San Miguel de Allende

Since we had a weekend off from church duties, we decided to take advantage and take a day trip to San Miguel, a quaint little town 3-4 hours north of Mexico City.

This is the entrance to the city.
Visiting San Miguel is like taking a trip back in time.
The town owes its founding to a few hot dogs. These hounds were dearly loved by a courageous barefooted Franciscan friar, who started a mission in 1542 near an often-dry river 5km from town. One day the dogs wandered off from the mission and were later found reclining at the spring called El Chorro, south of town. The mission was subsequently moved to the site. This picture is looking down from El Chorro.

One of the most famous landmarks in town is Parroquia de san miguel arcángel. The parish church's pink wedding cake' towers dominate the landscape. These were designed by indigenous stonemason Zeferino Gutiérrez in the late 19th century. He reputably based the design on a postcard of a Belgian church, and instructed builders by scratching plans in the sand with a stick.
Less famous is Templo de la Concepcíon, a splendid church with magnificent old oil paintings.

San Miguel is internationally recognized for its magnificent light, colonial architecture and enchanting cobblestone streets.

The people are pretty laid-back . . .
and quite creative. Here's a tip: If you want to sell your house - buy a can of spray paint and advertise on your garage door. Much cheaper than a realtor!
All in all, it was a great day. Unfortunately, the town was swarming with federal police and national guard. There were big trucks full of police armed with machine guns on almost every street. By the time we left, they had blocked off the entrance to the city and we had to exit via an alternate route. We were glad we hadn't made reservations to spend the night.