If I confused you with the ambiguous question, let me restate it: Who is San Miguel?
San Miguel de Allende is a city with the names of two men, two men it honors: San Miguel—Saint Michael, and Ignacio Allende. The first is a mythical religious figure, the second is a man of flesh and blood. Ignacio Allende was the native son who led the insurgents in the War of Independence which began on September 15, 1810. He, together with Miguel Hidalgo led the insurgent armies as they first marched through our city—thus giving it the nickname “cuna de la independencia,” cradle of independence. They then moved onwards throughout New Spain as they fought for independence from Spain. The entire month of September is known as fiestas patrias—patriotic festivities, with the city decorated with the national colors of green, white, and red; Mexican flags displayed everywhere; and fireworks every weekend if not more. Much has been told about Generalissimo Ignacio Allende, but returning to my original question—who Saint Michael, the patron saint of our city?
Saint Michael is one of the seven archangels venerated by Christians, as well as Jews since they were named in the First Testament, and mentioned in the New Testament as well. They are always seven, but their names are not consistent, the list changes depending on which version one reads. Four of them, however, are always present in the count: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. The archangels are a grade above regular angels, part of a princely rank in the celestial court. The other four archangels to make seven, accepted by (most authorities) of the Catholic Church are: Jehudiel, Jophiel, Chamuel (sometimes known as Samuel), and Barachiel. The archangels appear not only in the Bible, but also in the Koran, and are even mentioned in Hinduism.
St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and St. Uriel as they are depicted in paintings in the Chapel of Loreto, all painted by Juan Patricio Morlete Ruiz, a native of San Miguel el Grande, born in 1713.
The archangels’ names all end in El, which in Hebrew means “god.” Thus Gabriel signifies “man of god,” and is often depicted with a spear and a mirror of jasper with an X, the first letter of the word Christ in Greek. He is the herald of visions and heavenly messenger (like Hermes in Greek mythology, or Mercury for the Romans).
Raphael means “god heals,” because he healed the earth when it was defiled by the fallen angels (more about them later). In the Koran he is known as Israfil, and his equivalent in Greek mythology is Apollo—the good of healing; and father of Asclepius, god of medicine, physicians, healing, and rejuvenation (which I suppose would include collagen injection and plastic surgery). Now you know who to turn to for your face lift!
The meaning of the name Uriel, or Oriel, is “the flame of god,” and he represents wisdom, truth, and light. His equivalent in Greek mythology could very well be Athena (Minerva for the Romans), who happens to be a woman, thus breaking the ancient gender ceiling!
And now we finally come to Michael. His name comes from the Hebrew Mi-ka-El, which means “he who is like god.” He was also the leader of the heavenly army that defeated the rebellious angels led by Lucifer. On the left is the painting of San Miguel by Morlete, in the Chapel of Loreto. In Greek mythology his likely equivalent would be Apollo, who slay the giant python, similar to images of St. Michael.
The other three archangels vary considerably depending on which version of the Bible, or which religious order one consults. Some of the names that appear are Chamuel, Salthiel, Jehudiel, Zadkiel, and Jeremiel. I will focus on the ones most often mentioned. St. Baracheil’s name means “god has blessed,” patron of family and married life. His equivalent in Greece is female—Hera, the wife of Zeus (Juno and Jupiter in Rome), patroness of family and marriage. Saint Barachiel is often shown strewing flowers, representing blessings.
Jehudiel’s name in Hebrew means “god is one.” He is the bearer of god’s love, as well as being the angel over Friday. As such, his closest equivalent would be Aphrodite (Venus for the Romans), who is also associated with Friday.
Saint Salathiel’s name means “I have asked god.” He helps people interpret dreams, break addictions and other mental problems, and protects children. The only Greek equivalent I can find would be Cassandra, a mortal who rejected the god Apollo when he fell in love with her. As punishment Apollo granted her the power of prophecy and added the curse that her pronouncements would not be believed. She suffered all her life because she knew her pronouncements were true, but those around her did not believed her, mocking her instead.
St Barachiel strewing flowers. St. Salathiel with a censer. St. Jehudiel holding a crown
Above all these archangels stands Saint Michael who is their chief, and the warrior who led the heavenly armies against the rebellious angels, who are also seven: Mammon (greed), Asmodeus (lust), Leviathan (envy), Beelzebub (gluttony), Satan (wrath), and Belphegor (sloth). Their leader, Lucifer is the seventh, and he represents pride. Each connected to the seven deadly sins.
Saint Michael, as previously stated, led the heavenly army of archangels who ousted the rebellious ones. He is also to appear at the final judgment to weigh souls, where those with greater sins tip the scales more than those who are pure. He then determines whether those departed will spend eternity in, or south of Paradise.
In art, Saint Michael is most frequently depicted as a warrior, armed with helmet, sword, and shield. He holds the sword alight in his right hand, standing over a serpent, a dragon, or the squirming figure of Lucifer himself, with whom he is engaged in an eternal fight.
In San Miguel de Allende, the prostrate figure is usually a demon, although sometimes the vanquished enemy is a serpent, or many serpents. This you find in the statue of Saint Michael in the niche at the corner of San Francisco and Nunez, where he stands on the heads of many snakes, as in the photo on the left below. To the right you see another niche, located at Insurgentes and Hernandez Macias. Here, to highlight his role as the chief of all angels, he stands on the heads of cherubim. I invite you to check for yourself.
So now you know who Saint Michael is, but why is he the patron of our city? When our city was founded, the name was given by the Franciscan priest who himself had taken the name—Fray Juan de San Miguel.
He arrived in this area in 1542 and started a mission which he so named, and that name has remained to this day: first San Miguel, then San Miguel de los Chichimecas, then San Miguel el Grande, and finally in 1823 it received the end tag of “de Allende” to honor the leader of the War of Independence, native son, Ignacio Allende.
This year the feast of San Miguel—Saint Michael—will begin on the evening of September 27. However, the celebrations begins more than a month earlier, on August 11 early in the morning with the Reseña de la Fiesta del Señor San Miguel: Overview of the feast of Saint Michael. A procession, with an ox in tow, begins in Las Cuevitas, passes by the Parroquia where they leave an offering. The procession continues to the church of San Juan de Dios where they offer a prayer.
Then on September 20, the celebration of the Overview of the Alborada, gathers the neighborhoods of Las Cuevitas, Aurora, and Valle del Maiz, on the corner of Hidalgo and Canal. They end the celebration at the Jardin Principal. This takes place at 5pm and is meant for families with children, and perhaps some elderly, who probably would not be able to participate in the actual Alborada which takes place at dawn on the 27th.
The actual celebration, however takes place a week later. People gather in the plaza before the Parroquia at dawn to celebrate the Alborada (dawn), around 4am on September 27. It is a spectacle accompanied by fireworks, truly worth witnessing.
The magical Alborada
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