San Miguel de Allende - Parroquia (de San Miguel Arcángel)

A symbol of the town is the Parroquia, the parish church situated in the attractive main square (El Jardin, Plaza de Allende). This unusual Neo-Gothic building, constructed in about 1880 on the site of an older more modest church, is the work of the Indian architect Ceferino Gutiérrez, who used as his models a number of European cathedrals.

Inside on the left is the chapel of the Señor de la Conquista with the figure of the Cristo de la Conquista. This highly-revered 16th c. statue was made by Indians in Pátzcuaro following a traditional technique; it is constructed of a paste of maize stalks stuck together with a gum made from orchid tubers and coated with chalk (de cana). Fragments of Federico Cantu's murals can still be seen in the chapel; upon completion they were considered too radical by a priest who partially destroyed them. The remains of the former Mexican president, General Anastasio Bustamante (1770-1833), who died in San Miguel, are interred in the crypt. The Neo-Classical Camarín behind the main altar is the work of the versatile artist Tresguerras.