Guanajuato is a state in the central highlands of Mexico. It is named after its capital city, Guanajuato, which comes from the local indigenous P'urhépecha language, meaning "Hill of Frogs". Las Ranas ("the Frogs") is a nickname for people from this state as frogs are their state animal. Guanajuato is the home state of former president Vicente Fox, muralist Diego Rivera and singer-songwriter José Alfredo Jiménez.

After central Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico coast, Guanajuato was one of the first areas of Mexico colonized by the Spanish, in the 1520s, for its rich silver deposits. Guanajuato's colonial architecture is very well preserved along with over 35 old churches in its capital alone.