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San Miguel de Allende -- Today is Friday, March 12, 2010 01:22 at our loyal server in the USAIGLESIA DE LA CONCEPCION. It was begun in the mid-17th century and financed partially through the support of the Canal familiy, who figured prominently in the town's ealy history. The domed roof, one of the largest in Mexico, wsa not completed until 1891. Supported by elegant Corinthian columns, it is believed to be the work of La Parroquia architect Zeferino Gutierrez.
IGLESIA DE SAN FRANCISCO. Build in the late 18th century, it is thought to be the work of Eduardo Tresguerras, who contributed to the design of many churches in central Mexico. Construction was financed through donations from wealthy families and the proceeds from bullfights. The intricate stone carvings gracing the exterior are a fine example of the ornate Churriguerreque style. The high-ceilinged interior contains statues, paintings and more carved stone. La Parroquia. The many-steepled church towers over the plaza and dominates the city. It was originally built in the late 17th century in a plain Fanciscan style, but 2 centuries later an Indian architect, Zeferino Gutierres, gave the church an imposing facelift. With no formal training, he added the tower and Gothic-style facade of pink-hued sandstone, supposedly using postcard pictures of French Gothic cathedrals as his inspiration. Inside, neoclassic stone altars have replaced earlier gilded wood ones. A statue of St. Michael the Archangel, namesake of both town and church (its official name is Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel), adorns the main altar. Chapels are located to the side and behind the main altar. The original bell, also referered to as St. Michael and cast in 1732, begins ringing early in the morning to summon parishioners; La Parroquia is still an active house of worship.
MUSEO CASA DE ALLENDE. The birthplace of Ignacio Allende now houses a historical museum. A plaque hanging ove the front door reads, "Here was born the one who was famous". Allende was one of the few early leaders of the War of Independence with actual military training. Together, he and Father Miguel Hidalgo organized a ragtag army and plotted strategies for overthrowing Spanish rule. Museum exhibits chronicle the region's history abd Allende's role in the struggle for freedom.
ORATORIO DE SAN FELIPE NERI. It was build by San Miguel's Indian population in the early 18th century. The original structure's facade of pink stone is still visible at the church's eastern end, along with a figure of Nuestra Senora de Soledad (Our Lady of Solitude). The southern exterior is newer and incorporates a baroque style. The church is notable fir its many domes in different shapes. The adjoining chapel, Santa Casa de Loreto, is behind the church. A grating blocks the chapel entrance, although its gilded altars can still be seen.
Text from "AAA Mexico Travelbook 1998" |
Major Regulatory Agencies for the State of Guanajuato with names of Officials
where indicated |
| Descripción |
| Presidencia
Municipal de San Miguel de Allende
José Jesús Correa Ramírez |
Contraloria
Municipal
José Antonio López Ortíz
|
Desarrollo
Integral de la Familia ( DIF ) Municipal
Gabriela Bribiesca Rocha
|
Dirección
de Desarrollo Social y Humano
José Luis Téllez Santana
|
Subdirección
de Desarrollo Rural y Agropecuario
Juan Rodríguez Vázquez
|
Subdirección
de Desarrollo Social y Humano
Mario Carballo Carlva
|
Dirección
de Desarrollo Urbano y Ordenamiento Territorial
Angel Gastelum Cadena
|
Coordinación
de Administración Urbana y Regulación de Usos de Suelo
Francisco Javier Villegas Sánchez
|
Ventanilla
de Licencias y Permisos de Construcción
Alberto Cervantes Matehuala
|
Coordinación
de Conservación del Patrimonio Histórico y Cultural
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Auxiliar
Centro Histórico
Julio César Grimaldi Zuñiga
|
Coordinación
de Planeación Estratégica y Ordenamiento Territorial
Jesús Téllez Molina
|
Coordinación
Técnica
Zeferino Gutiérrez Grimaldi
|
Estudios
y Proyectos de Equipamiento Imagen e Infraestructura
Jesús Tellez Molina
|
Coordinación
de Regulación de Asentamientos Humanos Irregulares, Ejidales Predios Agricolas
y Ganade
Javier Rángel Arellano
|
Auxiliar
de Asentamientos Humanos
Juan Manuel Ramírez Regoytia
|
Subdirección
de Desarrollo Urbano
Francisco Javier Villegas Sánchez
|
Dirección
de Educación y Cultura
Verónica Agundis Estrada
|
Casa de la
Cultura
Myrna Verónica Salinas Guerrero
|
Departamento
de Educación
Jesús Ledesma Hernández
|
Dirección
de Medio Ambiente y Ecología
Donald Wayne Patterson
|
Coordinación
de Gestión Ambiental
Erick Morales Montes
|
Administrator
de Panteones
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Encargado
de Parques y Panteones
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Coordinación
de la Prevención y Control de la Contaminación
Ana Karina Yael Villa Ayala
|
Coordinación
de Normativa Ambiental
Blas Huerta Carrillo
|
Encargado
de Promoción Ambiental
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Encargado
de la Estación de Transferencia
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Dirección
de Obras Públicas Municipales
Jorge Zavala Ramírez
|
Coordinación
de Maquinaria Pesada
Jorge Montes González
|
Coordinador
Administrativo A
José Martín Rico
|
Subdirección
de Obras Públicas Municipales
Francisco Peralta Elizondo
|
Coodinación
de Construcción y Supervición
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Jefe de Brigada
Topografíca
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Jefe de Precios
Unitarios
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Coordinación
Administrativa
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Jefe de Expedientes
Técnicos
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Jefe de Solventación
de Observaciones
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Coordinación
de Maquinaría Pesada
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Subdirección
Operativa
Jorge Flores
|
Dirección
de Seguridad Pública Municipal
Daniel Adrián Trujillo García
|
Subdirección
Academica
Hugo Fabián Barrón Martínez
|
Subdirección
Administrativa
Juan Carlos Godínez Arzola
|
Subdirección
Operativa
José Luís Olguín Gómez
|
Dirección
de Servicios Públicos Municipales
Luis Francisco López Chávez
|
Administración
del Restro Municipal
Eduardo Manuel Villegas Juárez
|
Alumbrado
Público
Luís Felipe Luna Morales
|
Departamento
de Limpia
José Gilberto M. González Valero
|
Mercados
y Comercio
Ángel Martín Saavedra
|
Subdirección
de Servicios Públicos Municipales
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Administración
del Rastro Municipal
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Alumbrado
Público
Emisael Espinosa
|
Jefatura
de Limpia
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Mercados
y Comercio
desconocido o ya no ocupado
|
Dirección
de Transito y Transporte Municipal
José Samuel Daniel Mercadillo Escobedo
|
Comandante
Administrativo
Roberto Prado Baeza
|
Comandante
Operativo
José Luís García Osornio
|
Jefe de Transporte
Municipal
Jorge Salas Luna
|
Juridico
de Transito y Transporte
Juan Víctor Manuel González Bautista
|
Dirección
de Turismo, Fomento Económico y Relaciones Internacionales
Francisco Peyret García
|
Atención
a Inversionistas y Mejora Regulatoria
Oscar Baltazar Arteaga Gil
|
Coordinación
de Promoción de Inversiones y Gobierno Integral
Julián Roberto Villela Ríos
|
Coordinación
de Relaciones Internacionales
Fabiola García Lasierna
|
Enlace de
Empleo y Capacitación
Ma. Auxilio Ángeles Olalde
|
Enlace Institucional
y Promoción Productiva
Tanía Noriz Martínez
|
Instituto
Municipal de la Mujer
Araceli Martínez Sánchez
|
Oficialia
Mayor Administrativa
José Alfredo Orduña Rodríguez
|
Departamento
de Informática
Leopoldo Barcenas Hernández
|
Pensión Municipal
Jorge Armando Ramírez Capitán
|
Recursos
Humanos
Cirila Margaíz Ramírez
|
Recursos
Materiales
Laura Valadez Sánchez
|
Protección
Civil
José Alan Álvarez Flores
|
Coordinación
Municipal de Desastres
Ramiro Arroyo Guerrero
|
Secretaría
del H. Ayuntamiento
Christopher Thomas Finkelstein Franyuti
|
Departamento
de Fiscalización y Control Municipal
Rafael Torres Sánchez
|
Departamento
de Jurídico
José Ramón Correa González
|
Secretaría
Particular
Tomas Federico Ramírez
|
Sistema de
Agua Potable y Alcantarillado de San Miguel de Allende
Alfonso Sautto
|
Tesorería
Municipal
José Eduardo Adrián Soria Cruz
|
Departamento
de Catastro
Gustavo Arellano Arroyo
|
Departamento
de Egresos
Mónica Barajas
|
Departamento
de Ingresos
Jorge López Páez
|
Departamento
de Predial
Saúl Bautista Espinosa
|
Programas
Especiales
José Luis Pérez Arredondo
|
| The following excerpt is by the legendary Stirling Dickinson, who is probably the most important Gringo to ever make an impact on the development of San Miguel de Allende. From Brandeburgh Press, November 1969.
In 1542, the missionary Fray Juan de San Miguel established a tiny settlement known as San Miguel Viejo. It was a frontier outpost constantly threatened by hostile Indians. Spanish soldiers and families of Spanish settlers came and the new hamlet was moved to the slope of Moctezuma Hill where fresh springs provided water. Soon, a royal charter was created for the town known as San Miguel El Grande. For more than two and one half centuries, San Miguel thrived under the repressive but orderly rule of Spain, as it was a link on the silver route to Mexico City. In 1810 revolution flared, led by Captain Ignacio Allende of San Miguel and Father Miguel Hidalgo of the nearby town of Dolores. For eleven years the revolution was fought. Finally, after a Mexican victory over the Spanish, the town was renamed San Miguel de Allende, honoring Don Ignacio Allende, its greatest son and martyr to freedom.
Travel writers have often called San Miguel "the prettiest town in Mexico". That remark has become a cliche. Yet, like all cliches, it has basis in fact. San Miguel is the most charming of all Mexican towns. Today, its chief fame is as an art center and home to hundreds of foreign residents, not artistic themselves, but attracted by the atmosphere the arts create. Most of these residents are fiercely partisan about their community, quickly pointing out that although many tourists visit, its real life goes on quietly but busily behind the unrevealing walls of its homes and gardens. A stranger who harps on the defects of living here is likely to be met with a cold stare and a classic retort. "Of course, San Miguel is not perfect -- it is merely heaven."
| There are a thousand and one descriptions of San Miguel de Allende written over the past decades. Here's one writer's short take:
San Miguel's reputation as an arts center was established by the founding of the Allende Institute. One of its American founders, Stirling Dickson, came to Mexico as a tourist in the 1930s and fell in love with the city. A painter and engraver, he helped inaugurate the institute in 1950 and was its director until 1987. The lovely building housing the school once was owned by the wealthy Canal familiy. Fountains, arcades and courtyards gardens grace the grounds of the campus, which has extensive classroom space, two are galleries, a theter and a library.
Students from throughout the Americas take advantage of the art and language classes offered, and the institute also functions as a campus abroad for several American and Canadian art schools. The Centro Cultural Bellas Artes, is also known as the Centro Cultural el Nigromante (its official name) and the Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramirez. It is a branch of the wellknown Instituto de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. The impressive building, which dates from the mid-18th century, was once the Convento de la Concepcion and features an immense, tree-shaded courtyard. It offers music, dance and visual arts classes; a bulletin board lists lectures and concerts given both here and elsewhere in the city. Several murals are also exhibited, including one by David Alfaro Siqueirs.
San Miquel is known for the variety and quality of its regionally produced handycrafts. Metalwork -- masks, trays, lanterns, picture frames and decorative objects made of tin, copper, brass, bronze and wrought iron -- and the design of local silversmiths are particularly worth seeking out. Also available are pottery, weaving, sculpture, straw items, hand-loomed cambaya cloth (a material frequently used to make skirts), and folk and traditional art.
The colonial furniture is some of the finest produced in Mexico. Open-air Mercado Ignacio Ramirez, the city market, fills the plaza in front of the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri, and spreads onto the surrounding streets. Livestock and fresh preduce share space with inexpensive everyday items and souvenirs at the cheaper end of the price scale. The Mercado de Artesanias consists of vendor stalls in an alley. Pricier boutiques are scatted throughout the downtown area. Art galleries are concentrated around the main plaza, and exhibit openings are big social events. Two that showcase both regional and national talents are Galeria San Miguel and Galeria Atena. | THINGS TO DO
Though known as a retirement haven San Miguel offers a wealth of leisure time activities to those that don’t believe retirement means rest. It has a reputation for outstanding hiking and biking, horseback riding and instruction, birding and rock climbing. More conventional pursuits, such as golf and tennis are also at hand and San Miguel has a number of fully-modern gyms and exercise studios.
House and Garden Tour:
One the more popular activities in San Miguel is the weekly tour of the town’s premier residences, if one judges by the over 10,000 visitors who participated in 2005. Over 300 local home owners open their doors on every type of architecture and interior decoration imaginable; a good source of inspiration and ideas for future residents. Tours depart from the Biblioteca on Sundays at noon, tickets can be purchased at the door from 11 am. onwards.
Hot Springs:
The road to Dolores Hidalgo is dotted with hot springs producing warm to hot, mineral-rich water. Facilities range from those of luxurious spas to more traditional Mexican balnearios with gardens, restaurants and picnic areas; and may include any number of pools. The pools themselves can be indoors, under the open sky or in rock-lined grottos, and range in size from small, perfect for soaking, all the way up to Olympic, ideal for laps or swimming.
Fiestas:
While all Mexicans love a party, it seems that no town enjoys a celebration or fiesta more than San Miguel. Local citizens take to the streets with verve and enthusiasm for traditional holidays, to honor local heroes and patron saints or sometimes, it seems, just for the fun of it. There’s always something happening; all marked with music, dance and fireworks. Of note in the upcoming months is the Chamber Music Festival in early August, September’s San Miguelada or ‘running of the bulls’ and week-long Fiesta to honor San Miguel Arcángel and the Brass & Wool Fair and Jazz Festival held in November.
Wining & Dining:
Whether you are an avid gourmand or someone who just likes to pick up food—fast, you will appreciate life in San Miguel. There may be no large chain restaurants, but there is a local cafe on almost every corner, offering tasty, freshly made specialities. And you are sure to discover that the towns premier restaurants can vie with those of larger North American cities for taste, style and presentation.
After dinner, those in search of culture will find that their choices include gallery openings, theater, concerts, dance or foreign and classic film. Those who prefer lifting a glass can do so in everything from hard-drinking cantinas or friendly sports bars and pubs to nightclubs featuring rock, salsa blues or jazz (often live) or elegant rooftop terraces and intimate hotel lounges.
Reprint permission from "Su Casa"--Your Home in San Miguel de Allende
© 2006 Imprint Publishing/Advertising
Telephone in San Miguel: 152-0493
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