Travel Mexico
Colorful façades abound in San Miguel de Allende.
Old Mexico Charm A sense of history permeates San Miguel de Allende, whose founding dates back to 1542
By Fred J. Eckert hen most people think of visiting Mexico, they think of beach resorts or archeological ruins. Places such as Acapulco and Cancún or Chichén Itzá and Palenque. Interesting, pleasant places to be—all of them nice to visit. But if you want to experience the real Mexico, you’ll find what you’re searching for in one of the Spanish colonial towns or cities that has retained the flair of Old Mexico. The best one, many agree, is a picturesque small historic colonial town that sits just about in the middle of the country in the Bajío mountains of the state of Guanajuato. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, doesn’t merely look historic—it’s genuinely historic. Founded in 1542, it came to be known as San Miguel after 58 I N S I G H T Feb. 25–March 3, 2022
Franciscan monk Fray Juan de San Miguel, who founded it and who was beloved for his work among Native Americans in the area. The town’s distinctive and highly colMEXICO orful facades look today as they did at their finest moments, unblemished with any intru- SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE MEXICO sions of a more contemporary appearance. This CITY is because the government of Mexico made it a national monument in 1926, thus placing heavy restrictions on altering the town’s historic central district. No new building and no renovation have been—or will be—allowed unless it retains San Miguel de the city’s historic colonial characteristics. Allende is located Walk about the historic central district of about 170 miles this town and you’ll see that it’s all of the little northwest of things that make such a big difference. Or, more Mexico City. accurately, it’s the lack of all of those little things that give it the charm of Old Mexico.
