La Parroquia of San Miguel de Allende
The Parroquia, or parish church, of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, is the centerpiece of this picturesque town of 80,000. The pink sandstone confection towers on the town’s main square appear like a birthday cake for the country itself. And this is fitting: San Miguel is the cradle of the Mexican independence movement and host to millions of national and foreign tourists annually.
Construction of the original church began in 1683, and by 1730 the last of the front towers was completed, solidifying the church’s refined baroque appearance—or so it was thought. In 1880, the bishop of León, Father Diez de Sollano y Dávalos, decided the church needed updating and contracted a local artisan named Ceferino Gutiérrez. Gutierrez drew his inspiration, as legend goes, from picture postcards of Gothic European cathedrals. With no formal drafting skills he scratched his own designs for soaring spires in the dirt then oversaw construction of the neogothic façade that still anchors San Miguel’s colonial downtown.
The Parroquia of San Miguel Arcángel sits opposite the Jardín, or main square, where residents and visitors intermingle, mariachis and brass bands compete with tolling bells, vendors stroll the stone walkways and the heart of the city beats well into the night.
Well-preserved landmarks such as the Jardín and Parroquia were key in helping earn San Miguel de Allende its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2008. To strengthen the UNESCO bid, San Miguel city fathers organized a facelift for the graying Parroquia. For 118 years the building had been assaulted by the elements, exhaust and roosting birds. Restorers painstakingly scraped the exterior of pigeon excrement with rubber spatulas then washed it with soap and water where there were no traces of original paint.
Then the building, made of a marble-like pink sandstone known as cantera, received a fresh coat of paint. Paint protects the cantera, which contains traces of calcium carbonates that disintegrate when exposed to humidity and rain. In 2007, as voting on the World Heritage Site nominations loomed, painters carefully applied layers of cheerful Mexican pink.
The facelift caused an outcry from many residents, who believed gray was the Parroquia’s original colour and grumbled about the “Disneyfication” of their beloved church. But studies showed that the Parroquia had been painted on four different occasions, always in shades of orange, red and yellow. Traces of the façade’s original pink hue were discovered in an area of the choir loft where the newer façade adjoined the original building. These remnants were sealed as a testament to the church’s original colour.
Today the Parroquia’s towers still house original iron and brass bells cast by campaneros, or bell-makers. Each of the bells has a name and is dedicated to a specific saint. They are still rung manually by ropes, calling parishioners to Mass as though centuries have not passed.
The Parroquia’s charms extend well below its surface. The interior, in the form of a Latin cross, is dominated by a main altar from which a statue of Ignacio Allende, a native son and hero for whom the city is now named, looks down upon the faithful.
As in any Mexican church, there is a sizeable statue of the humble Juan Diego, who was later sainted, kneeling before a painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The Lady, an incarnation of the Virgin Mary, appeared and gave him an armload of hill roses to present to church officials as proof of her appearance. She asked for a church to be constructed on the site, which significantly, was the former site of worship of an Aztec goddess. Skeptics say the story of the vision was invented by church officials to lure the indigenous to succumb to church and Spanish rule. Notwithstanding, the Virgin of Guadalupe, who appeared with a brown face to a native person, is one of the most popular and beloved figures of Mexico still today.
Another unique feature of the interior is a statue of the crucified Christ made of cornstalks and leather, a technique perfected by indigenous artisans to achieve a lifelike appearance. In times past the statue was borne from church to church during fiestas, but owing to its fragility this is no longer done.
On a side altar hangs a 16th-century Señor de la Conquista, Lord of the Conquest. This highly revered statue was made by Indians in Pátzcuaro using a traditional technique and is built of a paste of cornstalks cemented with a gum made from orchid tubers.
A crypt underneath the main altar of the Parroquia contains the remains of former bishops and such dignitaries as Felipe González and General Anastasio Bustamante, both heroes of the war against Spain (1810–1821). Bustamante, who later became president, died in San Miguel. Members of the 19th-century ruling class also rest below the Parroquia’s stones.
High along the church’s lofty ceilings are various paintings attributed to Juan Rodríguez Juárez.
Catholicism in México is a fascinating blend of European and indigenous beliefs and rituals. Each time incense and candles burn, xúchiles (woven beds of reeds, marigolds and the heart of the sotol cactus) are carried through the streets, or Chichimecas in plumed headdresses dance in front of the parish church, the seed pods on their ankles rattling like a million bones, the ancient and modern merge.
