Visiting San Miguel de Allende and Atotonilco, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Staring up at the tall, spires of the neo-gothic church, we understood why so many people visit San Miguel de Allende. In addition to the fairytale-style church, they come to see the cobblestone streets that are ornamented with perfectly restored colonial homes. A nice day trip from San Miguel de Allende is to the small town of Atotonilco to see its ornately decorated church.

Founded as a small catholic outpost by Spanish monk, Juan de San Miguel, the settlement didn’t stay small for long. Due to its proximity to silver mines, it grew into a city rather quickly. The mines also meant that many residents became very wealthy. The city, called San Miguel de Grande at the time, was soon filled with beautiful buildings and was an influential city for many years.

In the 1800s, it played a vital role in the independence movement and was the site of many battles in the Mexican War of Independence. As a result, the city’s buildings and infrastructure suffered a lot of damage. After Mexico achieved independence from Spain, the city was rebuilt and renamed for resistance hero Ignacio Allende. He was second in command to leader of the movement, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.

San Miguel de Allende is located on the Freedom Trail in Mexico’s Colonial Highlands. You can read about our visits to other cities along this important trail in our posts about Morelia and Guanajuato. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).