The Callejón del Beso is the most famous alley in Guanajuato, though fame seems an unlikely fate for a passage barely wide enough for one person to pass. The alley runs for just twenty metres, most of it climbing steep stone steps between two houses painted in traditional Guanajuato orange. What draws visitors here is not the architecture but a story: a tale of forbidden love, a father's rage, and a death on the third step.

The alley takes its name from the balconies above. At street level, the walls feel close. At the upper floors, they almost touch. The measured gap between the facing balconies is just 1.5 metres, narrow enough that neighbours could pass items hand to hand, narrow enough that lovers leaning out from opposite windows could meet in a kiss. This physical detail sits at the heart of the legend that has made the Callejón del Beso one of the most visited spots in the city.

The narrow Callejon del Beso in Guanajuato

The story follows a pattern familiar from Romeo and Juliet, though this version belongs entirely to Guanajuato.

Doña Ana was the only daughter of a wealthy man determined to marry her to a Spanish nobleman who would increase the family fortune. Ana had other ideas. She had fallen in love with Carlos, a miner without money or status, and the two met secretly at a local church whenever they could. When her father discovered the relationship, he confined Ana to her room and threatened to send her to a convent if she saw the young man again.

Carlos noticed that Ana's bedroom opened onto a balcony in one of the narrowest alleys in the city. The house directly opposite stood so close that the balconies nearly touched. He spent everything he had to rent the room across the gap. Each night, the couple would step onto their balconies to talk in whispers and hold hands across the darkness.

The arrangement could not last. One evening, as Ana and Carlos leaned across the void to kiss, her father burst into the room. Seeing his daughter with the penniless miner, he drew a dagger and killed her where she stood. Some versions say Carlos tried to leap across to save her and fell to his death on the steps below. Others say he died of grief shortly after. In every version, the story ends on the third step of the alley.

The gap between the two balconies

The legend has created a ritual that Mexican couples follow to this day. A kiss on the third step of the Callejón del Beso is said to guarantee fifteen years of happiness together. The superstition carries a warning: a kiss on any other step brings seven years of sadness. The third step, where Carlos is said to have fallen, is now watched over by his spirit, protecting lovers who honour the story.

Expect to share the alley with other couples performing the same ritual. The Callejón del Beso is one of the most popular sites in Guanajuato, and the steps are rarely empty during daylight hours.

The alley lies south of the historic centre, close to Plaza de los Ángeles and off the street called El Patrocinio. A vibrant green fountain at the lower end makes it easy to spot. At night, El Patrocinio fills with food stalls and a small market, making an evening visit easy to combine with dinner.

The residents who own the houses on either side allow visitors onto the famous balconies for photographs, typically charging 30 to 50 pesos. Standing where Ana and Carlos once reached across to each other adds a layer to the experience that the view from the alley floor cannot match. Photographers wait at the bottom of the steps offering to capture the moment, and while they are efficient, they can be persistent.

The alley's dimensions create a challenge for anyone hoping to photograph it empty. For shots without crowds, arrive before ten in the morning. Later in the day, patience and a willingness to wait for brief gaps between visitors are the only options.

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