This rather small, picturesque bridge, of cantera stone, was built in 1778. It is one of few bridges in Guanajuato that was not built over the river. Its purpose was to provide access - from the street known as Subida del Tecolote - to one house in particular on this street. That house dates back to the 18th century, and its entrance was originally at street level. Due to the street being lowered on two separate occasions, the entrance to the house "rose" above street level. Records show that in 1844 the street was lowered for the first time so that carriages could pass through, and that in 1878 it was lowered once again, to its current level.
As a result, the bridge then served to provide access to the house. Not by the original door, however - rather, the entrance was through what was once the window that looked out onto Subida del Tecolote. In the house of Provincial Governor Riaño, next to the house previously mentioned, stairs were built in the foyer to resolve the entrance problem. Both residences are fine examples of Classical and Neoclassical architectural styles.
In his beautiful book Guanajuato: callejones, calles, plazas, y plazuelas, Alfonso Prado Soto reminds us that the name "El Campanero" comes from the mid-19 th century, when this was the site where a man rang a bell announcing the arrivals and departures of carriages that came and went along the Royal Road.
