San Miguel de Allende - 20th Century To The Present

20th Century To The Present

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the town began to attract artists and writers. One prominent artist and writer was Stirling Dickenson, an American, who came in 1938. In the 1940s, Dickenson established the Instituto Allende. Another art and cultural school established around the same time is the Escuela de Bellas Artes. Despite their rural location, both schools would find success after the Second World War. U.S. veterans studying under the G.I. Bill were permitted to study abroad, and these schools took advantage, attracting former soldiers as students. Enrollment at the schools rose and this began the town's cultural reputation. This attracted more artists and writers, including José Chávez Morado and David Alfaro Siqueiros, who taught painting at the Escuela de Bellas Artes. This, in turn, spurred the opening of hotels, shops and restaurants to cater to the new visitors and residents. Many of the American veterans who came to study in San Miguel would later come back to retire, thus beginning the town’s reputation as a American enclave in Mexico. These Americans have been credited with saving the town.

The town's cultural, foreign and cosmopolitan nature has continued since that time. In the 1960s, Cantinflas promoted the area among his friends in the film industry. The city took on a Bohemian quality in the 1960s and 1970s as counterculture hippies moved in. The growing attraction of the town and its colonial buildings created a vibrant real estate market, which until recently has not been affected by Mexico’s economic ups and downs. Many of the old "ruins" of colonial houses have sold for more than a house in Mexico City. This is because most of San Miguel's buyers are foreign. This has prompted the very recent creation of mortgages on San Miguel properties financed by U.S. mortgage companies for American and Canadian buyers. Prior, house purchases were done in cash, which made property out of reach for many. The new arrangement allows more people to buy in the municipality. Between 2006 and 2009, 34 projects constructed 405 housing units. The last peak of real estate sales came in 2007, with 180 units sold with a median price of 250,000 USD totaling 45 million.

The city and nearby sanctuary were declared a World Heritage Site when UNESCO met in Quebec, Canada in July 2008. It was chosen both for its well-preserved Baroque colonial architecture and layout as well as its role in the Mexican War of Independence. The area which has been inscribed includes 64 blocks of the historic center and the sanctuary of Atotonilco with the title of "Villa Protectora de San Miguel el Grande y el Santuario de Jesus Nazareno de Atotonilco."

However, in 2010, the housing market dropped, with prices falling between 20 and 40 percent compared to two years earlier. The Asociacion de Profesionales Inmobelarios, a real estate group, blames Mexico's problems with drug related violence as the principal cause. Many of the nearly 3,000 units up for sale are homes being sold by foreigners. Another reason has been the economic problems in the United States and Canada, from which most foreign residents come. The problem of foreigners abandoning the city has prompted Former Mayor Luis Alberto Villarreal Garcia to challenge Mexican president Felipe Calderon to confront the crime problem, especially kidnappings on television.

Most recently the city has suffered serious air pollution from the burning of toxic waste, including plastic, tires, and even computer parts, by six or seven brick-making furnaces near the southern edge of town. Despite repeated protests by citizen groups, the city government has not taken action to stop this illegal burning.