Curious Traveler

This town in Central Mexico was once considered part of New Spain. Today it is a cherished UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bienvenidos a San Miguel de Allende. Remember when you were a child and all you asked was why, why, why?

Well, I never quite outgrew that whole quest for knowledge phase. In fact, I've made a career out of asking who, what, where, why, and how, as an arts and travel journalist for the past 20 years. So if I have an insatiable curiosity about the exciting, inspiring, beautiful world of art, architecture, and hidden history all around us, I bet you do to. This isn't your typical what to do on a vacation travel show.

Oh no. This is your all-access pass to a deeper understanding of the World's great art and architecture, people and places, history and how did they do that's. So, come along on our educational journey. Our field trip for grownups, who have never quite grown up, and learn on Curious Traveler.

(upbeat music) San Miguel de Allende in Central Mexico is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and for good reason. It has a colorful history and even more colorful art and architecture everywhere you look. This bellisima ciudad has so much to be curious about. (upbeat music) Here's what I'm curious about in San Miguel de Allende.

Where did the town get its name? And why did it change? And what does this little doggy have to do with it? Why are there so many big beautiful mansions in one small town?

What does the family who lived here have to do with this church and this art school? Who built this incredible pink church, and what do postcards have to do with it? What about this yellow domed church and why is there an art school here? And this church, what is it doing out here in the middle of the desert?

What is so important about the colors of these textiles? And why is there so much art, art, art. It is time to get curious about San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. (upbeat music) This UNESCO World Heritage Town is chock-full of Mexican baroque architecture.

With the gorgeous El Jardn right in the center of town. At the corner of El Jardn, you will always see the same two men, standing in the same spot, keeping watch over their city. This is the perfect spot to talk about how the town got its name. Originally it was just called San Miguel for Juan de San Miguel, one of the original settlers here.

Later, General Ignacio de Allende was born here. And of course became a very important military figure during the Mexican War of Independence. So, we have San Miguel de Allende. San Miguel de Allende come together to the beautiful town of San Miguel de Allende.

(peaceful music) And as we will learn, it is a town built on silver, textiles, religion, lots and lots of art, and some very turbulent times. San Miguel's city palace is one of the most important location to the town's history. As well as to the entire history of Mexico. That's because in 1810, this is where the very first city council meeting of an independent Mexico was held.

But before that historic meeting, the legendary Grito or call for independence happened in the nearby town of Delores Hidalgo. Father Miguel Hidalgo was a Mexican independence leader and he stood at this church and called for the end to Spain's rule. Hidalgo give the cry of independence right here, the Grito. And it happened on the 16th of September of 1810, at five o'clock in the morning.

Everybody was very surprised about what was going on here, because it was not the time to ring the bells. He convinced them in 20 minutes to follow him against the Spaniards. -

Christine

And this began the Mexican War of Independence. A revolution against the Spanish colonialists by the indigenous peoples. As we've learned after the revolution, the town was renamed in honor of hometown hero General Ignacio Allende. But before the town's name was changed to San Miguel de Allende, it was San Miguel something else entirely.

And to find out what that something else was, we go up a hill to fetch a pail of water. At this fountain, that happens to have a curious little doggy on it. We have a fountain, we have a dog, and we have some art. What do those three things do to come together at this particular site?

Yes, we're located at a very popular place in town called El Chorro. Chorro means springs. Ah okay. So when the Spaniards came into this area, they built the Church of San Miguel Viejo and then they had a war against the indigenous Chichimecas.

They couldn't win the war, so they decided to move and explore the area. And this is where the dog comes up. It's a Mexican kind of dog, called Xoloitzcuintli. Okay.

They found water in this specific spot and they moved the town to this area. -

Christine

And you can see on that fountain, the indigenous name of the town, tzuinapan, meaning place of dogs or water of dogs. But not just any dog, the Mexican Hairless Dog. Okay, I know what you're thinking. At first glance, the Xoloitzcuintli or Xolo isn't going to win any beauty contests any time soon.

But the Xolo is a rare, ancient and revered breed. In fact, the Aztecs believed the Xolo had near God-like powers and carried human souls into the afterlife. (ghostly noise) Even legendary Mexican artist, Diego Rivera loved these little bald guys. (dog barking) And above this fountain dedicated to a dog, is le Casa de la Cultura, dedicated to art.

Which we will soon see is a very big deal here in San Miguel de Allende. But first, back to that name. The San Miguel in San Miguel de Allende, as we've learned, is named after this monk. But the name also comes from the patron saint of the town.

The archangel Miguel or Michael. And he has a pretty important building named after him here. So for that, we go back down the hill to the center of town. The symbol of the town is the beautiful and pink Church of San Miguel.

It is so tall that you can see it from just about any spot in the city. The architectural style is a little bit gothic, a little bit Moorish, and whole lot pink. Why is the style so eclectic? Well, legend has it that the designer collected postcards of all around at Europe's most beautiful churches.

Kind of mushed them all together and then created this. But what you see here is not the original version of the church. When you go inside, you'll find something completely different. It's a church from the 18th century with the classical churches were done by the Spaniards here in Mexico.

But then in 1880, a local worker, his name was Zeferino Gutirrez, just a builder, he got an idea from postcards from Europe. Like the column, the cathedral length column, like Vienna, like Switzerland. So he designed this style that we call neo-gothic. They put down the two main towers and built the front part.

It was completed in 1898. -

Christine

So a local self-taught stonemason is responsible for this towering beauty. An eclectic beauty, but a beauty nonetheless. If you look on the side there is palm trees, that they don't match with the rest of the city. Then in the back we have a clock.

The tower, also he did it, it was different, so he changed all the style of the city. And now that's why it's become such an important place and it's part of why we're a World Heritage City that was united by UNESCO in 2008. (peaceful music) But the Parroquia de San Miguel Archngel isn't the only important church in town. And to get to the other, we have some pretty lofty archways to cross under.

As you stroll through town, you will notice how high the covered archways are here. Why are they there? Well this also was copied from European street plans from centuries ago. Back when they had to be tall enough for horses and carriages.

And this town might be one of the few that can still make use of those high-as-a-horse covered walkways. And just around the corner from this walkway is row after row of beautiful big mansions. Why so many mansions? Because of a Royal Road.

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Male

We're part of the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, which is this road that comes from Mexico City all the way through Espanol and the north part of Santa Fe, New Mexico. And this is where all the mining towns were. We have Guanajuato, and then going north Zacatecas. And the owners of the mines used to live in San Miguel.

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Christine

Oh okay. -

Man

That's why the big homes would have them here in the town. They used to work in the mines close by, but now it's a World Heritage road, El Camino Real. But it's the main part of all the history of the mining that is was taken first Spain and then north to the States. -

Christine

The Royal Road or El Camino Real connected regions of New Spain from the late 16th to the late 19th centuries. But where is New Spain? Well, it used to stretch all the way south into South America and all the way north across the United States. And one of the wealthiest men on New Spain was Manuel Toms de la Canal.

He built his home here in 1732. His family becomes one of the most wealthy and influential in San Miguel's history. The eagle over the doorway represents the public posts held by the family. And this is the statue of the Virgin of Loreto, the patroness of the family village.

On either side of the statue are the family's coats of arms. (piano music) The de la Canal family contributed much to the town, building houses, churches, roads, even the water system. They also supported the local textile industry, which San Miguel is still known for today. And there is one more very important contribution that the family made.

This beautiful church. One of the de la Canal children became a nun and she was the one to help build this church all for her beloved hometown. So let's get curious about this church founded by the fanciest family of the town. (peaceful music) This is the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

Built between 1755 and 1842. The dome was added in 1891 modeled after the Church of Les Invalides in Paris. And guess who designed it. Our friend Zeferino Gutierrez of pink church and postcard fame.

And connected to the church is the convent. But instead of nuns and their habits strolling about the cloisters, today we have art lovers roaming the halls and gardens. A sort of church of art. But why did this space go from a convent to an art school?

Well it goes back to the 1850's and the Lerdo Law, which sought to break up the wealth of the Catholic Church and private estates. While the church itself was allowed to remain a church, its joining properties had to be given to the government for secular use. So this former convent becomes many things, including and elementary school, and then in the 1930's an art school. And thus begins the legacy of San Miguel de Allende as an art colony.

From Spanish colony to art colony. San Miguel de Allende has a beautiful art history. In modern times it began after World War II when U.S. Soldiers were studying on the G.I.

Bill. Art students from the U.S. and also art students from around the world were attracted to this very artsy city. Now just a few generations later, and there is literally art everywhere you look.

Thousands of artists from across the globe flock to San Miguel to practice their art in the many galleries and studios here. One of the best is Fabrica la Aurora, a converted textile factory full of talented artists. Why do you choose to create your art here in San Miguel de Allende? Well, I grew up in Mexico City and there was a moment when I needed to move somewhere else.

And I had known San Miguel already in my teenage-hood. And what I loved about San Miguel was a fact that artists are welcome, that women living alone are welcome, and that I was able to find a place where I could build my own studio. Because I work with glass and glass requires a lot of equipment. That's amazing.

So you're obviously practicing your art and creating your art amongst a community of other artists, which is a completely different environment than maybe somebody whose maybe doing book illustration out of their own home. Why is it better for you as an artist to be amongst other artists here? Well we help each other. We feed from each other.

I've taken several workshops here with really good artists. This began in the 60's with the G.I. Bill. People started coming and they started to create art, then Instituto.

There were fantastic teachers and then Bellas Artes began too. It was very organic just like the Aurora factory. Their beginning were organic and then they just developed. So just sorta by word of mouth.

People were telling other artist friends in America or other places around the globe this is the place to be? Mhmm, and it continues to be like that. -

Christine

And it all began here at Bellas Artes. The first director of Bellas Artes was an American artist named Stirling Dickinson. Born in Chicago, he served in the U.S. military.

He moved to San Miguel in the 1930's and for the rest of his life worked actively to recruit hundreds of former servicemen and women on the G.I. Bill to study art here in San Miguel. Stirling was and is loved by the people of San Miguel. He remains the only American to ever receive the title of favorite adopted son.

Stirling Dickinson even wrote a few books about his travels and experiences in his beloved Mexico. And back here in his even more beloved San Miguel de Allende, he and his fellow artists founded a new art school in 1951. The Instituto Allende. Which as you can see, is still thriving today.

And wouldn't you know it, the Instituto Allende also has a connection back to the de la Canal family. This used to be the family's country estate built in 1736. You can still see a remnant of their home here with the family patroness the Virgin of Loreto above the doorway. Here we are less than half a mile far.

It was out in the country. In the middle of nowhere. Exactly. This was the ranch, their country house.

Then it was a very nice building for many years and after the Independence Movement it became kind of abandoned and they opened the art school in 1951. -

Christine

And because of Stirling Dickinson and other artists' influence, the demographics of San Miguel changed forever. That's why people started moving into town and now we have 12 thousand foreigners living in San Miguel. So this is where this history begins in San Miguel. -

Christine

And when all those artists flocked here, they continued the legacy of mural painting. And the heritage of those beautiful San Miguel handmade textiles. Remember how the Camino Real, the Royal Road, contributed to the wealth of San Miguel? Well it's also the reason for the booming textile industry.

As travelers came through on their way back and forth to the silver mines, they needed clothing and blankets. So locals began making them. This artist here at Instituto Allende carries on that tradition with these yarns, dyed in the same plant, flower and cacti used for centuries. And some of these colors are so special you wouldn't believe the lengths that the textile industry goes to just to keep these colors authentic.

(speaking in Spanish) And this artist also says that some of these colors are so traditional that they are the same colors used on cave paintings found in the area. From ancient cave paintings to the modern day runway, here at an uber-chic fashion show held in the heart of San Miguel where local designers are still using the traditional fabrics of the town. But back to the Instituto, in the back there is a curious little chapel. Some believe the chapel was built for the de la Canal's daughter, the nun.

But it may have been built for another curious reason altogether. In the back of this chapel there is a little archeological site. So when the Spaniards came they always built a church in front of an archeological site. When you find an archeological site to build a chapel right there?

Yes, when the Spaniards came to Mexico they wanted to convert all the indigenous into Catholicism. That's why they always built a church. If you go to Mexico City, the main cathedral is on top of the old Tenochtitlan. So this is the same happening all of Mexico.

In Puebla you'll find the church on top of the largest pyramid in Cholula. So that's pretty normal in Mexico. -

Christine

And in this particular site archeologists found pre-Hispanic ceramics and bodies believed to be from the Toltec and Chichimec cultures from around the 10th to the 12th centuries. Wow, how curious is that? Next from one curious church to another, we now take a quick side trip outside San Miguel de Allende. A trip that some call a pilgrimage.

(harmonious music) Part of what makes San Miguel de Allende a UNESCO World Heritage Site isn't in San Miguel at all. It's about seven miles away. And it takes a really, really long time to walk here. But why would anyone walk that far?

Especially out into the desert. Because this is the sanctuary of Atotonilco. Which is an indigenous word meaning place of the hot waters. A local priest and native of San Miguel named Father Alfaro established this church here in the 18th century, for a very curious reason.

So why build a beautiful church like this in the middle of a desert? Well the story goes that Father Alfaro came here for the healing waters of the hot springs. Once he fell asleep under a tree, he had a religious vision that told him to build his church here. And those hot springs were believed to have healing powers for centuries, for the indigenous peoples long before Christianity came to the region.

And this desert location reminded believers of something else too. There's a comparison to this sort of being the new Holy Land, the new Jerusalem for Mexico. Oh yeah, good point. He said that this was compared with the Temple of Solomon.

And San Miguel being Jerusalem. So yeah, it's a very interesting point because that represents how holy it was for him. -

Christine

But there was also a more practical reason why this spot was chosen. Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, this was the Royal Road of inland, so it was connected through the road and through the fact that the silver and the gold was passing here constantly. -

Christine

That's right, that same Camino Real or Royal Road that helped to build the town of San Miguel de Allende and those lavish mansions, came right through here as well. You know, throughout history, no matter what was going on it is was whatever the goods and services were. If you create a trail, you're going to have towns. You need places for people to live.

You need water to drink and you need churches. And this came out of that. Exactly. It's like you mentioned before the Silk Road.

They needed to control the crime. Because silver and gold produces a lot of- A lot of greed. Yes absolutely. They called the church, they called Franciscans, they called the Dominicans, they called the Augistines, they called the Jesuits, and they made all these beautiful churches.

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Christine

And beautiful it is. It is one of the finest examples of baroque art in New Spain. The perfect blend of European and Latin American influences. And oh that artwork inside.

These paintings took more than 30 years to complete. Styles are everything from Mexican-baroque to indigenous, to Flemish, to Spanish. There's barely a corner left unpainted. Some images are beautiful and serene.

Others downright creepy. All are powerful. The overall effect has been compared to the Sistine Chapel. I would describe it more than that.

As the masterpiece of the baroque mestizo art in Mexico. The Sistine Chapel is a little bit exaggerated because the Sistine Chapel is huge. But it's really a masterpiece. (serene music) -

Christine

And this inspirational artwork is the last thing true believers see before they embark upon a very special journey between the sanctuary and San Miguel. Every year, at the beginning of the Easter season, crowds of people gather here at midnight to take part in the Lord of the Column Pilgrimage. Together they walk the seven miles to town, in the dark arriving at dawn. Why?

Well this tradition began in the early 1800's when it was believed that the act of deliver this statue miraculously wiped out an epidemic in San Miguel. So, the tradition continues to this day to forever protect the town. So from a town named after two important leaders whose spot was chosen by an important dog. And later decorated by Spanish colonial architecture, and lots and lots of paintings by artists from around the world.

To this pink church dedicated to the town's other Miguel, to this yellow church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. With it's adjoining cloister made possibly by a local nun; who happened to a member of a wealthy noble family who lived here and here. With neighbors in even more beautiful mansions built on the wealth of nearby silver mines. Which gave us the Camino Real or King's Highway to transport all that silver.

Which leads us to this sanctuary, in the middle of the desert, that some believe to be the new Jeruselem. And to this tiny town that a huge impact with one man's cry for independence. And we can't forget the enduring legacy of a beloved American artists who began an art colony that continues to attract artists from around the world. San Miguel de Allende has so much to be curious about.

Thank you for joining us on our educational journey and hopefully now you're even more curious about the who, what, where, why, when and how of San Miguel de Allende. As they say here in Mexico te veo pronto. (upbeat music)