July 11, 2008, cont. from front page, The story behind World Heritage, By Jesús Ibarra, Rosewood project kicks off in a big way, By Bob Kelly, Summer in San Miguel, By Jesús Ibarra

In his congratulatory message, Mayor Correa said that the listing is the culmination of a joint effort of more than three years between the community and the federal, state and local authorities.

“But, it is now, when the true and most important of our objectives begins: to conserve, to restore, to know, and to tirelessly spread this rich and vast heritage our ancestors have left us, so that the next generations of Mexicans and of all the world, may continue enjoying of our wonderful and unique city. To be a World Heritage site means duties but also funds for preservation” said Correa.

The World Heritage Committee, meeting for its 32nd session, inscribed 13 new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in the afternoon and evening of July 7.

The nomination of new sites for inscription on the World Heritage List continued through July 8.

The Mexican delegation in Québec for the special session comprised of Emilio Goicochea Luna, Mexican Ambassador in Canada; Juan Manuel Oliva, Governor of Guanajuato; Luis Alberto Villarreal senator and former San Miguel mayor; Mayor Jesús Correa; Cristóbal Finkelstein San Miguel’s City Secretary; Francisco Peyret, head of City Tourism, Economic Development and International Relations and Guillermo González Engelbretch, director of the Tourism council of San Miguel. Francisco López Morales, head of the World Heritage Department from INAH, and coordinator of the San Miguel World Heritage file was also present.

For state governor Oliva “Today is a memorable day for Guanajuato and Mexico… and we are extremely proud.” Guanajuato, now, becomes the only Mexican state with two World heritage cities.

Senator Villarreal in an acceptance speech thanked UNESCO for the inclusion, and recognized the sanmiguelenses for having cared and preserved their city over time. “With these words, I would like to recognize the inhabitants of San Miguel and Atotonilco, for preserving with care, but overall with love and courage, this vast and monumental heritage, fruit of the mix of cultures along 466 years of life.”

With San Miguel and Atotonilco’s inclusion, Mexico becomes the country with the fourth highest number of World Heritage sites.

The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in neighboring Michoacán was also accepted as a World Heritage natural site. To read more visit whc.unesco.org/en/news/451.

San Miguel’s World Heritage file

1) Identification of the site; buildings, square blocks and other tangible aspects.

2) Historical justification

3) Criteria of exceptional universal value

4) Authenticity and integrity

5) State of conservation

6) Site management plan

7) Indicators for tracking the site

8) Appendix of historical documentation and photographs

9) Directory of UNESCO authorities for tracking the site

Following a three-year application process that began in 2005, San Miguel de Allende and the Shrine of Jesús Nazareno in Atotonilco were added to UNESCO’s cultural heritage list.

For historian Graciela Cruz, charged with compiling historical data for the application documents, this moment represents much more than three years of research to compile a detailed investigation.

Cruz, a young single mother with a mane of wild curly hair, spent hours and hours every day reviewing historical documents from churches, temples and private collections in San Miguel and also Guanajuato.

When not out in the “field” collecting new information, she would work from her private office or one provided by city in the Ángela Peralta, when in need of silence and privacy she would seek refuge in the book-lined walls of the Parroquia archives. The final work is for Cruz the result of years of dedicated research immersed in her passion—the history of San Miguel.

Creating the historical file

Cruz cited several reasons for San Miguel’s historical importance, including its strategic location and mix of indigenous and Spanish residents during the colonial period, its significance as a cradle of the independence movement and its economic importance in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

The shrine at Atotonilco is historically rich not only through its connection to San Miguel, but also because of its religious significance.

Aside from historical justification, the application documents also addressed preservation, urban development, traffic plans within the city, and sociocultural aspects.

“I began working with architect Guadalupe Horta to prepare a brief file for the initial application documents that explained the background of the architectural style of the city and its socioeconomic profile,” said Cruz. “Later, when San Miguel and Atotonilco were included on the list of prospective World Heritage sites, I expanded the historical discussion, covering San Miguel and Atotonilco both separately and together.”

Cruz said that the project was coordinated by Francisco López Morales, Ph.D., and Edgar Urban, MA.

A site of economic importance in the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries

San Miguel el Grande was a strategic crossroads during the colonial period—a trade route and the gateway to the “land inside,” the northern part of Mexico inhabited by nomad and warrior tribes not yet conquered by the Spaniards.

The beginnings of what eventually came to be San Miguel de Allende are often misunderstood. “The first settlement was the Pueblo de Indios de San Miguel de los Chichimecas (Town of Indians of San Miguel de los Chichimecas), founded in the area of San Miguel Viejo between 1542 and 1549 by Fray Juan de San Miguel,” she said. The population of San Miguel de los Chichimecas was made up of Chichimecas, mainly guamares and guachichiles, Otomíes and Tarascos. In 1549, the town was relocated to Izquinapan, currently known as El Chorro, a significant site for pre-Hispanic rituals.

Between 1555 and 1561, Viceroy Luis de Velasco authorized the founding of the Villa de San Miguel el Grande to protect the road to the “land inside” and other villages in the area. During this period the mayor of the village petitioned the viceroy for a donation of land so that Spaniards could settle within the town. The viceroy granted about 1,640 hectares of land, including two sites for livestock, an area for trade, and a resting place for merchants. By the end of this six-year period the first Spanish town council had begun meeting in the new town hall, called Casas Reales, located in the Plaza de la Soledad across from what is now the Oratorio. “During this period the Spanish presence was formalized; Spaniards began to establish themselves along the edge of the Laja River and the village acquired additional geographical importance as a route to the mines of Guanajuato and Zacatecas,” she said.

The historian explained that during the first years after its founding, the village of San Miguel was under the administrative control of the “Alcaldía Mayor” of Jilotepec, a town located between Querétaro and Mexico City that also controlled San Luis Potosí. A few years after San Miguel’s founding, the Alcaldía Mayor of San Miguel el Grande was established, reducing Jilotepec’s responsibility.

During the seventeenth century, the village grew economically stronger. By 1760, the town hall was relocated from Plaza de la Soledad to the Jardín. “During this century, said Cruz, the village increased agricultural and livestock enterprises, and haciendas began producing a large amount of grain. Vendors in San Miguel sold goods procured locally, regionally and nationally.

Via international trade routes, goods from San Miguel were carried to distant places such as the Philippines, China, Spain, the Netherlands, England and France.”

Cruz noted that urban development during the seventeenth century was also of great importance. “The first streets began to form the plan of the village: Santa Ana (now Insurgentes), San Antonio (now San Francisco), San José (now Mesones) and San Miguel (now Umarán) were the main streets, and all of them connected with the main accesses to the village. Among the oldest surviving buildings are the Santa Escuela church (currently next to the Parroquia), which could have been the first parish church in the town, and the Tercera Orden, currently next to San Francisco. The first fountains appeared for providing water to the big houses and to the population in general. Residents began to embellish their houses.”

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Villa of San Miguel increased in administrative importance and economic development. It was also religiously important, having been the seat of the parish church for San Miguel and Dolores since the seventeenth century; San Felipe was the closest other parish seat.

The collection of tithes helped swell the church coffers, but this income began to diminish in 1711 when Dolores also became the seat of the parish. Also in the eighteenth century, from 1740 to 1785, the shrine at Atotonilco was constructed.

Next week: Historical importance of Atotonilco and its link to San Miguel

The US$234-million Rosewood luxury resort and residential community being developed next to the Instituto Allende will become one of the city’s largest employers, contribute nearly US$14 million in taxes in five years and make donations to city and community projects that already have totaled more than US$600,000.

That was the message delivered to more than 200 guests attending the groundbreaking July 28 on the site of the former Aristos Hotel on calle Cardo by Scott Writer, a principal of Aspen-based Bald Mountain, the developer.

Writer also sought to allay concerns brought up by environmentalists and residents near the project.

Bald Mountain will plant some 250 trees on site or in other locations to replace those cut down, many of which he said were diseased or dying Writer said the company will control dust and prevent storm water pollution and donate excavated soil to the municipality for improvement of public places. The only construction entrance, he added, will be off calle Cardo, with no construction traffic on the parallel Paseo de Parque, between Ancha de San Antonio and Parque Juarez.

The development also will generate additional taxes and purchasing power by creating 800 to 900 construction jobs and nearly 500 permanent jobs, Writer said.

The company has donated US$200,000 to DIF, a nonprofit helping low-income families, the equivalent of US$430,000 for the glorieta project at calles Aldama and Cardo and US$11,000 for the master planning of Parque Landeta, he added. It also will contribute one-tenth of one percent of all sales to a nonprofit foundation to benefit the community.

Mayor Jesus Correa made news by announcing the company will be the first developer required to contribute 10 percent of its construction costs for residences to a new fund that will finances homes for workers who can’t afford one. Correa recently announced a city program to provide 500 homes to low-income residents, with some 150 already under construction.

“The Rosewood San Miguel de Allende and the Artesana Rosewood Residences will combine luxury resort service and amenities with the opportunity to experience one of Mexico’s oldest cultural and historic destinations,” said Writer said. “We are honored to be granted the privilege of bringing this wonderful new property to San Miguel that will stay true to the distinctive architecture and lifestyle of the city.”

Rosewood Hotels and Resorts of Dallas will operate the resort and residences. The resort, scheduled to open in the fall of 2010, will include 63 guest rooms and suites, casual and fine dining restaurants, a rooftop lounge and tapas bar and a wine and tequila cellar, as well as swimming pools and a spa and fitness center, meeting rooms, event facilities, and public space for rotating art exhibits. The residences, now on sale, will range from 1,800-square-foot casitas to 8,000 square-foot villas and start from US$850,000 dollars to just under US$3 million. More than 500 people have already expressed interest, said Harold Shand, director of sales for Playground, the sales agent.

What to do with the kids this summer? Two months can fly when you are having fun, so how to offer your kids more fun. San Miguel offers a great variety of summer courses and activities for all tastes and for all pockets, even for teen-agers and adults.

Culture, sports, art, languages, computation, ecology, water care, and first aid, are some of the course offered in different institutions, private and public. Parents can find free course at the Biblioteca Pública and Biblioteca Municipal at Pepe Llanos, related to culture and art. Other courses, at very low prices, are offered by Comisión Muncipal del Deporte y Atención a la Juventud, COMUDAJ (Local Commission of Sports and Assistance to Youth), which are all related to sports.

Biblioteca Pública
(Free courses, all courses in Spanish)
Insurgentes 25
152-0293

Reading workshops for children, for children ages 1 to 12:

Postre de cuentos (Dessert Tales) July 7–11

Todos somos valiosos (We are all valuable) July 14–18
Se vale leer (It’s worth reading), July 21–25
Brota Palabrota, July 28–August 1
El poeta de piedra del sol (Poet of the Sun Stone), for developing taste for poetry, August 4–8
(All these workshops are Monday to Friday, 11am–12pm or 5–6pm)
Computation: July 7–August 8:
Monday–Friday, 10–11am, children ages 6 to 8
Monday–Friday, 4–5pm, children ages 9 to 11
Guitar: July 5–August 30, Fridays or Saturdays 10–11am, children over 8
Painting: July 7–August 8, Monday–Friday, 4–6pm, children ages 8 to 14
Chorus: July 5–August 30, Saturdays, 10:30 am, children ages 8 to 14
Pre-Hispanic music: July 5–August 30, Saturdays, 12:30pm
Arab dances: July 8–August 7, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10–11:30am, children ages 10 to 15
July 14–August 1, Monday–Friday, 10am–1pm, children ages 10 to 15
Introduction to Theater: July 5–30; Saturdays, 10:30am, children ages 10 to 15

Bellas Artes
(From July 7 to August 1, in Spanish)
Hernández Macías 75
152-0289
bellasartessma@hotmail.com
cceninba@prodigy.net.mx
Courses for youth and adults (1,100 pesos per course):
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 10am–1pm
Drawing of Human Figure: Monday to Wednesday, 4–7pm
Engraving: Monday to Friday, 10am–1pm
Sculpture: Monday, Wednesday, Fridays, 10:30–1:30pm
Textiles: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10am–1pm
Stained glass window: Monday and Tuesday, 10am–2:30pm
Ceramics, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 10am–1pm
Introduction to photography: (July 14 to July 19), Monday to Friday, 11am–1:30pm and 4–6pm
Ballet for children: different levels and schedules, children ages 4 to 9, 150 pesos
Art for children, two levels, children ages 6 to 9, and ages 10 to 12

Instituto Allende
Ancha de San Antonio 22
152-0929
www.instituto-allende.edu.mx
iallende@instituto-allende.edu.mx
Art and languages for children: (July 7–18, July 21–August 1)
Different activities such as painting, drawing, mask making, clay molding, Monday–Friday, 9am–1pm, 1,300 pesos for two weeks

Biblioteca Municipal
Pepe Llanos 14, Centro
152-7855
Free courses from July 7–August 1
Tutoring courses: Students from first to sixth grade, primary school (Spanish)
Complete course, different activities:
Reading, manual works, games, painting, talks about ecology, animal care, tours around the important historical places in the city (in Spanish); two levels, children ages 6 to 7 (Monday to Friday 11:30am–1pm; and children ages 8 to 10 (Monday–Friday, 1–2:30pm)
Computation (two for one, in Spanish)
Children ages 8 to 10 years; 250 pesos

CASSA INAEBA
(Also at Biblioteca Municipal, Pepe Llanos 14)
300 pesos, not including material
English courses for adults, teens and children
Spanish classes, Monday–Friday; 2–4pm
Painting, several courses, different schedules

CASA
calle Santa Julia 15
colonia Santa Julia
154-6060 & 154-6090
A complete course which includes computation, manual works, reading, dance, theater, ecology, sports, and talks about accident prevention by the Fire Department of San Miguel and

water conservation by SAPASMA staff (Spanish). Ages 7–12.
July 7–25, from 9am–1pm
500 pesos, includes material

Centro Bilingüe de San Miguel
Correo 46, centro
www.centrobilingue.com
centrobilingue@yahoo.com
152-5400
Spanish Day Camp for English-speaking children: Ages 3 to 15; Monday–Friday 8:30am–1:30pm

Comisión Municipal del Deporte y Atención a la Juventud, COMUDAJ
Unidad Deportiva, Salida a Celaya, opposite Los Frailes
154-6100 and 120-0909
From July 7–August 11, prices from 10 to 250 pesos
Soccer training, baseball, Zumba and aerobics, boxing, full-contact karate, swimming (Parque Acuático Xote, on the road to Dolores), cycling, dance for children, basketball

Hotel Real de Minas
Camino Viejo al Panteón 1
152-2626, 152-1727
Complete course with different activities (tours, volleyball, baseball, swimming, cooking, camping), July 7–August 1, 1600 pesos for four weeks, or 500 pesos per week

AC Milán Junior Camp
Carretera a Querétaro, km 5.5
Nunzio Valente, 044-415-151 9583
www.milanjuniorcamp.com
Soccer course for boys and girls ages 6 to 15; July 28–August 2; 3,200 pesos, includes meals, medical assistance, two kits from the Milan Team (two T-shirts, two shorts, two pairs of socks), and a course in the Italian language. Participants could win a trip to Italy.

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