San Miguel de Allende Attractions

The Santa Casa de Loreto, a copy of the Santa Casa in Italy with a statue of the Virgin Mary, was built at the expense of Manuel Tomás de la Canal in 1735. Paths on both sides lead to the Camarin, an octagonal room with six altars, one in the Neo-Classical style, the others Baroque.

The Baroque retablos, are marvellous examples of Mexican Churrigueresque. The benefactor and his wife are buried in the chapel.

In a hilly region known as El Charco del Ingenio, on the north-eastern edge of town, lies the 65 ha (160 acre) Cante (in Chichimeca "the water that gives life") Botanical Gardens. These gardens, unique in their own way, are dedicated to the growing and selling of succulents, mainly cacti, including some rare species.

Capilla de Casqueros In the midst of fields, 5km/3mi on the far side of the railway line, stands the town's oldest church, probably dating from the middle of the 15th c.

The north-west corner of the Plaza on Calle Canal is occupied by the imposing Casa del Mayorazgo de Canal, which displays Baroque and Neo-Classical elements; it has an attractive inner courtyard.

Handsome 18th c. colonial buildings, including the Palacio Municipal (Town Hall), stand along the north side of the square.

Above the town when leaving in the direction of Querétaro, El Mirador viewpoint offers an impressive panorama of San Miguel de Allende and its surroundings.

In San Miguel de Allende and in neighbouring villages and Ranchos there are still isolated notable Indian chapels, whose simple buildings contain strange portrayals of saints, crosses and religious themes, all created in very individual styles. The Indians could hold prayer meetings in these chapels with their mixture of Indian and Catholic styles, free from the Spanish gaze.

Don Manuel Tomás de la Canal's beautiful 18th c. former manor house stands on the left-hand side of the Calzada Ancha de San Antonio when following it out of the town. It now houses the Instituto Allende, one of the town's two important art schools. The Parque Juárez lies to the east behind the grounds of the institute.

A Baroque-style corner house, the birthplace of Ignacio de Allende, stands on the west side of the main square. It now houses a museum exhibiting archaeological and historical finds and examples of handicrafts.

Nuestra Señora de la Salud Church (mid-18th c.) stands to the east of San Felipe Neri. A large conch containing the "Eye of God" forms the upper part of the early Churrigueresque façade. The interior has Neo-Classical altars and some old paintings, including works by Miguel Cabrera, Antonio Torres and Tomás Xavier de Peralta. Since 1993 an equestrian statue of Ignacio de Allende has stood in the renovated Plaza Allende.

Take the road to Celaya and turn right to Guanajuato past the Presa de Allende reservoir. It is then 15km/9.3mi to the archaeological site of Cañada de la Virgen which, until recently, was relatively unknown. To date, finds inlcude an 18 m (60 ft) high pyramid, a temple, terraces and an avenue. Datings made so far indicate that this site existed between ad 800 and 1000 and was probably under Toltec influence.

Very close to San Miguel de Allende, mainly in the direction of Dolores Hidalgo, are a number of thermal baths.