With cobblestone streets and no traffic lights, San Miguel de Allende has the look of a sleepy Mexican town.
But behind the colonial-era facades it hums with cultural activity: the town of about 80,000 people, barely three hours north of Mexico City, supports an estimated 120 fine art galleries and folk art museums.
In 2008, UNESCO named San Miguel a World Heritage site, citing it as a cradle of Mexican independence and highlighting its integration of architectural styles, from Baroque to neo-Gothic, within a 16th century Spanish colonial layout.
The city’s landmark is the Parroquia church facade, a concoction of twisted lines, pointed arches and arrowed spires said to be inspired by postcards of Gothic European cathedrals.
It stands opposite the Casa de las Conspiraciones, or Conspiracies House, where local notables plotted the launch of the Independence War against Spain.
An early insurgent leader was town namesake Ignacio Allende, and his home on the Jardin is an independence history museum.
Also on the Jardin is the Canal House mansion, considered by UNESCO as a masterpiece for fusing the baroque and the neoclassical in its slender fluted shafts, elaborate ornamentation and carved doors.
An echo of Paris, one block away, is the Immaculate Conception Church’s ribbed dome, believed to be modeled on the Hotel des Invalides, where Napoleon is buried. Like its Parisian inspiration, the statue-encircled cupola rests on twin rings of windowed galleries.
The murals at the next-door Bellas Artes feature an unfinished work by leading 20th century artist David Alfaro Siqueiros, whose students in New York included Jackson Pollock, offering a taste of abstractionism.
Across the street, Galeria Noel Cayetano specializes in contemporary Oaxacan art, which blends modern motifs with native animal and spirit imagery.
The style’s best-known practitioner, Francisco Toledo, is Mexico’s highest-priced living artist, with one painting selling for over $900,000.
Lower-priced Toledo engravings and Toledo-designed houseware and jewelry are offered at Galeria Nudo, also focused on art from Oaxaca, a southern state with thriving Indian traditions and languages.
San Miguel’s biggest art hub is the 40-gallery Fabrica La Aurora, a former textile mill.
Often overlooked by visitors are extensive folk art museums like the Mask Museum and the four-floor Mexican Popular Toy Museum, which includes many whimsical exhibits.
One toy has a conveyor belt that shuttles a wedding party – flanked by a priest, skeleton and devil – between church and cemetery. Another is in the form of a barracuda-like airliner that bares its teeth, arching its tail upwards.
In Atotonilco, 12 km (8 miles) away, the museum-scale Galeria Atotonilco sells more than 1,000 folk art pieces crafted by scores of top-notch artisans from about a third of Mexico’s 31 states.
Nearby is the religious Atotonilco Sanctuary, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
UNESCO calls Atotonilco’s interior church decoration a masterpiece of 18th-century Mexican baroque art, particularly for its murals. Others have compared the frescoes’ scope, quality and biblical sweep to the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel.
(Editing by Alison Williams and Mark Trevelyan)
Trending News on PVDN
Two More Puerto Vallarta Beaches Are Awarded Blue Flags Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - In the upcoming 2023-2024 season, Puerto Vallarta is set to host six beaches awarded with the Blue Flag accreditation, an esteemed international recognition for high environmental and quality standards. The Blue Flag committee has reconfirmed the status for four previously certified beaches while conferring this prestigious title to two new beaches…
Popocatépetl Volcano Resumes Activity; Authorities Maintain Alert Status PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - After a period of relative calm last week, Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano resumed minor activity on Friday night and through Saturday night, as reported by the National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC). This comes following significant explosions last weekend that put nearby communities on high alert. The resumed activity was characterized by minor…
Puerto Vallarta Set to Celebrate 105th Anniversary as Municipality and 55th as a City with Grand Festivities PUERTO VALLARTA - The coastal paradise of Puerto Vallarta is poised to celebrate two landmark anniversaries: the 105th anniversary of its recognition as a municipality and the 55th anniversary of its elevation to city status, with a grand commemoration on May 31, 2023. The celebrations have been meticulously planned by the municipal government led by…
‘Kingdoms of Mexico’ Distinction Launches to Boost Tourist Destinations With European Influences Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - Miguel Torruco Marqués, the head of the Ministry of Tourism (Sectur), introduced the new 'Kingdoms of Mexico' distinction, a major initiative designed to enhance the appeal of Mexico's tourist communities on an international level. The announcement came during a presentation attended by the governors of Tlaxcala, Lorena Cuéllar Cisneros; Baja California,…
Popocatépetl Volcano Exhibits Increased Activity; Yellow Phase 3 Alert Continues PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - In the past 24 hours, heightened activity was recorded from Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano, with an alarming 315 exhalations detected, accompanied by water vapor, other volcanic gases, and ash, according to the Scientific Advisory Committee (CCA) of the National Civil Protection System (SINAPROC). Monitoring systems in place around the active stratovolcano also…
Tactical Groups Are Added to the Streets and Beaches of Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - As a component of the safety strategies initiated at the Citizen Security Police Station, members from the Tactical Operations Group (GOT) have been bolstering street patrols all over Puerto Vallarta. Following directives from Commissioner Rigoberto Flores Parra and Mayor Luis Alberto Michel Rodríguez, these officers ensure a visible and protective presence…
Mothers Searching For Their Missing Children Uncover Presumed Clandesant Grave in Puerto Vallarta PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - A team of mothers seeking their missing children made a chilling discovery on the outskirts of Puerto Vallarta Saturday afternoon: a skeleton, fragments of bones, and several indications pointing towards a potential site of illegal body disposal. The area of discovery, located near the road to Viejo el Veladero, close to…
LGBTIQ+ Community Member Disappears At Puerto Vallarta Pride PUERTO VALLARTA - A member of the local LGBTIQ+ community has gone missing under mysterious circumstances, inciting deep concern within the community and calls for immediate action from local authorities. Rubén Michel Castro Guizar, 32, a deaf individual, was last seen on the night of Thursday, May 25th, attending the Vallarta Pride march. His disappearance…
American Tourist In Critical Condition in Puerto Vallarta After Wave Breaks His Neck Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - "Experiencing your sibling in critical care, confessing your love to him, anticipating the worst... it's a nightmare no one should have to endure," shared Adam Griffis. Adam's younger brother, Evan, is struggling for survival in a medical facility located in Puerto Vallarta. The 30-year-old experienced a freak accident while swimming last…
Trans Fats Ban in Mexico Will Prohibit the Sale of Cookies, Chips, Pizzas, and More in September Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - The Chamber of Deputies in Mexico has taken a critical step in the battle against heart disease, approving a decree that reforms the General Health Law to restrict the use of trans fats and oils. The move is predicted to save more than 13,000 lives per year, with these substances currently…
