San Miguel is located in the mountains north of Mexico City. The high elevation keeps the summer months cool. It is close enough to Mexico City for weekend visits, and even closer to such historic locations as Dolores Hidalgo, Querétero, and historic Guanajuato, famous for its mummies, silver mines, and as the birthplace of Diego Rivera. The area is known as the birthplace of the Mexican Revolution.

The nearest airpot is León, which is only a two hour flight from Houston. We will provide a shuttle service from the airport in León to San Miguel.

The program will provide excursions to nearby historic sites, and participants are also welcome to travel on their own on weekends.

San Miguel was founded in 1542 by the Franciscan monk Fray Juan de San Miguel. It was an important stopover on the Antiguo Camino Real, part of the silver route from Zacatecas, Zacatecas.

The town featured prominently in the Mexican War of Independence. General Ignacio Allende, one of San Miguel's native sons, was a leading player in the war against Spain. Allende, captured in battle and beheaded, is a national hero. San Miguel el Grande renamed itself "San Miguel de Allende" in 1826 in honor of his actions.

San Miguel de Allende was declared a national historic monument in 1926 by the Mexican government, Development in the historic district is restricted in order to preserve the town's colonial character.

The population of the central urban area is approximately 80,000.

The area around San Miguel and Dolores Hidalgo is know, ironically, as the bajío, which means low place. The name is ironic since it is situated on a high plateau. The elevation at San Miguel is over 1800 meters, more than a mile, but the plateau is surrounded by even higher mountains. Visitors familiar with Spain will recognize the landscape.

San Miguel has an abundance of lovely and inexpensive hotels and hostals, like Bosque, pictured here. The program will make use of several of these establishments to provide housing for participants, or you may feel free to find your own lodging.

Read about San Miguel daily news in the bi-lingual paper, Atencion San Miguel, published by the San Miguel library, which is also bi-lingual and an excellent resource for writers.