Best driving route from W Coast US to Guanajuato

[doncoulter]

If safety is truly paramount, I would avoid the West Coast route, which takes one through several sketchy cities, not to mention the labyrinth of Guadalajara, and drive first to Laredo, TX, then head south from there. I never remember the highway numbers, but the route is obvious, toward Monterrey and then San Luis Potosí. Just be careful to take the toll road that goes around Monterrey and, similarly, the libramiento around SLP. If one fails to do so, getting lost is likely, and getting ticketed for DWF (driving while foreign) is almost guaranteed. A convenient overnight stop roughly halfway along that route is Matehuala. If you avoid the libramiento there and stay on the main highway, a popular hotel, right on the highway and on the northern end of town, is Las Palmas. I prefer to go into downtown Matehuala, but that would be a little complicated for first-timers.