USEFUL INFO

The Condé Nast Traveler for November 2000 lists San Miguel de Allende as one of the Top Ten Best Places in the World! San Miguel de Allende is right up there with Sydney, Florence, Rome, Paris, Venice, Salzburg, Vienna, London and Vancouver

Seal of the State of Guanajuato

Quoted from Concierge.com

HISTORY OF THE HEARTLAND

Rich with the history of Mexico's revolution, the heartland is a treasury of colonial towns-Guanajuato, Zacatecas, Querétaro, Morelia, and Pátzcuaro, among others-whose residents lead quiet, largely traditional lives. Even in San Miguel de Allende, an American art colony and home to a well-known language institute, women wash their clothes and gossip at the local lavandaría as they have for hundreds of years.
Mexico's heartland, so named for its central position in the country, is known for its well-preserved colonial architecture, fertile farmland and surrounding mountains, and its leading role in Mexican history, particularly during the War of Independence (1810-22). The Bajío (ba-hee-o), as it is also called, corresponds roughly to the states of Guanajuato and parts of Querétaro and Michoacán. In the hills surrounding the cities of Guanajuato, Zacatecas, Querétaro, and San Miguel de Allende, the Spanish found silver in the 1500s, leading them to colonize the area heavily.
Three centuries later, wealthy Creoles (Mexicans of Spanish descent) in Querétaro and San Miguel took the first audacious steps toward independence from Spain. When their clandestine efforts were discovered, two of the early insurgents, Ignacio Allende and Father Miguel Hidalgo, began in earnest the War of Independence. One of the bloodiest skirmishes was fought in the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, a mammoth grain-storage facility in Guanajuato that is now a state museum.

When Allende and Hidalgo were executed in 1811, another native son, José María Morelos, picked up the independence banner. This mestizo (mixed race) mule skinner-turned-priest-turned soldier, with his army of 9,000, came close to gaining control of the land before he was killed in 1815. Thirteen years later, the city of Valladolid was renamed Morelia in his honor.

Long after the War of Independence ended in 1821, the cities of the Bajío continued to play a prominent role in Mexico's history. Three major events took place in Querétaro alone: In 1848 the Mexican-American War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo; in 1867

HELPFUL SITES TO VISIT

CHOOSE FROM MANY
ACTIITIES AND ATTRACTIONS

· Antique shopping
· Art galleries
· Gourmet/fine Dining
· Historical sites in and around San Miguel
· Hot springs
· Live music at most restaurants
· Photography classes and workshops
· Parks and gardens
· Public Library with many English categories
· Movie theater
· Live theater
· Educational and informative lectures
· Sunday House and Garden Tour
· Local artisans
· Picnic Areas
· Educational Walking Tours every Saturday
· Religious services
· Concerts
· Language Schools
· Day Trips to neighboring communities
· Cooking schools
· Art schools
· International music festivals
· Cultural events
· Bird watching
· Golf
· Hiking
· Horseback riding
· Tennis on clay courts
· Croquet
· Swimming
· Computer classes
· Cactus botanical gardens
· Music Groups and Lessons
· Biking
· Fitness Centers
· Hotels offer heated pools for swimming
. Instituto Allende (visit: www.instituto-allende.edu.mx
. List of Available Classes at this site
www.infosma.com/education/private.htm
. San Miguel de Allende site
www.internetsanmiguel.com