A 500 year old cosmopolitan city, San Miguel de Allende became a Unesco World Heritage site in 2008.  In summary, Unesco is an agency of the United Nations and its purpose is to promote world peace and international cooperation through education, science and cultural exchanges. To be included in the world heritage list, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one of ten cultural or natural criteria.

In addition to having outstanding universal value, San Miguel de Allende qualified for acceptance on 2 of the other criteria. According to Unesco, “San Miguel is an exceptional example of the integration of different architectural trends and styles on the basis of  16th century urban layout.  Both religious and civil architecture  exhibit the evolution of different styles well integrated into a homogenous urban landscape”.

Unesco also considered San Miguel to be  qualified as an exceptional example of the interchange of human values.  “Due  to its location and function, the town acted as melting pot where Spaniards, Creoles, and Amerindians exchanged cultural influences; something reflected  in its tangible and intangible heritage”.  Additionally,  the town exhibits an acceptable state of  conservation while the legal system in place ensures protection of property and continuity.

Thanks to this heritage and a thriving community of  international artist, San Miguel has  become  one of the worlds most popular tourist destinations.  Visitor’s  will find  that studios, galleries and craft shops are ubiquitous in the central historical area.  In addition, the art institute of San Miguel attracts many students with a variety of  degree programs  and workshops in the fine arts.  However, San Miguel is not just for art lovers, there are many other diversions here as well; such as  music festivals, concerts, plays, film festivals, and other special events throughout the year that  appeal to a wide variety of interest.