When most people think of visiting Mexico, they think of beach resorts or archeological ruins. Places such as Acapulco or Cancun. Or Chichén Itzá or Palenque.
Interesting, pleasant places, to be—all of them nice to visit.
But if you want to experience the real Mexico, you will find what you are searching for in one of the Spanish colonial towns or cities that has retained the flair of Old Mexico. The best one, many agree, is a picturesque small historic colonial town that sits just about smack in the middle of the country in the Bajío mountains of the state of Guanajuato, some 170 miles northwest of Mexico City.
A Historic Town
San Miguel de Allende doesn’t merely look historic—it is genuinely historic. Founded in 1542, it came to be known as San Miguel after Franciscan monk Fray Juan deSan Miguel, who founded it and who was beloved for his work among Indians in the area.
