The Instituto Allende, pioneer in travel services offering the cultural experience of central México for more than fifty years. You can enjoy any of the services offered in this web site.

A short flight form the United States or Canada can take you back in time to cobblestone streets, beautiful baroque architecture made up of plazas where you can sample good coffee, a glass of wine or simply relax and enjoy the music of the mariachis. You will be enchanted with the many crafts shops, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and night clubs.

Since its foundation, the Instituto Allende has attracted foreign and national travelers, providing an interchange of ideas, knowledge and artistic projects of all types.

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE

The Instituto Allende is located in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. This lovely small city combines a unique mixture of colonial European influence with the ancient PreHispanic cultures of Mesoamerica. This cultural richness, along with its temperate, sunny climate, attracts people from all over the world. Although it is a cosmopolitan place with many services available in larger cities, it has not lost its small town ambience. The visitors will find it filled with traditions, customs, and history, as well as natural beauty, making it the ideal place to visit.

San Miguel de Allende is in the geographical center of Mexico. It is easily reached by highway from the principal cities of Mexico as well as the southern border of Texas, and it is only an hour and fifteen minutes from the International Airport of Guanajuato (León-Bajío, BJX). The International Airport in Mexico City is four hours away and connections can be made to the U.S., Europe and the Orient from both airports.

HISTORY OF THE INSTITUTO ALLENDE´S BUILDING

Don Domingo Gómez de la Canal was the first member of his family to reach New Spain, arriving at the close of the XVII century. His firstborn son, Manuel Tomás, Count of la Canal, Knight of the Royal Order of Calatrava, was born in México City on January 3, 1701 and while still a young man decided to reside in this town, then known as San Miguel el Grande.

The construction of what is today the Instituto Allende was begun in 1734. Meanwhile, don Manuel Tomás concluded his town residence on the corner of the plaza opposite the Posada de San Francisco (now Banamex), the present Instituto thus becoming a sort of summer estate for the family.

Don Manuel Tomás died on April 15, just three days after the death of his wife, both were buried in the Chapel of Loreto, where polychrome praying figures of the two may be seen today.

The house continued in the hands of the family for many years. In April 1949 the property and ruins of the former buildings were purchased by Don Enrique Fernández Martínez and his wife, Mrs. Nell Harris Fernández under whose direction the extensive reconstruction has been carried out. She passed away in 2002.