San Miguel de Allende is a Mexican city with a good deal of cultural and historical significance. The city is known for both it’s historical architecture and it’s still-thriving art scene, and there’s plenty for tourists to check out while they’re visiting. From visiting the San Miguel Arcangel Parish to checking out the La Esquina Toy Museum, join ViewCation as we find the best things to do in San Miguel De Allende, Mexico.
Visit the San Miguel Arcangel Parish
The San Miguel Arcangel Parish stands as one of the most iconic sights in all of San Miguel de Allende, and it’s location means that there are quite a few areas in the city where the beautiful historical building is visible. The San Miguel Arcangel Parish looms over the city of San Miguel de Allende both literally and figuratively, and tourists will find themselves just as in awe of the building from afar as they will be when they venture up close to it. The architecture of the historical building is hypnotizing, and it draws tourists into it’s vicinity with it’s spell. The church’s base was constructed during the 1600s, and the rest of it was constructed a few hundreds years later. The building has been maintained to look just the same as it did when it was finished, and it’s fairly unique in terms of Mexican architecture. It has been said that the man who was responsible for putting the defining finishing touches on the church during the 1800s was inspired by Belgian designs.
Within the church itself, you’ll find plenty of beautiful pieces of artwork. One of the most stunning of all of the pieces of artwork in the church would have to be it’s central image of Cristo de la Conquista. This image dates back to around the time that the base of the building was first constructed, and long before it’s overall iconic appearance was finalized. The land also serves as the burial ground for several Mexican war heroes from around the time of it’s original use.
Venture Into El Jardin
The heart of the city of San Miguel de Allende is an area that is known as El Jardin, and it is always alive with a vibrant pulse! If you’re looking to experience the city in a nutshell, this is the way to do it! You can get a great view of El Jardin from the aforementioned San Miguel Arcangel Parish, and vice versa. Several more historical buildings can be found within the area of El Jardin itself, though there’s plenty more to keep tourists entertained than just the gorgeous architecture. The area isn’t referred to as the heart of the city for nothing, as it’s always bustling with life and culture. It’s rare for there not to be live music and dancing found at some point within El Jardin, even in the dark hours of the morning.
If you’re only going to enter into one of the buildings that can be found within the area of El Jardin, you might want to make it the Historical Museum of San Miguel de Allende. The historical building housing this historical museum was once the home of a war hero named Ignacio Allende, who helped win the Mexican War of Independence during the early 1800s. It seems poetic that this war hero’s house should serve to showcase some of the area’s rich history to tourists visiting the city of San Miguel de Allende today.
Visit the Archaeological Site of Cañada de la Virgen
While all of the aforementioned attractions that we’ve taken a look at within the city of San Miguel De Allende have had rich historical and cultural importance, the archaeological site of Cañada de la Virgen is something else entirely. Though both of the aforementioned buildings, whether the San Miguel Arcangel Parish or the Historical Museum of San Miguel de Allende, date back several hundreds years, the archaeological site of Cañada de la Virgen dates back around 1,000 years! There are some who even claim that the site may date back to as far as the sixth century!
The archaeological site of Cañada de la Virgen may be ancient, but it’s only been open to the public for around a decade. Because of this, word of mouth hasn’t spread far enough for the area to become a crowded tourist trap. Still, it’s only a matter of time before the world realizes the wonders that can be found within the ancient city! Cañada de la Virgen seems to have been more than just a functioning city, as there are numerous relics that indicate that the area was held as a beacon of wisdom throughout not only the entirety of ancient Mexico, but possibly even farther.
Cañada de la Virgen is of particular interests to archaeologists due to the seemingly intricate nature of the site’s design. It seems that a great deal of mathematical knowledge went into the construction of the ancient city, and modern experts are perplexed at just how the people of the time managed such staggering feats as the ones displayed today within the archaeological site. It seems that wisdom of these ancient people may have really been worth travelling across the world for, as pilgrims were said to have done.
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Check Out the Botanical Garden of El Charco de Ingenio
We’ve talked plenty about the history of San Miguel de Allende’s people, but the city also has some staggering natural beauty to offer it’s tourists. This beauty is exemplified to no greater degree than in the stunning botanical garden of El Charco de Ingenio, which consists of nearly 200 acres of finely preserved land. This nature preserve is just as beautiful as any of the aforementioned architectural works that we’ve discussed in this video, but in a different way.
The botanical garden of El Charco de Ingenio was first opened up during the early 1990s, and it was created as a means to help protect San Miguel de Allende’s natural land. Just as the aforementioned historical buildings have been finely preserved to look as if they’ve been untouched by the modern world, so to has the land of El Charco de Ingenio been kept in it’s natural state. In this way, El Charco de Ingenio is another aspect of San Miguel de Allende that will make tourists visiting the city feel as if they’ve ventured not only to another place, but to another time. There are plenty of places to have picnics within the garden, and tourists will be able to hike for hours on end without seeing the same sight twice. The garden also plays host to some events.
Experience San Miguel de Allende’s Art Scene
In addition to it’s renowned historical architecture, the city of San Miguel de Allende is also known the world over for it’s bustling art scene, which is still thriving today. The art scene of San Miguel de Allende is exemplified most specifically in two locations, with those two locations being the Instituto Allende and the Fabrica la Aurora. The Instituto Allende is a widely venerated art school that draws in students from all around the world. Meanwhile, the Fabrica la Aurora is an art center formed out of an old textile mill, and it contains numerous shops, eateries, and art galleries showcasing various mediums. Both locations offer distinct experiences for visitors, and are equally welcoming to tourists.
As one might expect given it’s location within the city of San Miguel de Allende, the Instituto Allende is housed within a notable historical building. The building housing the venerated art school was once the home of a powerful Mexican family during the 19th century, which is when the building was constructed. The building was turned into the art school it stands as today during the 1950s, and the school has since garnered a reputation as one of the most prestigious around. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the rich area surrounding the school, as well as the school’s building itself, are sights that would inspire the inner artist in anyone!
The campus of the Instituto Allende is open to visitors throughout most of the week, and they can even choose to take a small course. There are a couple of workshops available for tourists to sign up for, with one lasting for three weeks and another lasting for four. For those with the time, one can imagine these courses offer quite the experience.
While the Instituto Allende is housed within a renovated family home, the Fabrica la Aurora is housed within a renovated textile mill! The building housing the awesome art center functioned as a textile mill for most of the 20th century before being converted into the fun and vibrant location that it stands as today during the early 1990s. The name of the game for tourists when it comes to the Fabrica la Aurora is food and souvenirs. The food is incredible, and the souvenirs are unlike anything that you’ll find elsewhere! There’s also a great deal of art to look at, and some that you can purchase.
Check out the La Esquina Toy Museum
Although the Historical Museum of San Miguel de Allende is certainly the museum of choice to visit within the city for tourists who take their history seriously, those who are interested in a lighter side of San Miguel de Allende’s history should check out the La Esquina Toy Museum. As the name of the museum suggests, the location showcases the history of Mexican toys. There are numerous fine examples of various Mexican toys throughout the ages that are stashed throughout the building, and visitors will be in awe.
The aforementioned activities represent the best things to do when visiting the city of San Miguel de Allende! Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that there are numerous historical buildings in the city of San Miguel de Allende dating back several centuries, and that there’s a nearby archaeological sight dating back around 1,000 years? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more ViewCation videos are on their way!