San Miguel de Allende

Must see! By Alexa Boyce San Miguel was founded in 1542, with the "de Allende" part being added later in honor of the independence patriot born there. San Miguel de Allende today is a city of vistas: the town was built on a hillside facing the Rio Laja and with a great view of the Guanajuato mountains. The view from the mineral spring El Chorro, in the center of town, has been declared a national monument. San Miguel is also famous for its nearly perfect year-round weather. It is also not as large as some other attractions nearby, and most sights can be reached from the town center on foot. El Chorro: Of course, if you are visiting San Miguel de Allende, the view from El Chorro cannot be missed. The entire city builds up to it in terraces, and the brightly colored domes of at least 20 churches can be seen from the top. Plaza Principal: According to Footprints travel guides, this serves as a sort of "open-air living room for the whole town". Social life in San Miguel revolves around the market and the Jardin here. It is surrounded by several colonial buildings of note, including the Palacio Municipal, the elaborately decorated La Parroquia church, and the church of San Felipe Neri a the southwest end of the market. Palo Huerfano: This mountain is situated on the south end of town. It will take a good day to hike it, but once again, the views are absolutely breathtaking. Comonfort: Along the way to Celaya, 3 km north of Comonfort, you will run into some pre-Colombian ruins near Rancho Arias. It's definitely worth a look for any amateur archaeologist! La Concepcion: The large baroque style building was erected in 1734 as a summer convent for the Condes de Canal. Today it houses both the Art school of Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramirez Nigromonte and also the language school Instituto Allende.