Historical Museum Casa de Allende

Permanentes: 20; Ground floor; Sala San Miguel (Siglo XVI) This room is dedicated to the two foundations of the settlement: the first when the Franciscan Fray Juan de San Miguel established it as the town of Indians of San Miguel de los Chichimecas in 1542; and the second when the viceroy Don Luis de Velasco ordered the creation of a Spanish villa of San Miguel el Grande in 1555. Sala San Miguel (Siglos XVII y XVIII) It contains a collection showing how during this period San Miguel el Grande became one of the most thriving towns in the Bajío, and its manufactures made it famous (soaps, candles, iron objects, saddlery, hats, bed covers and serapes), and it was also an important site on the so-called Royal Road of Tierra Adentro. Sala San Miguel (Siglos XVII y XVIII) It shows the splendor of a creole town; due to economic growth and wealth generated since the 16th century, a period of boom in architecture, urban development and the arts in San Miguel el Grande. Sala XVIII Century. Bourbon Reforms. During the government of Carlos IV the tensions provoked by the Bourbon reforms produced widespread discontent in New Spain and were a prelude to the great American rebellion. Sala Memorial. In this room the first flags of the rebels belonging to the Villa de San Miguel el Grande are displayed, which were captured by the Royalists at the Battle of Puente de Calderón on January 17, 1811. Sala Accesoria y pulpería. A pulpería setting is shown, which were commercial establishments where the family’s haciendas, ranchos and mills’ products were sold or rented to third parties. They were generally located in the ground-floor rooms or “accesorias” in the residences, with access from the street. Sala Botica. The Botica del Sagrado Corazón, dating from the 19th century, opened its doors in this accessory of the house at the corner of Plaza Principal and Umarán Street, where it remained open until 1979. It was primarily composed of a public-facing space, the dispensary of medicines, the storeroom and the rear workshop. Upper floor Sala Oratorio. This space was used daily around five in the afternoon for the owners and the staff to recite the rosary, or to celebrate masses to which friends were also invited. Sala de asistencia. This room was the space where socializing with friends and relatives occurred during informal visits, where afternoons of New Spanish families took place. Sala de estrado. It was the most luxurious room, where the most illustrious visitors were received and flattered. Perhaps, on the pretext of some dance, a meeting of the Secret Junta of San Miguel may have taken place here. Sala Antesala. The anteroom of Casa de los Allende could have hosted the tables of “quita y pon,” where delicacies would be laid out for a gathering of the conspirators of the Secret Junta of San Miguel. Sala Recámara de los niños. As the children grew, they slept in a separate room, which likely belonged to the Allende and Unzaga children. Sala Recámara de la señora. Given its location within the house, this space may have been the bedroom of Doña María Ana Josefa de Unzaga, where she gave birth to six of her children. Sala Recámara del señor. Based on its location, this was the father’s bedroom, from where the central patio, the main gate and the main staircase could be seen; as with the other bedrooms, furnishings were limited to the essentials. Sala Inicio de la guerra. It contains a collection of weapons used by the insurgents and explains the early years of the insurrection; currency used during the independence is on display. Sala Perfil de un héroe. This room displays historical documents such as Ignacio Allende’s baptism record; a “forgotten document” is presented, containing the declaration and the cause of Ignacio Allende that ended with his sentence and execution on 26 June 1811. Sala La cocina. A space set up with period objects and utensils showing what the Casa de los Allende’s kitchen might have been like. Sala de Arqueología Regional Izcuinapan. The Nahuatl name Izcuinapan, which can be translated as “arroyo del xoloizcuincle,” was the indigenous name for the place where the villa of San Miguel de Allende’s Spaniards was founded in the 16th century. The Izcuinapan room comprises 135 pieces from the Miguel Malo Zozaya archaeological collection; these pieces come from archaeological sites in Tierra Blanca and Cruz del Palmar in San Miguel de Allende, from the Morales site in Comonfort and very likely from other sites in San Miguel such as the Cañada de la Virgen archaeological zone and the Agua Espinosa site in Guanajuato.

Temporary exhibitions: 2 per year; The thematic content of the temporary exhibitions varies from year to year. Most recurrent topics include: toy production by state/region/community/material; master artisans and evolution of their works; techniques and traditional materials; works used or produced in contexts of popular or religious festivities; works from the National Toy Contest