San Miguel De Allende

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San Miguel De Allende

 North America » Mexico » San Miguel Allende By Traveller1
March 28th 2007 Here we are in San Miguel de Allende, that icon of norte americano, european, gringo cosmapolitan ambiance or so the rumer has it. Actually, the town is quite small with only about 70,000 inhabitantes, according to the Lonely Planet guide. Perhaps its a town you like because has more europeans or dislike for the same reason.

The town was established as a Spanish garrison in 1555 after the Spanish pacified, as they säy, the local Otomi and Chichimecs. Its importance was to protect the new road from Mexico City to the silver town of Zacatecas, which we plan to vist later.

San Miguel proved important in the events leading to the independence of Mexico from Spain

We have been here about a week and will be pushing off to Guanajuato tomorrow i.e. March 28th.

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Photos

Parroquia De San Miguel Arcangel
Parroquia in Spanish means parish church and is usually the principle church in the town, although there may be many others. We caught her basking in the early morning light with a pink glow.

Street Scene
As has been the case in many of the towns we've visited, Sam Miguel has its'share of colourful houses and shops abutting the street.

Postres at only $.30 each!
It is impossible to walk down any street in SM and not encounter a panadoria, basically a shop selling baked treats of all types. We often find ourselves scarfing these down in the El Jardin i.e. the central garden square, or anywhere else with a bench. Normally, we eat in the Mexican market and have never seen any other europeans or norte americanos there, which is good since it keeps the prices down.

El Chorro
San Miguel was founded by a Franciscan friar, Juan de San Miguel who established the town at a local spring. El Chorro, i.e. the spring, which still flows in Parque Benito Juarez withing walking distance from the town centre. It is still used by local women to wash cloths.

What a Job
Early one morning we were surprised by a marching band outside of our room with costumed characteres frolicking in the street. The parade was led by a flat bed truck upon which this fellow and a woman were in bed, at least I thought that there was a woman, but by the time I got my camera out she had disappeared and there he was by his lonesome.