San Miguel de Allende

Our first day trip from Querétaro was to San Miguel del Allende, 40 miles away in the neighboring state of Guanajuato. We had visited San Miguel on another day trip some 15 years ago while we were studying Spanish in Guanajuato (the city). Our recall from then was of a place overrun by North American tourists. This time it seemed different. We're not sure whether we've become more tolerant of our fellow citizens or whether the town has asserted its cultural identity more vigorously. Anyway, this time we did enjoy wandering the streets and appreciating the beautiful buildings and gardens.

San Miguel has an illustrious past – when Padre Miguel Hidalgo assembled his followers in 1810 to fight for independence from Spain, they gathered in San Miguel and attracted the leadership of General Ignacio Allende who was responsible for early victories until he was captured and executed. The town (formerly San Miguel el Grande) renamed itself San Miguel de Allende in his honor in 1826. http://www.internetsanmiguel.com/history.html

After many years of decline, the town established a thriving tourist and expatriate economy during the 1950s and since. Today of the population of some 80,000, almost 10% are expatriates, mostly from the USA. There are good reasons for their choice: San Miguel preserves its striking colonial ambience and adds lots of foreign-friendly services and attractions. The town was awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2008.

The central plaza (Jardin) is a well-tended garden surrounded by colonial treasures: construction of the Templo San Rafael began in 1564. The trademark Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel next to San Rafael was begun in 1689 and completed in 1730. But the famous neo-gothic tower that gives it its wedding-cake look was only added in 1880, by an architect reputedly influenced by picture postcards from Europe.

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