History of San Miguel de Allende’s Clock

Published August 26, 2022

By Martin Buen Viaje

Since time immemorial, people have measured time by the movements of the sun. Later came the water clock and the hourglass—inaccurate, but useful. Eventually, monumental clocks were placed in the upper and outer parts of churches, but before those, time was designated by the number of tolls of the bells and were known as “canonical hours.” During the Middle Ages the bells indicated the different times when one had to pray. Then came wristwatches, which were wind-up or eventually battery-powered. Today, we can even measure time on our mobile phones.

Legend has it that a town without a bell clock is a mute town. For us, children of haste and commitments, it is important to know the time precisely, to attend to the different tasks of the day, and to give ourselves the pleasure of eating with the family, arriving at an appointment, or starting a break. Without a watch we would be in limbo.

I had the honor of meeting Raúl Vázquez, a native of San Miguel de Allende, known as «the medical guardian» of the monumental clock of the San Miguel Arcángel parish, which is located on the tower of the Santa Escuela. He has been winding and maintaining it for more than 20 years. Today he is passing the baton to his son Daniel, who will continue the legacy of his father and of five generations that preceded him.

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