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San Miguel de Allende's signature pink neo-Gothic parish church, rebuilt in its current dramatic form in the late 19th century by self-taught local mason Zeferino Gutiérrez, reportedly working from postcards of European Gothic cathedrals. Its soaring towers dominate the town's main square and skyline, making it the most photographed landmark in San Miguel de Allende.
Private Tours
A private walking tour through San Miguel de Allende's historic cobblestone streets, tailored to your interests — from colonial landmarks to the local art scene and markets.
Private Tours
A private walking tour of San Miguel de Allende's historic district, with time to ask your guide questions as you visit the central square, important churches, and historical monuments.
Visitor guide
La Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel is the parish church and emblem of San Miguel de Allende in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Its pink neo-Gothic facade and twin towers are visible from most parts of town, and Wikipedia describes it as among the most photographed churches in Mexico.
According to Wikipedia, the church dates to the seventeenth century, and its interior still follows the original seventeenth-century layout, although much of its decoration was lost to looting over time. What most visitors recognize today is a later addition. The neo-Gothic facade was built in 1880 by Zeferino Gutierrez, an indigenous bricklayer and self-taught architect. The common account is that he worked from European Gothic postcards and lithographs rather than from formal plans or training, which helps explain why the building looks quite different from the Baroque churches typical of the region. Accounts of exactly how much he copied from particular images vary, so the story is best told as a local tradition supported by Wikipedia's description rather than a documented design process.
The two towers rise above the historic center and serve as a landmark for finding your way around the hilly streets. The church faces the main plaza, the Jardin Principal, which is lined with other historic buildings including the Casa de Allende and the municipal palace. The pink stone and pointed spires give the square its distinctive profile, and the contrast with the surrounding colonial buildings in warm colors is part of why the view is so widely photographed.
The parish is part of the historic center that UNESCO inscribed in July 2008 as the Protective Town of San Miguel de Allende and the Sanctuary of Jesus Nazareno de Atotonilco. UNESCO recognized the town's well-preserved Baroque colonial architecture and layout and its role in the Mexican War of Independence, under criteria ii and iv. The town was founded in the 1540s and re-established in 1555, grew rich from silver as a stop on the road to Mexico City, and is the birthplace of independence figures Ignacio Allende and Juan Aldama. It was renamed San Miguel de Allende in 1826 in honor of Allende.
The church is an active place of worship, and visitors are generally expected to dress and behave respectfully. Much of the pleasure of the site comes from seeing it from different angles, from the plaza below to nearby terraces and streets. A private guided walk through the historic center can place the parish in context alongside the plaza, the colonial mansions and the arts institutions that shaped modern San Miguel.
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