San Miguel de Allende, a colonial-era city in Mexico’s central highlands, is famed for its baroque Spanish architecture, thriving arts scene and cultural festivals.Historically, the town is important as being the birthplace ofIgnacio Allende, whose surname was added to the town’s name in 1826, as well as the first municipality declared independent of Spanish rule by the nascent insurgent army during theMexican War of Independence.
The main attraction of the town is its well-preserved historic center, filled with buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. This and the nearbySanctuary of Atotonilcohave been declaredWorld Heritage Sitesin 2008.