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Father Juan de San Miguel, a Franciscan missionary, who was born in Spain, founded San Miguel de Allende in 1542. The original settlement of San Miguel was an Indian mission near the present railroad station, and was named for Father Juan's own patron saint. It was known as San Miguel Viejo. During the later part of the 16th century, the settlement was moved near the springs of El Chorro. The town flourished with farming, ranching and tanneries. San Miguel Viejo became San Miguel Grande.
The heroes of the independence movement were born in San Miguel Grande: Allende, Hidalgo, Jimenez and Aldama. Allende joined forces with Father Hidalgo (the parish priest in nearby Dolores). On September 16, 1810, Father Hidalgo delivered his Cry of Independence speech (El Grito). The cry led to revolution; unfortunately, the Spanish government defeated the insurgents.
Hidalgo, Allende, Jimenez and Aldama were executed. Their heads hung in cages outside of the Guanajuato granary (Alhondigo).
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On March 8, 1926, the Guanajuato state government honored Allende's heroism by renaming San Miguel Grande to San Miguel de Allende. It was declared a National Monument that preserves the historical nature of this colonial town. With the establishment of the Instituto in the l950's, the foreign population began to grow in San Miguel. Currently, Americans and Canadians comprise the majority of the foreign community. The foreign population is approximately 5,000 strong.
You will find San Miguel de Allende charming, courteous and friendly. We hope that this book will help you to enjoy and learn about San Miguel de Allende and its surrounding areas such as Guanajuato, Mineral de Pozos, San Gabriel, Dolores Hidalgo and Queretaro.
This information was generously provided by San Miguel
Guide. For more valuable information on San Miguel de
Allende please go to: http://www.sanmiguelguide.com/.
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