[hrap/mex] San Miguel's Jardín Principal (or main square)
El Jardín is located in the heart of the city, and is the meeting spot for most people at anytime. It's surrounded by beautiful buildings and archways from the colonial era. It is like the center of the town. It is visible from anywhere in the town. If you get lost anywhere in the town the church is your destination. San Miguel de Allende has been a designated historical landmark since 1930. As such, the town has preserved its colonial heritage by banning new style construction, neon signs and other heralds of "modernization". The colonial buildings remain, today, in the same style as when they were originally constructed. I was so interested in the history of the town and I did a lot of research. The Jardin has been the center of the city since 1737. In the 16th and 17th century, this area was known as the "plaza parroquial", as the town gathered at the "plaza de la soledad", which is now known as the "Plaza Civica General Ignacio Allende". The "Jardin" was originally a paved, open area with a fountain in the center, much like the Zocalo of Mexico City, that has become the pattern of cities all over the country.
In the 1860's, a garden was started and the fountain was replaced with a gazebo. The gazebo that is there today is a replacement built in 1950. The first building in the Jardin was the "Templo de San Rafael", also known as the "Santa Escuela de Cristo". Construction began in 1564 by order of the first bishop of Michoacan. The mansion immediately to the right of the Parroquia is the Casa de Allende. It is one of the best surviving examples of 18th century architecture of the Spanish colonial noblity. Jardin is almost like the Times Square in N.Y.C in the sense that it is always full of people. San Miguel De Allende has a lot of foreigners. People from Canada, U.S.A and other European countries are moving in there. So it hosts events like international film festivals, plays dances, live music performances. It also hosts different international events. The Jardin is beautiful at night. There is something going on every night. One of the most common things is live music performances by the Mariachis. They have hundreds of people for an audience. The confluence of different factors makes the whole environment amazing. You feel like you are in a paradise or something. There are also restaurants around Jardin which has live music both in English and Spanish. You really need to visit it to experience the amazing life in there.
">
