Colonial Times 2

The bulk of its large mansions, religious buildings and palaces were constructed when the city had its wealthiest period in the middle of the 18th century . Wealthy hacienda owners of the region kept homes here. A large cosmopolitan city with a population reaching 30,000 (at that time New York's population was 25,000 and Boston's was 16,000) it was one of the wealthiest and most important settlements in New Spain. Those mansions were much larger than normal for a settlement of its size, partaking, as do churches, of both baroque and neoclassical architecture. Luckily most still remain for us to admire today.
San Miguel Allende Guide