Within the state Guanajuato, Mexico lies a city branded as the best small city globally
and is a UNESCO World Heritage City that is provincial in nature but offers the best luxury and comfort than any other city in Mexico, the city of San Miguel de Allende. Near this wonderful city, Mexico offers another world heritage site, the Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco. Both places are well-preserved historical centers with buildings that date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Traveling to San Miguel de Allende and Sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno de Antotonilco is like traveling back in time. The infrastructures located within are the epitome of Spanish colonialism in Mexico, which shows the Spaniards’ great influence.
San Miguel also goes by another pseudonym, The Pueblo Mágico, or Magical Town, for it is home to hundreds of ex-pat artists. When you plan an itinerary for your vacation in The Land of Tropical Splendor, make sure you include the protective city of San Miguel de Allende. Here, you will find restaurants representing the deliciousness of Mexican cuisine and top-class hotels that exemplify the culture and beauty that Mexico has to offer its tourists.
As one of Mexico’s main tourist attraction and the principal hub for the ex-pats population, the city welcomes thousands of tourists in a year. As a frequent tourist, we all want to travel to places like this without the hassle of competing with other tourists. Competing for a seat in one of San Miguel’s finest restaurants, visiting some of the most beautiful sites they have to offer, and even competing for a simple one night stay in their hotels. The secret to really enjoying your visit and time in San Miguel de Allende is to go in a specific time, specific climate, and even a specific season of the year.
With all of this in mind, you start asking the question, “What is the best time to visit San Miguel de Allende?” There are various festivals in a year that will have you experience the city’s true magic and wonder. There is even a specific season in a year that allows you to roam around the city without getting affected by Mexico’s scorching sun and have you truly enjoying your stay. You must be somewhat knowledgeable about all of these aspects. Continue reading and find out more before you start buying a ticket to Mexico.
Brief History of the Magical Town.
As a responsible tourist or traveler, knowing a brief background of the place you are visiting is important. By knowing some important historical details of the city, you would know which particular parts of the city that would interest and which parts you should avoid based on your preference.
Before the arrival of Spanish colonizers, indigenous settlements lie close to the location of San Miguel we know today. Juan de San Miguel’s successor, Bernardo Crossin, and the indigenous leader of the said settlement, Fernando de Tapia, re-established the city as both a mission and a military post. Due to problems with water supply, both individuals agreed on re-establishing the city in a different location. The city was originally named San Miguel de Grande and sometimes San Miguel de Los Chcichimecas. Still, in 1826 the city was renamed to San Miguel de Allende to honor the local hero Ignacio Allende, one of the leaders to free Mexico from Spanish rule in the 19th century.
San Miguel is now home to over 140,000 residents. In 2008 The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared San Miguel de Allende a World Heritage Site due to its well-preserved Spanish colonial architecture and its huge role in Mexico’s independence. Now, the city’s economy heavily relies on tourism and of its large ex-pat community. If you want to learn more about the history of the city, click here.
Festivals of San Miguel
The city does not solely rely on its well-preserved architecture to attract the millions of tourists it welcomes in a year and utilizes the rich culture of the city. Here are some festivals in the city that would surely have you buying your plane tickets immediately.
Dia De Los Muertos
Mexico is the only catholic country in the world with a specific celebration purely dedicated to the appreciation and remembrance of the dead, Dia de Los Muertos. But what’s different about this city’s celebration to the rest of the country is that it combines architectural beauty, historical experience, and traditions of the festival. On November 1st, the entire city crowds the cemetery and paints the graves of their loved one with white paint and decorate it with flowers. Altars are placed in every corner of the city, not just the cemetery or their homes, but also helps in commemorating the dead relatives who fought on the streets of the city during its quest for independence. The city, rather than celebrating only a day, the city celebration spans an entire week. This is called the La Calaca Festival. The entire week, the city is filled with colorful flags, pop-up markets, music, and face painting.
Christmas in San Miguel de Allende
The main attraction during the Christmas season in the city can be found in Christmas Market in Plaza Cívica. The giant Christmas tree is lighted on the 16th of December every year in Jardín. As the entire city count the days till the 25th, there is a traditional procession that goes around the small city called Las Posadas. Christmas in the country’s main tourist hub will never be boring nor dull, for, in the city, you will find restaurants open for an extraordinary Christmas Mexican Dinner. Find out more about the city’s Christmas celebration by clicking here.
El Señor de la Conquista (The Lord of the Conquest)
It is widely known that Mexico’s culture is rooted in catholicism. Around early March, the city celebrates by having hundred of the colorful concert or “chichimeca” dancers with giants headdresses dancing to the astounding drum beats that celebrate Christ’s time on earth. The costumes are greatly inspired by their ancestors, the Aztecs, Mayans, and even the Toltec Warriors. During this celebration, the residents recite 33 prayers about each year of christ’s life on the planet.
The Best Season to Visit the City
Mexico is known as the Tropical Splendor of Latin America. We know that the country is a tropical country that only experiences dry and rainy seasons. In a year, the city experiences the hottest month, which is in May. Around June through October, the city manages during the rainy season. As a known tropical country, and much like any tropical country in the world, there is no bad time to visit San Miguel de Allende. Most tourists and travelers only consider the factor of when the festivals they want to experiences happen. Through that, they decide to visit the city. If you are very cautious with the weather, I suggest you read through the average weather per month the city experiences by clicking here.
COVID-19 & San Miguel de Allende
At the beginning of 2020, the world watched as slowly each county around the world close their borders and went into quarantine. This phenomenon was caused by the sudden widespread of the novel coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease. As of October 2020, the country has 809,751 cases of COVID-10, with about 83,507 deaths. According to a New York Times article, around March, the country decided to enter into a joint agreement with the United States that restricts non-essential travel along the US-Mexico Border to prevent the virus’s spread. But around June, the country suddenly decided to open its borders once again to travelers and tourists. The reason maybe is because the country’s countries economy heavily relies on tourism. Mexico is now of the only counties globally that do not have a protocol in dealing with travelers and the coronavirus. There is no required quarantine period when you enter the country, and they do not require a COVID-19 test before or after arriving. But the country tightened its restriction only with the US-Mexico border. As shocking as this may be, technically, the country never really fully closed down its borders because of the spread of the virus because they have reopened them before the time of the year, where they often experience an increasing number of visitors. To read more into this matter, click here.
Final Thoughts
The entire world is still under the effects of the novel coronavirus. We all must remember to take precautionary measures as countries start to reopen their international borders to foreign tourists and travelers, especially because there is still no vaccine for the virus yet. Nevertheless, the city of San Miguel and the information regarding the best time to visit the magical city of Mexico would still be helpful for your next planned visit to the city, before or even after the onset of the virus.