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In the last few years San Miguel has been given a makeover. The churches have been restored to their former glory. The electric, and cable TV wires have been put underground, in conduits along with the transformers, and all the poles have been taken down. The telephone wires (because of the underground moisture problem for communication cables) have almost all been run over the roof tops, out of sight. Every facade has been replastered and painted with a fresh coat of earth tone white-wash too. So if you haven’t been down in a few years, you will be impressed and delighted with the changes. So NOW is the time to come to beautiful San Miguel de Allende!
An Exceprt from my, “Walking Tours of San Miguel de Allende”.
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Walking Tours of San Miguel de Allende
by William J. Conaway
Introduction to San Miguel
San Miguel de Allende was declared a National Monument by the Mexican government in 1928, and later the United Nations added the town to the list of International Treasures to be conserved.
There is a large foreign colony in San Miguel. The reasons most of them choose San Miguel vary from person to person, but the most important one is the arts. San Miguel’s traditional support for the arts may be traced back to 1781, when it contributed to the upkeep of an official academy of art in the capital. San Miguel became an art colony, for foreign residents, beginning around 1951. With the help of Americans Nell Fernández, Stirling Dickinson, and the G.I. Bill, the Instituto Allende opened its doors. Veterans, disabled or retired, poured in to study art and/or live in inexpensive post-war México. There’s more culture in San Miguel than in most large cities in the States.
Some like living here because of the climate. It never seems to get too hot or cold, too wet or dry. The average temperature is 64 degrees (F), and the average rainfall per year is 27 inches. The nights are cool enough to use a blanket, and the days warm up as the sun climbs. Eternal Spring!
Also, San Miguel has a unique charm of its own. The native-born residents don’t understand it any more than foreigners do, but it’s there. One of the things you can see and feel about this town is that it doesn’t change. You can leave it for as long as you wish, but when you return it’s almost like you never left. Even some of the same people can be sitting in the Jardín right where you left them! Sure, there’s more traffic, new restaurants, and different shops, the outlying colonias are much bigger, but the feel of the town is still there just as you remember.
Within about two blocks of the Jardín lies (not too surprisingly) a majority of San Miguel’s most famous historical homes and churches. Enjoy the extraordinary beauty of a colonial Mexican town, well preserved through the centuries.
Tags: Mexico Walking Tours, san miguel, San Miguel de Allende
Living and Writing in Mexico 