Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Hurray for San Miguel
After an exhaustive 3-year application process, this past week UNESCO named San Miguel de Allende and the amazing 18th century shrine in nearby Atotonilco as World Heritage sites. This should provide the city with increased international tourism, important for our local economy, and additional funds for preservation and restoration. One particular benefit is that the city has been hard at work since we moved here placing its unsightly rat's next of telephone, electric and TV cables underground, so San Miguel looks like the Spanish colonial city it once was.
Now Mexico has the 4th highest number of World Heritage sites of any country in the world, and Guanajuato, the state in which we live, is the only Mexican state with two World Heritage cities (Guanajuato being the other). It should come as no surprise to those of you who've visited us here that the community celebrated with a huge fireworks display. In fact, in the application, unlimited fireworks celebrations were specifically sanctioned as "part of our cultural heritage". Ka-booom!!
Now Mexico has the 4th highest number of World Heritage sites of any country in the world, and Guanajuato, the state in which we live, is the only Mexican state with two World Heritage cities (Guanajuato being the other). It should come as no surprise to those of you who've visited us here that the community celebrated with a huge fireworks display. In fact, in the application, unlimited fireworks celebrations were specifically sanctioned as "part of our cultural heritage". Ka-booom!!
# posted by goots @ 10:17 AM 
