San Miguel de Allende: Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel

Ignacio Allende, Mexican Hero; Hummingbirds!

We had a marvelous meal at a rooftop restaurant on our first night here. The prices are higher than ZLO but the quality was five stars, the choices were amazing, and the presentations were very creative, equal to a fancy Manhattan restaurant at half the cost. I will list all the restaurants, as well as hotel and transportation information and other details, in a separate post for those who are interested in visiting this interesting city.

We slept in and enjoyed a nice breakfast provided by our little hotel, then we were off! The first stop was the main square, here called the “Jardin Allende.” It’s not really a garden, but rather a typical Central Mexico town square, complete with trees, benches and cathedral.

It’s a unique church, with creative architecture, inspired by drawings of the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany which local stone mason turned architect Zeferino Guitiérez studied in drawing up the plans. The neo-gothic pink sandstone shone under the blue Mexican sky. Its official name is the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, meaning that it’s the parish church. Technically it is not a cathedral, since there is no bishop here.

Unlike most of the churches in Europe, this one really felt like an active church. Visitors were quiet and respectful. Gregorian chant permeated the main chancel, providing an ethereal air to our visit. The north and south transepts are painted in a folk style, providing a connection to the Mexican people, as you can see for yourself in this short video.

On this Friday afternoon a dozen or so congregants knelt and sang in a side chapel. The chapel was brilliantly painted in modern bright Mexican colors. We respected the privacy and did not enter or photograph this interesting little chapel.

No one would mistake this for a European cathedral, though in form it follows most of the rules.

It is this remarkable building, dominating the town, that provides the special focus on the town square. It is a photographer’s dream, with the pinks contrasting with the clear blue skies and the green of the square. The reconstruction of the parroquia and the construction of it’s new facade began in 1880, concluding in 1890.

The people of the town, including women and children, helped build the church. According to the Parish website:

On weekends the town worked. The children carried sand in small sacks, their mothers, stones according to their strength, the youths carried heavy rocks on their backs, while others loaded and drove carts, animated by that pilgrimage that came and went from the Laja River to San Miguel. Other young people put the happy note with their shouts and laughter helped by animals, while they transported those enormous stones that would serve as ashlars in the construction. The wood for the countless scaffolding that had to be continually reinforced was brought from the hills of Alcocer, a farm owned by the family of the beloved Bishop Sollano. Ant work. Work of years. I work without pay. Work of a people who wanted to beautify their main temple with their efforts.

The parroquia shares a courtyard with another, smaller church, Iglesia de San Rafael. (Here I will break my rule of “one cathedral per day” for a quick mention, but no pics.) It too was interesting, and a far cry from Europe, though the interior decoration did echo some of the gothic catherdrals in Spain, with figurines prominent throughout, some of which are paraded through the streets on special holidays.

The War of Mexican Independence: Meet Ignacio Allende, National War Hero.

Above: A statute of Ignacio Allende adorns the corner of his family home on the corner of the main square.

On the southeast corner of the square across the street from the parroquia stands the family home of Ignacio Allende, in whose honor the town was renamed. It’s a must stop for any visitor, with some excellent displays, most in English as well as Spanish. The exhibits helped filled in my woefully blank knowledge of the War of Mexican Independence.

Napoleon invaded Spain and occupied Madrid in 1808, installing his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King. There followed a series of battles called the Peninsular Campaign, also known as the Spanish War of Independence, in which Spanish, Portuguese and English soldiers, under the leadership of Wellington, battled Napoleon’s troops in the Iberian Peninsula. For more details there’s an excellent summary here on the British War Museum website.

Many scholars trace the Latin America Independence Movement to the Peninsular Campaign. Following the Spanish defeat, many of the Mexican elite continued to support King Ferdinand VII in exile. But others thought the time was right for independence from the motherland.

Above: Posthumous portrait of Ignacio Allende (1769-1811), by José Inés Tovilla (Mexican, b. 1864).

The local version puts Allende ahead of Hidalgo as the main leader of the Mexican Independence Movement. Both were captured when the poorly organized revolution failed. Hidalgo, a priest, was defrocked, and both were executed by firing squad.

The issue would not be resolved for 11 years. It wasn’t until 1836 that Spain finally recognized the Republic of Mexico. There would be more revolutions to come, but finally Mexico was free from the heavy hand of Spain.

It’s a fascinating history and deserves more attention up north, with religious, racial and economic forces totally different than those affecting the US and Canada. We should teach the history of both our neighbors, Canada and Mexico, in our schools.

The Allende home also features a nice little display of indigenous artifacts, including some Urnas, like the one above, and some wonderful ceremonial pipes which were smoked in a circle, with the shaman explaining the origination story of the people.

SMA, as it’s called, is at an altitude of 2000 meters (6400 feet asl), with low humidity and lots of sun. We came out of the gate full bore on Friday, walking up and down the hills of this town, but by evening I was all in. Seems to be a case of altitude sickness, so I spent Saturday recuperating, writing, and just relaxing.

I watched a big hummingbird catching insects on the fly. Did you know that all species of hummingbirds eat insects as well as nectar? I sure didn’t. There are about 58 varieties of hummingbirds in Mexico! I don’t yet have a positive ID on this one, but I’ll let you know when I do.

I headed up to the rooftop to watch the sunset and see if I could get a glimpse of the new moon. As the sky darkened, still red in the west, the pale crescent appeared, tipped on its side like a thin cup of Mexican silver.

La Luna Nuevo. Just to the right, derecha, was Venus. A big thank you to friend and follower Doug who sent me this interesting article on the planets this week: Rare Alignment of the Planets

Lots more to report on, but that will do it for today.

Thanks so much for traveling along! We’ve met lots of wonderful people here and so far it’s all positive, except for the altitude issue, which didn’t bother three out of four of us!

Post #1 in SMA Series: Welcome to San Miguel de Allende

Post #2 in SMA Series: Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel

Post #3 in SMA Series: Carnival, Markets and Art Galleries

Post #4 in SMA Series: Beauty is in the Simple Things

Post #5 in SMA Series: What can the History of Mexico tell us?

Post #6 in SMA Series: If you go: Hotels, Restaurants and connections.