🇲🇽 San Miguel de Allende is the principal city in the municipality of San Miguel de Allende, located in the far eastern part of Guanajuato, Mexico. A part of the Bajío region, the city lies 274 km (170 mi) from Mexico City, 86 km (53 mi) from Querétaro, and 97 km (60 mi) from the state capital of Guanajuato. The city's name derives from two persons: 16th-century friar Juan de San Miguel, and a martyr of Mexican Independence, Ignacio Allende, who was born in a house facing the city's central plaza. San Miguel de Allende was also a critical epicenter during the historic Chichimeca War (1540–1590) where the Chichimeca Confederation defeated the Spanish Empire in the initial colonization war. Today, an old section of the town is part of a proclaimed World Heritage Site, attracting thousands of tourists and new residents from abroad every year.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the town was in danger of becoming a ghost town after an influenza pandemic. Gradually, its Baroque/Neoclassical colonial structures were "discovered" by foreign artists who moved in and began art and cultural institutes such as the Instituto Allende and the Escuela de Bellas Artes. This gave the town a reputation, attracting artists such as David Alfaro Siqueiros, who taught painting.
This attracted foreign art students, especially former U.S. soldiers studying on the G.I. Bill after the Second World War. Since then, the town has attracted a significant number of immigrants from the United States and Canada, artists, writers and tourists, which has shifted the area's economy from agriculture and industry to commerce catering to outside visitors and residents.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated the Protective town of San Miguel and the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco as a World Heritage Site in 2008. The area of designation includes part of the town San Miguel de Allende and part of the town of Atotonilco, which are about 14 km apart. The World Heritage Site is highlighted by a core zone of 43 hectares in San Miguel de Allende's well-preserved historic centre, filled with buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. The other part of the World Heritage Site fourteen km north, at the Sanctuary of Atotonilco, has a core zone of .75 hectares surrounded by a buffer zone of about 4.5 hectares.
1Tourism and commerce Much of the municipality's economy is tied to the influx of tourists and foreigners who come to live, mostly retirees. In 2002, 250,000 visitors spent about US$8.4 million at the town's attractions, but those who live here contribute far more to the economy. Most of this is concentrated in the town of San Miguel proper. It accounts for over 36% of the municipality's jobs and most of the municipality's income. Tourism accounts for almost all of the municipality's income from outside. This began in the mid-20th century as a cheap place to live; however, despite recent economic downturns, it no longer is. This has not lessened San Miguel's attraction for foreign visitors and retirees as homes and hotels here are still significantly less expensive than in the US or Europe. Despite not having a casino or an airport and being 640 km (400 mi) from the nearest beach, this small city has been ranked by magazines such as Travel and Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler as a preferred place to live and visit.
Hotel occupancy typically reaches 80% on weekends with about 50% occupancy on weekdays, when rates can be about half. Most visitors are vacationers and about 60% are domestic visitors, interested in the town's history and role in the Mexican War of Independence. Other attractions for visitors are the two main art/cultural institutions of Instituto Allende and Bellas Artes as well as a number of Spanish-language schools. Most domestic visitors come from Mexico's large urban centres like Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Querétaro. This growth has spurred the development of newer hotels, resort and vacation home developments, especially on the corridor between San Miguel and Atotonilco. There are 149 hotels, 9 of which are 5-star. The town has just over 9% of all hotel rooms in the state, and this percentage is growing. Another important sector is restaurants. In 2006, the town invested 800,000 pesos to implement an online marketing plan to increase services to potential tourists.
1Agriculture Outside of the town of San Miguel, the economy is more traditional. A bit over half of the land is used for grazing with 37% used for crops. Over 80% of the crops are grown during the rainy season with less than 20% grown on irrigated lands. Forestry is minimal. Agriculture produces 25% of the employment in the municipality. Principal crops include corn, beans, wheat, and alfalfa, which account for 84% of harvests. Another important agricultural activity is fruit orchards. The most important livestock is domestic fowl, especially poultry. The municipality raises over 12% of the state's chickens. Another important product is honey, of which the municipality provides 7.5% of the state's total. Since the 1990s, there have been active reforestation efforts to replace much of what was lost previously to logging.
1Industry Industry is not as well developed here as in other parts of the state although it provides about 33% of the jobs. One important industry is the production of electrical energy. Other industries include metal products, food processing, wood products and mineral processing. The area is known for the crafting of objects from brass and glass. Two notable artisans here are the brothers Marcelino and Abeck Leon Rosa, who produce handmade glass items. They began producing pieces in the courtyard of their home, but today they have a studio with two large workshops and operate a school for glassmakers, which trains about 50 people per year. One of their specialties is Tiffany-style lamps.
Since at least the 1950s, San Miguel de Allende is a backdrop for the production of films and television programs. Both Mexican and foreign productions and advertisements have been filmed there. Projects that have been filmed here include Once Upon a Time in Mexico, a television biopic of the Francisco "Pancho" Villa, and The Mask of Zorro II. A group of entrepreneurs is working to increase the town's reputation as a film location, opening a privately financed studio complex called The Film Colony. Recently, U.S. television series Royal Pains, Top Chef and Million Dollar Listing have filmed episodes in the town.
1San Miguel de Allende has a population of over 139,300 people. San Miguel de Allende also forms one of the centres of the wider Guanajuato State which has a population of over 6,166,934 people.
To set up a UBI Lab for San Miguel de Allende see: https://www.ubilabnetwork.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/UBILabNetwork
Twin Towns, Sister Cities San Miguel de Allende has links with:
🇮🇹 Acquaviva delle Fonti, Italy 🇲🇽 Guanajuato City, Mexico 🇨🇺 Havana, Cuba 🇰🇷 Jongno, South Korea 🇺🇸 La Habra, USA 🇺🇸 Laredo, USA 🇺🇸 Redlands, USA 🇺🇸 Santa Fe, USA 🇺🇸 St. Augustine, USA 🇺🇸 Tyler, USA 🇦🇷 Ushuaia, Argentina 🇺🇸 Vail, USA 🇺🇸 West Palm Beach, USA🇺🇸 Maui County 20.868
🇲🇽 Tepatitlán de Morelos 20.8
🇲🇽 Apaseo el Alto -100.617
🇲🇽 Piedras Negras -100.517
🇺🇸 Eagle Pass -100.489
🇺🇸 San Angelo -100.45
🇲🇽 Santiago de Queretaro -100.395
🇲🇽 Querétaro City -100.395
🇲🇽 Ciudad Acuña -100.917
🇲🇽 Dolores Hidalgo -100.933
🇲🇽 Soledad de Graciano Sánchez -100.933
🇲🇽 San Luis Potosí -100.968
🇲🇽 San Luis Potosí City -100.968
Locations Near: San Miguel de Allende -100.75,20.9146
🇲🇽 Dolores Hidalgo -100.933,21.15 d: 32.3
🇲🇽 Celaya -100.817,20.52 d: 44.4
🇲🇽 Santiago de Queretaro -100.395,20.591 d: 51.5
🇲🇽 Querétaro City -100.395,20.591 d: 51.5
🇲🇽 Querétaro -100.39,20.593 d: 51.7
🇲🇽 Apaseo el Alto -100.617,20.45 d: 53.5
🇲🇽 Guanajuato City -101.253,21.017 d: 53.4
🇲🇽 Guanajuato -101.257,21.018 d: 53.9
Antipodal to: San Miguel de Allende 79.25,-20.915
🇲🇺 Port Mathurin 63.417,-19.683 d: 18358.9
🇲🇺 Centre de Flacq 57.718,-20.2 d: 17773.5
🇲🇺 Mahébourg 57.7,-20.407 d: 17774
🇲🇺 Rivière du Rempart 57.633,-20.05 d: 17763
🇲🇺 Goodlands 57.633,-20.033 d: 17762.8
🇲🇺 Curepipe 57.517,-20.317 d: 17753.9
🇲🇺 St Pierre 57.517,-20.217 d: 17752.8
🇲🇺 Port Louis 57.5,-20.15 d: 17750.4