What buildings make SMA the world’s ‘best small city’?

Published February 27, 2024

San Miguel de Allende — the five time winner of the world’s “Best Small City” award by Condé Nast Traveler and a UNESCO World Heritage Site— has a rich history dating back to its founding in 1542 atop the indigenous Chichimeca village of Itzcuinapan. Franciscan friar Fray Juan de San Miguel named the settlement San Miguel el Grande, in honor of the Archangel Michael.

In the 16th century, the discovery of silver in Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, and Zacatecas elevated San Miguel el Grande’s importance as a vital link between these prosperous mining regions and Mexico City, the capital of what was then New Spain. The town flourished economically and by the 18th century, it had become one of New Spain’s wealthiest settlements, creating much of the impressive architecture that can still be seen today.

Ignacio Allende, a great hero of the War of Independence, was born in 1769 to wealthy Spanish parents in San Miguel el Grande. Originally a Captain in the Spanish Army, he later sought to challenge the oppressive rule of the Spanish crown. Joining priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, they called the people to revolt on the 16th of September, 1810. He was eventually captured in 1811, and accused of high treason to the Spanish crown. He was executed and his head was hung on display in nearby Guanajuato.

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