Staring up at the tall, spires of the neo-gothic church, we understood why so many people visit San Miguel de Allende. In addition to the fairytale-style church, they come to see the cobblestone streets that are ornamented with perfectly restored colonial homes. A nice day trip from San Miguel de Allende is to the small town of Atotonilco to see its ornately decorated church.
Founded as a small catholic outpost by Spanish monk, Juan de San Miguel, the settlement didn’t stay small for long. Due to its proximity to silver mines, it grew into a city rather quickly. The mines also meant that many residents became very wealthy. The city, called San Miguel de Grande at the time, was soon filled with beautiful buildings and was an influential city for many years.
In the 1800s, it played a vital role in the independence movement and was the site of many battles in the Mexican War of Independence. As a result, the city’s buildings and infrastructure suffered a lot of damage. After Mexico achieved independence from Spain, the city was rebuilt and renamed for resistance hero Ignacio Allende. He was second in command to leader of the movement, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.
San Miguel de Allende is located on the Freedom Trail in Mexico’s Colonial Highlands. You can read about our visits to other cities along this important trail in our posts about Morelia and Guanajuato.
The grand buildings that once were the pride of the wealthy city have since been restored and have made San Miguel de Allende one of the most visited cities in Mexico.
Parish Church of San Miguel Archangel
The iconic image of San Miguel de Allende is its central church. Once you stand in front of Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel you can see why it draws so much interest. Its multiple fluted towers, pointed spires and elongated windows make the building look like something out of a dream.
In the late1800s a local mason was called upon to design a new façade for the crumbling 17th century church. The self-taught architect was apparently quite taken with images of European churches he had seen on postcards and came up with the Disneyland-looking church we see today.
The pink colouring adds to its unique appearance and comes from volcanic rock found in nearby quarries.
Inside, it has a different glamor with chandeliers, stone arches and drapes framing the golden altar. At the side of the sanctuary are two paintings that contrast the rest of the bright room with their dark colours and somber mood.
El Jardin
The centre of the historic district revolves around El Jardin, also known as Parque Benito Juarez. This tree filled plaza is the heart of the city and its park benches are often filled by locals sitting in the shade of the trees. They barely seem to notice the tall church hovering above.
Another prominent building on the side of the square houses the Historical Museum of San Miguel de Allende. It is the birthplace of Ignacio Allende, one of the leaders of the fight for independence from Spain. A statue of the hero is proudly displayed on the corner of the building.
One afternoon when we were relaxing in El Jardin we noticed two Mojigangas in front of the church. These giant, colorful, papier-mâché puppets are often a part of parades and festivals in the city. One of the ones we saw was a caricature of renown Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
After spending time in El Jardin, it was time to explore the rest of the historic centre. Lining the surrounding cobblestone streets are beautiful historic buildings painted in an array of earthy tones. You can spend a few hours wandering these streets, getting lost in their history.
In a city filled with pretty streets, Calle Hermanos Aldama is often called the most picturesque of all. At first we didn’t think it was very special until we turned around to see one of the domes of Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel poking above. What makes this view more special is that you can’t see the dome from many other places in the city.
Since it is a Spanish colonial town, there are a lot more historic churches within walking distance. Most of them are still in great condition and each seems to have their own style.
Mirador
From El Jardin, we walked through the cute neighbourhood of Barrio del Chorro toward a Mirador (lookout) above the city. On the way we passed a pretty complex called Lavaderos del Chorro. Legend says that it was the discovery of a fresh spring on this hill that caused Friar Juan de San Miguel to select this spot for his new Catholic outpost. The city was later built at the base of the hill, but this complex of public baths and wash houses was built on this site to take advantage of the springs.
It was worth the climb to the Mirador on top of the hill. From it we had a perfect view of the old town. These fantastic views continued as we walked along the hilltop.
Even though it is a pretty, colonial city with a lot of high quality restaurants and hotels, we didn’t love San Miguel de Allende. Our negative feelings began with a bad experience on arrival. Two different hotels tried to charge us double, even though we had confirmed reservations. Then a few small shops tried to overcharge us for groceries. As well, the hotels and restaurants are highly overpriced for what they offer and we found the people to not be very friendly. Not nearly as friendly as we experienced throughout the rest of Mexico anyway.
It felt to us as though the locals have become jaded by their success as a very popular tourist site and are attempting to take full advantage. So, should you visit San Miguel de Allende? We think you should but, be aware of the prices you should pay versus what business try to charge you.
How to get to San Miguel de Allende
Being a very popular tourist town, it is very easy to reach San Miguel de Allende. The nearest airport is in the city of Leon, 1 ½ hours away. Most people arrive by road from Mexico City or one of the other nearby popular centres. You can easily drive to San Miguel de Allende on good roads. As well, there are frequent buses between Mexico City (Norte Station), Guanajuato and Morelia among others.
Where to stay and eat in San Miguel de Allende
We had two very bad experiences with accommodations even though we used Booking.com. The hotel we ended up with was honest, clean and well located so we recommend Hotel Santa Ana.
Do not stay in the hotel Antigua Casa de Piedra.
There are quite a few very good, but overpriced restaurants in the streets surrounding El Jardin. But away from the main streets you can find more local options. A favourite snack in Mexico is Chicharrón (pork rinds). It seemed to be especially popular in San Miguel de Allende with many restaurants displaying the pork rinds in their windows.
Sanctuary of Atotonilco Jesus of Nazareth
A nice day trip from San Miguel de Allende is to the small town of Atotonilco to see its church. It is often called the Sistine Chapel of Mexico because gorgeous frescoes cover the church’s ceiling. Sanctuary of Atotonilco Jesus of Nazareth was built in the 18th century by Father Luis Felipe Neri de Alfaro. According to legend, the priest had a vision of Jesus with a crown of thorns on his head, blood on his face and carrying a cross. The priest had his dream recreated on the ceiling of the church.
As we entered the atrium of the small church, we were immediately struck by the Mexican Baroque frescoes that decorate its ceiling. These beautiful paintings continue from the atrium and into the Sanctuary.
Even the side chapel was decorated with these lovely frescoes. It took artist Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre nearly 30 years to complete his masterpiece.
When we were there, several quinceañeras were taking place in the church. These are common in Latin American countries and are a celebration of a young woman turning 15. We saw a few of these teenagers posing in front of the church in princess dresses.
How to get to Atotonilco
Bus 7 travels between San Miguel de Allende and Atotonilco once an hour. The bus stop in San Miguel de Allende is marked as ‘Bus to Atotonilco’ on Google Maps. It leaves San Miguel on the ½ hour and leaves Atotonilco at quarter past the hour.
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