HISTORY OF SAN MIGUEL: The man who turned the world upside down

“Regardless of the size of the city or town where men or women are born, they are ultimately the size of their work, the size of their will to aggrandize and enrich their brothers.”

The words of Ignacio Allende resonate to this day—a call to put nation before self. He is the paramount hero of San Miguel de Allende, and to recognize him, the city was renamed in his honor in 1826. He conceived the idea of initiating the War of Independence and turned it into a reality. Both he and the ideas of sovereignty were born in San Miguel, making his hometown the true birthplace of independence. Who exactly was he?

Igancio Allende de Unzaga was born on January 21, 1769, in San Miguel el Grande. He was the fifth of seven children of a wealthy Spanish family, and grew up with the privileges that came with that station. The home where he was born was one of the principal mansions in the center of town, next to the parish church. The two-story palace was built in a combination of a neoclassical style, with baroque influences. The stately front door has an arched pediment supported by brackets or corbels, with pilasters on either side.

A plaque above the door is inscribed with the Latin phrase: Hic Natus Ubique Notus—he who is born here is known everywhere, as if declaring the future of one of the children. The expansive interior has the typical courtyard with a fountain, flanked by rooms with doors beneath arches on the main floor and enough bedrooms upstairs for a large family. The home still stands and is a city museum worth visiting.

From early youth, it was clear that Allende’s destiny “did not lie in religious contemplation or books…he understood that when he grew up, he would be a man of action.” Like all the children of the wealthy in town, Allende studied at the Colegio de Sales where he formed a close friendship with the brothers Juan and Ignacio Aldama. In the classrooms of this institution they heard the priest Gamarra bring a new philosophy and a new worldview. And, in their teens, they saw Gamarra stand up to his superiors and not bow to authority. Their teacher’s demeanor struck a chord in these young men; they, too, felt that the status quo was unfair and affected them personally. As Criollos, they did not have the same opportunities or privileges as the peninsulares—those born in the Iberian Peninsula. The Criollos were in effect second-class citizens. Independence from Spain, sovereignty, and self-governance became fixed in their minds.

The old Colegio de Francisco de Sales, the iconic building in Plaza Civica

Ignacio was a charmer—he was liked and admired by men, and pursued by women. Tall, athletic, with curly blonde hair and blue eyes, he had a ready smile and a playful demeanor. When the Sanmiguelense families gathered for banquets or balls in their haciendas, Allende enjoyed playing pranks, which brought attention from his peers and elders. Several times during these reunions, he released a calf into a room full of guests. He and his friends relished in the mayhem he created.

Ignacio loved horses and was an excellent rider, but even more than horseback riding, he loved participating in corridas, avoiding the bull’s horns with agility and the skillful use of the cape. Just as much as being in the ring with a bull, he loved roping them in the fields. One such incident resulted in severe injuries when he went to the nearby hills with friends. Chasing a bull on horseback, he fell down a steep slope, fracturing an arm and breaking his nose. This left him with a distinctive twisted nasal bridge.

A pencil drawing of Ignacio Allende from his biography: El Heroe Olvidado—the Forgotten Hero. He is wearing his military uniform, and the portrait shows the broken nose quite well.

In 1764, the regiment of the Queen’s Dragoons was established in San Miguel el Grande, and Ignacio Allende joined this new military force. One of the requirements was demonstrating your skill as a horseman; that was something at which he excelled, and he passed muster with a stellar performance. He started as a lieutenant in the Queen’s Dragoons and was later promoted to captain.

When Napoleon Bonaparte installed his brother Joseph as king of Spain, the people of Spain and those in their American colonies rose in protest. The Criollos felt a sense of obligation toward their parents’ fatherland and the need to overthrow French control. After that, they would strive for independence from all monarchs.

In 1809, Ignacio Allende began to hold clandestine meetings plotting an insurrection and the overthrow of the Spanish government. These meetings were held in the home of his older brother Domingo, and while the family hosted banquets and fancy balls on the main level, Ignacio and his fellow conspirators met in the mezzanine area.

Ignacio Allende also invited Miguel Hidalgo, the progressive parish priest of the nearby town of Dolores. His parishioners were mostly indigenous people who had suffered under the yoke of Spanish landlords, and Hidalgo was a strong supporter of their emancipation. Hidalgo’s advocacy for the indigenous people’s human rights made him a beloved figure among them and a powerful political figure.

The “house of conspirators” on the corner of Calle Principal and Relox. Left, as it appears today, and on the right an old photo from the turn of the century.

The revolution was set to start on the streets of San Miguel el Grande on September 29, 1810, the feast day of the city’s patron saint, Saint Michael the Archangel. The festival was a major celebration, filling the streets with the city’s entire population and visitors from nearby cities and towns. With the bustle of the celebrations as a backdrop, it seemed like an ideal moment to catch the local authorities off guard. However, there was a betrayal, and the news was brought on September 16, 1810, to Ignacio Allende in the town of Dolores, where he was visiting Miguel Hidalgo.  When Allende learned about the betrayal, he knew there was no turning back; from that moment, only two paths lay ahead of him: the gallows or victory. Overnight, he had become a hunted man and a traitor to the King. When Hidalgo heard the news, he pounded his fists on the table, turned to Allende and Aldama, and called out: “Gentlemen, we are lost; there is no recourse here but to go and grab the gachupines.” This was a derogatory name for Spanish. Hidalgo had the church bells ring out, and when his parishioners rushed to see what was happening, he issued a war cry—el grito. “Muerte a los gachupines!”—death to the Spanish—he shouted, and his followers took up arms and the war began.

The ragtag army made up of campesinos marched toward San Miguel el Grande.  They had been ignited by the words of Hidalgo to kill the gachupines, and were intent on carrying out their threats. Ignacio Allende, aware of the mob’s wrath, was worried about the Spanish population in town, many of whom were relatives. He sped ahead and, arriving in town, gathered the Spanish residents and locked them up inside the Colegio de Sales. The building was strong enough to keep them safe when the angry mob of rebels stormed into town in the afternoon of September 16, 1810. The rebels pillaged the stores, broke windows and doors, set a few fires, but unable to find any Spanish residents, they could not cause them harm. The insurgents took control of San Miguel el Grande but the day went by without any bloodshed. Thus began the War of Independence!

A painting depicting the main players in the War of Independence: Miguel Hidalgo is in the center, Ignacio Allende to his left, followed by Josefa Dominguez and Ignacio Aldama. To the right of Hidalgo stands Jose Manuel Morelos, and to his right is Juan Aldama.

The fight for independence lasted for eleven years, finally culminating in full sovereignty for the Mexican nation and a declaration of Independence in 1821. But the many years of war had devastated the emerging nation and totally changed the political and social makeup. Confronted with an angry population intent on killing them, the Spanish fled San Miguel el Grande, abandoning their mansions and industries. What was once a thriving city became practically a wasteland with a population that had no work other than farming to sustain them. It took many centuries until San Miguel de Allende became once again a thriving city of culture and art.