Cañada, Guanajuato
La Cañada (officially known as Cañada de Caracheo) is a small town in the municipality of Cortazar, in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. City elevation is 1 mile (5643 feet) above sea level; with a population of about 3,500. Founded in 1612, La Cañada lies between the hills of La Gavia and El Culiacán. The word Cañada refers to the Spanish word for land between two elevated bodies of earth; Caracheo comes from the Purépecha word carachi, which means dried water.
La Cañada is known for having some of the richest culture in the state, with the Fiesta del Padre Nieves every March 10 and the Fiesta de La Virgen de los Dolores starting a week before Easter Sunday, and running from Thursday 12 pm to Monday 6 am, with festivities throughout the year including the Novenas during the summer, Dia del Joven, Fiestas Patrias, and November 11 to commemorate Fray Elias del Socorro Nieves becoming a saint in the Vatican. (Cañada de Caracheo has its own saint.)