San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Bellas Artes	Bellas Artes	Bellas Artes	Bellas Artes	Bellas Artes
Bellas Artes	Bellas Artes	Bellas Artes	Cathedral	Cathedral
Cathedral	Cathedral	S.M.Allende	Sautto	Sautto
Sautto	Sautto	S.Francisco	C. Colon	Angel Peralta
Angel Peralta	S.M.Allende	Hist. Museum	La Salud	S.M.Allende

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Guanajuato State

Guanajuato is a state in the central highlands of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Guanajuato, Guanajuato. Guanajuato means "hill of frogs" in the local indigenous language, because the local Tarascan Indians believed that the frog represented the god of wisdom. Guanajuato is the home state of Mexico's current president, Vicente Fox Quesada and famous Mexican artist, Diego Rivera .

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After central Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico coast, Guanajuato was one of the first areas of Mexico colonized by the Spanish, in the 1520 s, for its rich silver deposits. Guanajuato's colonial architecture is very well preserved along with over 35 old churches in its capital alone, and is very European in nature.

Today, Guanajuato's mines are still among the richest-producing silver mines in the world (historically one of the largest). The state also produces tin, gold, copper, lead, mercury, and opals. Guanajuato also leads the nation in shoe production and various farm products such as lettuce and potatoes. Main Export Products: Motor vehicles and autoparts, footwear, leather goods, chemicals, electric machinery and materials, fruits and vegetables.

San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende is a small city located in the state of Guanajuato , in Mexico 's mountainous bajío region. The bajío (low place) is actually about 2000 m (7000 ft) above sea level, but it is a relatively flat region surrounded by mountains; it is a part of the Mexican altiplano. San Miguel serves as the administrative seat for the surrounding municipality of Allende, Guanajuato .

The city was founded in 1542 by a Franciscan monk as San Miguel El Grande. It was an important stop over on the Antiguo Camino Real, part of the silver route from Zacatecas, Zacatecas.

The town featured prominently in the Mexican War of Independence. General Ignacio Allende, one of San Miguel's native sons, was a leading player in the war against Spain for independence. Allende, captured in battle and beheaded, is a national hero. San Miguel el Grande renamed itself "San Miguel de Allende" in 1826 in honor of his actions.

By 1900, San Miguel de Allende was in danger of becoming a ghost town. Declared a national historic monument in 1926 by the Mexican government, development in the historic district is restricted in order to preserve the town's colonial character.

In the 1950s, San Miguel de Allende became a destination known for its beautiful colonial architecture and its thermal springs. After World War II San Miguel began to revive as a tourist attraction as many demobilized United States GI's discovered that their education grants stretched further in Mexico at the U.S.-accredited art schools, the privately-owned Instituto Allende, founded in 1950, and the Bellas Artes, a nationally chartered school. In the counterculture years of the 1960`s, San Miguel began its career as a center for American expatriotism and was a popular destination for Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, as recorded in Tom Wolfe ´s novel The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Beat writer Neal Cassady died beside the railroad tracks outside San Miguel after a party in town.

The presence of expatriates can be marked in a lot of ways. There are courses offered with expatriates in mind, there are concerts, and other activities that are not typically found in a Mexican town of this size. The most marked, and one of the most important marks of its utility to travelers is the friendliness and usefulness of the Immigration office there. It's one of the easiest places to get a new Tourist card in all of Mexico. Why? People who go there usually don't go much further south than Oaxaca.

It's worth your while to go to San Miguel for visa problems, especially if the alternative is Mexico City. Of all the Immigration offices, Mexico city is one of the most bureaucratic and hidebound of the bunch in Mid-Mexico. What can take several days in Mexico City may be settled in a few hours in San Miguel. They get less demand, are used to foreigners, and so are gentler on the foreigner.

Besides, its a nice place to rest from more hectic Mexican cities, the climate is mild, and it can amuse you for a few days. Some people seem to be captured by it, so beware.

In San Miguel you will find an amazing mixture of people, from retired Americans, Mexican locals, International college students, and common travelers. All seem to have meshed together perfectly to maintain the integrity and historic value of the city.

From Wikitravel and Wikipedia

Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel

Like every building in San Miguel, the town's striking centerpiece has its own trademark tale. Originally constructed in 1683, the church was slated for a facelift in 1880 and now is having a new one. The main artisan in charge of construction was an Indian named Zefferino Gutierrez (who was illiterate) who is said to have modeled the refurbished structure from a postcard he had found of the Cathedral of Cologne from Germany.

Current Events in San Miguel

Central International of Hostel Reservation

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