Atotonilco is a small village in the hills outside San Miguel de Allende, and its sanctuary is sometimes called the Sistine Chapel of Mexico. The church was founded in the eighteenth century and covered, inside, with extraordinary baroque paintings by a local artist, who filled the walls and ceilings with scenes of the Passion, saints and symbols in a dense, theatrical style. It is still an active place of pilgrimage, and many people walk here from San Miguel, especially during Lent, in a tradition that goes back centuries.
San Miguel itself is a colonial town founded in the sixteenth century, a handsome place with cobbled streets, a pink neo-Gothic church that dominates the main square, and a large population of foreign residents and artists. The town and the sanctuary were listed by UNESCO in 2008. San Miguel was also the birthplace of Ignacio Allende, a leader of the independence movement of 1810, and the town carries his name. The surrounding landscape is a high, dry plateau with low hills, with hot springs near Atotonilco that people have used for generations.
The roads in the area are good, with long straight stretches, gentle curves and some narrow cobbled streets in the villages, though cobblestones can be slippery in the rain. Traffic can be heavy in San Miguel at weekends, when visitors arrive from Mexico City, and the old town centre is best explored on foot. Dry months from November to May are the best time for a ride, and the light at sunset is lovely.
San Miguel de Allende, about ten kilometres off, has fuel stations on its outskirts, and the town is full of cafes, bakeries and restaurants. Take warm clothes for evenings, because the altitude is around 1,900 metres and nights can be cool even in spring. The sanctuary is a place of worship, so dress with respect and be quiet inside.