la Unión in the city center. Doric columns and bronze statues of the Greek muses front a neoclassical façade, while the interior is Moorish in style, with red and gold, carved wood and stained glass. It was inaugurated in 1903 and is named after President Benito Juárez. The theater is open for visits only when no performance is scheduled, and its 902 seats still fill for concerts and operas. Go in to see the lobby and bar, or buy a ticket and hear the University of Guanajuato Symphony Orchestra.
Mining money and a monastery site
Teatro Juárez reflects the wealth Guanajuato gained from silver mining in the 19th century. Construction began in the 1870s on a site that had first held a monastery, part of the neighboring church of San Diego, and later a hotel. The ruins of the monastery can still be found below street level.
President Porfirio Díaz inaugurated the theater in 1903. It is named after Benito Juárez, the Mexican president who was based in Guanajuato during the Reform War. The theater has seen several rounds of adaptation and modernization, and today it seats 902.
The façade and the steps
The front was inspired by ancient Greece and Rome. Twelve Doric columns with brass capitals carry the portico, which is topped with bronze statues of the Greek muses. Lamp posts stand along the front. The rows of steps and the columns recall the Pantheon in Rome.
The steps are a meeting place for locals and visitors alike. Right next door is the Iglesia de San Diego, built of red sandstone that gives it a slightly pink tone.
Inside the theater
The interior surprises many first-time visitors, because it does not follow the Greek style of the exterior. The main auditorium is decorated in a Moorish, or Neo-Mudejar, manner, with red and gold nearly everywhere. The lobby and bar are finished in carved wood, stained glass and precious metals, and a crystal lamp hangs in the lobby. Some descriptions also place the decoration in the Art Nouveau tradition.
If you attend a performance, you see the hall as it is meant to be used. The University of Guanajuato Symphony Orchestra plays here, and programs include Mexican and European composers.
Visits, tickets and language
The theater can be toured, but only when no performance is scheduled. Tour commentary is likely to be in Spanish, and the same goes for plays. A concert is the easier choice if you do not know the language.
Tickets for performances are sold from the alley on the side of the building, usually the day before, and payment there is in cash. Sellers in costume in front of the theater also sell tickets for the evening show. The theater has a wheelchair accessible entrance, elevator and restroom.
During the Cervantino festival, which is inspired by the work of Miguel de Cervantes, the theater is the principal venue.
Around the theater
The Jardín de la Unión faces the theater. It is a triangular, tree-shaded plaza with restaurants around it, and on weekends there is banda music from 7:00 p.m. The area is busy in the evening and much quieter in the morning.
The funicular station is behind the theater, around the corner. It goes up to the El Pípila monument, and the ride is a good plan for about an hour before sunset.
FAQ
Can you go inside Teatro Juárez without seeing a show?
Yes. The theater can be toured when no performance is scheduled, and the afternoon is a good time to find it open. Tour commentary is likely to be in Spanish.
Where do you buy tickets?
For performances, tickets are sold the day before from the alley on the side of the building leading to the funicular, and payment is in cash. Sellers in costume in front of the theater also sell tickets for the evening show.
Are performances in English?
Plays are usually in Spanish. A concert is the better choice if you do not speak the language.
Is Teatro Juárez wheelchair accessible?
The theater has a wheelchair accessible entrance, elevator, restroom and parking lot.
Where is the funicular to El Pípila?
The station is behind Teatro Juárez, just around the corner. Going up about an hour before sunset gives you the view over the city in the evening light.
