This website tells us that San Miguel de Allende is one of the most beautiful in the province of Guanajuato, full of history and tradition. It was founded out of a necessity to protect travelers between Zacatecas and the capital of what was then the kingdom of New Spain and the route to transport minerals, mostly silver. In about 1542 from a humble chapel and villa called Itzcuinapan, or “the place of the dogs”, a friar named Juan de San Miguel started a place for the local population and dedicated it to the archangel St. Michael. There were severe problems with water supply and that hardship coupled with an attack in 1551 caused the village to be abandoned after 15 inhabitants were killed. 
Subsequently a Franciscan Friar named Bernardo Cossin and a local indigenous leader, Fernando de Tapia, rebuilt the location as a mission half way up the hills between the local springs. This is the modern location of the church of the Santa Escuela, which was established in the 18th century.
Later developments included the military prison built on the road to Zacatecas, and it was this privileged location that caused its rapid growth of beautiful houses and palaces as well as religious buildings, many of which can still be visited in what became San Miguel el Viejo, and then the neighborhood of the Santa Cruz Vieja. Throughout this evolution there was an effort made to respect the chessboard layout which helped the area grow in a measured and harmonious style and conserved the original style.
These include the Palacio Municipal (now regional museum) from 1736; the Casa del Mayorazgo de la Canal, late 18th C; the Casa del Inquisidor, 1780, headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition in New Spain; and many more which you can read about (in Spanish) at the following website.
San Miguel de Allende
Subsequently a Franciscan Friar named Bernardo Cossin and a local indigenous leader, Fernando de Tapia, rebuilt the location as a mission half way up the hills between the local springs. This is the modern location of the church of the Santa Escuela, which was established in the 18th century.
Later developments included the military prison built on the road to Zacatecas, and it was this privileged location that caused its rapid growth of beautiful houses and palaces as well as religious buildings, many of which can still be visited in what became San Miguel el Viejo, and then the neighborhood of the Santa Cruz Vieja. Throughout this evolution there was an effort made to respect the chessboard layout which helped the area grow in a measured and harmonious style and conserved the original style.
These include the Palacio Municipal (now regional museum) from 1736; the Casa del Mayorazgo de la Canal, late 18th C; the Casa del Inquisidor, 1780, headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition in New Spain; and many more which you can read about (in Spanish) at the following website.
San Miguel de Allende
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