Once a sleepy
colonial town, San Miguel changed in the 1930s when Unitedstatesian and Canadian
expatriates retired to this
Guanajuato village for artistic
inspiration or simply to be left
alone.
San Miguel began as a
mission, which then turned into a market
center for the surrounding haciendas. Native son and
soldier Ignacio Allende along with
Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo conspired to
overthrow the Spanish rule, thereby explaining why San Miguel and the state of
Guanajuato are considered to be the cradle of
Mexican independence. It became a
city in 1826 and had Allende added to its name in honor of the independence hero. A steady decline in the
city seemed to stop after the
Mexican government declared the city a historical monument in 1926. Modern
construction was banned in the downtown "district" and the old, crumbling,
colonial buildings around the central
plaza were restored. Lastly, if you had to describe the
city in one sentence or less it would be: "
Artsy-fartsy,
cosmopolitan, miniature version of
Guanajuato city or any other small, college-influenced
town around the world which is influenced by quote-unquote
coolness."