San Miguel de Allende
Type: City
Location: Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato
San Miguel de Allende, or Protective Town of San Miguel de Allende and Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco, is one of the most beautiful cities I have been in my life, and it is in Guanajuato! My home state. Let me start by saying that San Miguel de Allende has won six consecutive times the award of the best city to visit, according to the magazine Travel + Leisure. Maybe the reason for the city winning this award many times is that the people there are so kind to tourists and that the buildings were built in the style of the Mexican baroque. So, that’s a pretty attractive place to visit if you ask me. Walking down the streets of San Miguel de Allende it’s beautiful, you almost feel like you went back in time to Colonial Mexico. An amazing fact is that approximately 10 thousand American ex-pats live in San Miguel de Allende, being one of the most desired cities to retire in Mexico for American citizens.
Additionally, San Miguel de Allende is a city considered world heritage by UNESCO. In Colonial times, the city served as a melting pot where Spaniards, Creoles, and Amerindians exchanged cultural influences. This happened because San Miguel de Allende was a stepover on the Antiguo Camino Real, part of the silver route from Zacatecas. The silver route is the route minerals extracted from the mines in Zacatecas and Guanajuato followed to reach Mexico City.
The central plaza, or better known as “El Jardín” is the place to go when you visit the city. Near El Jardín we have one of the most iconic places in San Miguel de Allende, I’m talking about the “La Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel.” The strange pinnacles of the church were designed by an indigenous stonemason in the late 19th century. Allegedly, he based the design on a Belgian postcard and instructed builders by scratching plans in the sand with a stick.
Last summer I went to San Miguel de Allende with my friends to go out to visit the city bars. Sadly, we got there late and Covid rules, at that time, said that nobody was able to make a reservation after 7 pm. Also, they closed early, around 10 pm. A curious fact, In Mexico most young adults don’t call San Miguel de Allende by its name. Instead, they call it “San Mike” which is a mix between the name in Spanish and the translation of Miguel to English.
If you ever find yourself in town, go and visit Duke nightclub. From what my friends have told me, it’s the best club in town. Also, if you’re in town, wake up early and head to El Jardín, there’s always something going on there. In “El Jardín you can buy an ice cream or an “elote” and sit on one of the benches to admire the beautiful scenery that San Miguel de Allende has to offer.
Reference:
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1274/
https://www.travelandleisure.com/worlds-best/cities
https://www.milenio.com/internacional/nominan-san-miguel-allende-ciudad-mundo
Jardin-Principal-2-San-Miguel-de-Allende.jpg
This place sounds so amazing, like something out of a fairytale! I really loved how you said that all of the people are kind there, its not something that is typically said in tourist review blogs. I also like you you explained the origin of the name and city. I would love to go visit there one day!
I like how you added the information that San Miguel de Allende has won the award of the best city to visit six consecutive times. The Travel + Leisure information supports your idea of the city being beautiful and lively obviously, but the source is brought up casually. Also, El Jardín looks amazing. The pictures you use to share are always an accurate representation of how you describe the place.