Walking Tour and More Walking

It was quiet on the jardin Monday morning after all the festivities the day before. The first thing on today's schedule was the walking tour of the historic colonial el centro (center of town). It is preserved by the federal government as a heritage site.




Paul, our tour guide, was excellent and very informative. He has been living in San Miguel for three years. We learned all sorts of interesting details about the history of San Miguel. Like....it was the first city captured from the Spanish in the 1810 War for Independence. And, of course, the history of the town involves the Catholic church in a major way.




This church (I can't remember all the names) was the last stop on the tour. A relatively plain interior (Franciscan?) it was "modernized" at one point. The ceiling used to have painted plaster, but now has the brick exposed. Also, elaborate stained glass windows were replaced with simpler designs.



The walking tour is every Monday, Wednesday & Friday at 10am. Anyone visiting San Miguel should take advantage of this activity.

After the formal tour I did my own walk around some areas of town that I did not get to last year. First I had to track down the address of the house a friend is staying in this summer. Then I went to Parque Benito Juarez. This beautiful park is in the southern area, in the Chorro barrio. Not too many people on a Monday, but quite nice. The history sign said this was orchards back before San Miguel grew out this far.




Near Parque Juarez is a complex that is now La Casa de la Cultura San Miguel de Allende. A beautiful location and view.




And there is some serious real estate near the parque.



Up above the parque in the chorro barrio is the Santa Cruz del Chorro chapel. It dates back to the beginning of the 17th century.





And then there were many streets with a view.






I can't forget to mention the statue of Fr Juan de Miguel, namesake of the town. Or one of them. Allende, the independence hero, is the other. Here Fr Juan is shown protecting the native indian. That is, before they were enslaved by the Spanish.



And no day in San Miguel de Allende would be complete without a fabulous meal, this time at Hecho en Mexico near the Instituto. This was the 4th time I've eaten there. The staff did not yell "Pedro" when I walked in, but it's getting to be a regular spot. Tonight I had the grilled Chilean salmon with rice, black beans, and.....Negra Modelo. Excellent.



Good thing San Miguel is a walking town.