Panoramic view of San Miguel de Allende.
La Parroquia, Church of St. Michael the Archangel
San Miguel de Allende is a small city located in the state of Guanajuato, in Mexico's mountainous bajío region. The bajío (low place) is actually about 2000 m (7000 ft) above sea level, but it is a relatively flat region surrounded by mountains; it is a part of the Mexican altiplano. San Miguel serves as the administrative seat for the surrounding municipality of Allende, Guanajuato.
The city was founded in 1542 by a Franciscan monk as San Miguel El Grande. It was an important stop over on the Antiguo Camino Real, part of the silver route from Zacatecas, Zacatecas.
The town featured prominently in the Mexican War of Independence. General Ignacio Allende, one of San Miguel's native sons, was a leading player in the war against Spain for independence. Allende, captured in battle and beheaded, is a national hero. San Miguel el Grande renamed itself "San Miguel de Allende" in 1826 in honor of his actions.
By 1900, San Miguel de Allende was in danger of becoming a ghost town. Declared a national historic monument in 1926 by the Mexican government, development in the historic district is restricted in order to preserve the town's colonial character.
In the 1950s, San Miguel de Allende became a destination known for its beautiful colonial architecture and its thermal springs. After World War II San Miguel began to revive as a tourist attraction as many demobilized United States GIs discovered that their education grants stretched further in Mexico at the U.S.-accredited art schools, the privately-owned Instituto Allende, founded in 1950, and the Bellas Artes, a nationally chartered school.
Famous worldwide for its mild climate, thermal springs and colonial era architecture, San Miguel de Allende has attracted a large community of foreign residents. Estimations have been disputed (both by Mexican and foreign nationals), a conservative estimate has usually been around 5-15%, though others suggest much higher percentages, closer to 40-50%, of which probably 75% are U.S. expatriates. Neither Mexican nor U.S. authorities keep records of the town's foreign population, and many retirees do not live under an FM3 (temporary residence) or FM2 (permanent residence) status, which are the only statuses for foreigners that Mexican authorities account for in the national census. Moreover, since Medicare, the U.S. public health system, cannot be claimed abroad, many expatriates return regularly to the United States to receive treatment as well as to establish their residence status in their home country. Some of the estimates of the number of Americans of non-Mexican ethnicity that live in San Miguel de Allende and a handful of other Mexican towns is around 250,000 (see third external link).
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