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The area of San Angel conserves a traditional
Mexican atmosphere in which the old houses, small
plazas and gardens can take us back, still in our
time, to its times of splendor, times in which it
served as a getaway place for the elite society of
the porfirian era.
San Angel has its origins in the colonial era, when
the Convent of el Carmen which stood in a great plot
of land that extended approximately from what today
is Insurgentes Avenue to the Temple of San Jacinto,
was founded. Said convent included huge orchards
that supplied it with food, and together with the
friars’ hard work, provided the order with great
wealth, which was used to construct beautiful
religious buildings that still stand today.
Later on, in the time of Porfirio Díaz, some of the
wealthiest families in the city bought some of the
plots of land in this area so as to build country
villages, in a place which, in that time, was a long
way away from the city. This is why the San Angel
area has a great number of elegant houses and
buildings, constructed in a style that combined the
French tendencies of the time with the traditional
Mexican architecture. With the passing years, and in
a similar way as occurred in Coyoacán, San Angel
became incorporated to the city, but it greatly
conserved its customs and traditions in surroundings
that still have a certain provincial atmosphere.
In San Angel we can find a great number of
interesting things; from the beautiful architecture
of its temples and houses, to delighting us with the
quietness of its streets and gardens, and
introducing us to Mexican culture in one of its
renown cultural centres like the El Risco House,
which houses among its many treasures a beautiful
fountain that combines, in an exuberant manner, the
characteristic elements of the oriental cultures
with some of the most typically Mexican ones.
Another great feature in the area is the Saturday
Bazaar, in which you can buy a great variety of
local crafts and works of art in an environment of
colourful splendor. The area also has a lot to
offer gastronomically speaking, especially in San
Jacinto Plaza, where we can find beautiful terraces
with tables out in the open where the most select
Mexican and international meals are served. It is
advisable to explore the San Angel area by foot,
this way you can discover its most beautiful alleys
and small streets, apart from discovering new plazas
and gardens with each step.
Places of interest in the area:
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