¡Feliz Dia de la Independencia!

I’ve never been a history buff. I could try and explain the Mexican Revolution as I know it, but the fact is that I don’t know it at all. I am, however, sure of two things: Independence Day is not Cinco de Mayo (that commemorates a small but important battle fought in Puebla and isn’t celebrated anywhere in Mexico but Puebla), and the actual day of Independence here is the 16th of September. I also know that this town, San Miguel de Allende, played a significant role. So with the help of my friend the internet, this is what I can tell you:

San Miguel is the birthplace of two significant protagonists of the revolution, Ignacio Allende and Juan Aldama. Both were involved in a conspiracy against the colonial government in Mexico City, along with Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez. When this conspiracy was discovered, the warning to Hidalgo and Allende passed through San Miguel and onto the town of Dolores (now Dolores Hidalgo) just to the north.

This is when Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the town’s parish priest and brother of Miguel, gathered his congregation of Indians and mestizos and called for Mexican independence, with the exile or arrest of all Spaniards in Mexico who had oppressed and exploited the native populations for hundreds of years.

He ended his speech by calling out what is now known as “El Grito”. When he passionately told the crowd “Mexicanos, Viva Mexico!” it was doubly significant since the country was known as Nueva España (New Spain) at that time.

So there you have San Miguel de Allende’s history in a nutshell.

A few more current facts: San Miguel has around 140,000 residents, and it’s estimated that 10 percent are expats from the US and Canada. There is not a single stoplight or stop sign anywhere in town. It’s a high-desert climate, which makes it close to perfect year-round. It’s incredibly popular, which constantly surprises me because it’s so difficult to get here: if you fly into Mexico City, it’s a 3 1/2 hour van or car ride. The closer airport, in Leon, is 2 hours but doesn’t handle large jets. Once you’re here, it’s 6500 feet above sea level, so it takes about 2 weeks to get used to the altitude. This being a colonial city, the sidewalks are about 18″ wide, and the streets are mostly cobblestone. It’s a great walking town, but it’s all on hills.

All that said, it’s a festive time in San Miguel de Allende. Here are some pictures I took of the town today.

La Parroquia is the centerpiece of town. Built in the 17th Century, the pink (limestone?) facade was added later on. It anchors the main square, called El Jardin. On weekends, they project a light show onto it, which I admit I have never seen.

This is part of the church of San Francisco, which is about 2 blocks from La Parroquia. There are two more churches a block away. More churches three blocks away. And even more churches four blocks away.

Flag sellers have been everywhere. They will be gone on Monday.

The tower of the Escuala de Belles Artes in the background, which houses a couple of murals by David Alfaro Siqueiros. This pic was taken in front of my favorite bakery, which makes fresh English Muffins and some of the best sourdough bread I’ve ever had.

There are abuelas everywhere. They carry all kinds of things in bags and buckets. Right now you can score some amazing squash blossoms from them. Also zucchini. Some of them sit on the sidewalks picking thorns off nopal cactus pads and sell those, too. They generally don’t like it when I take their pictures, so I have to do it on the sly.

Another one.

The bandstand in the center of El Jardin. There was some kind of run this morning, and as I took this pic they were all shouting “VIVA MEXICO!”

These guys are assembling the stationery fireworks that will go off at El Jardin tonight. They’ll be 15 or 20 feet high, and when lit they’ll spin around and around while traditional fireworks are shot off over the church.