an indigenous Chichimeca village called Itzcuinapan. Then a small chapel was built near Itzcuinapan by Juan de San Miguel. He decided to dedicate the Spanish town to the Archangel Michael. However, Spanish invasion and attempts to enslave women, men, and children to work the silver mines quickly created a hostile environment with the Chichimeca Confederation natives. The Chichimecas began defending their ancestral lands against invasion by Spanish soldiers and colonizers. In 1551, the Guamare people of the Chichimeca Confederation attacked Spanish military posts and settlements. This overt hostility, along with multiple failed attempts by the Spanish to provide water to their own settlements in the area, caused the original location to be pushed out. The village was officially re-established in 1555 by Juan de San Miguel's successor, Bernardo Cossin, and indigenous leader Fernando de Tapia. It was refounded both as a mission and as a military outpost. The new site was a mile east of the old one at a place with two fresh water springs (called Batán and Izcuinapan) and with terrain better suited for defense. The two springs supplied all of the town's water until the 1970s. Colonial period By the mid-16th century, silver had been discovered in Guanajuato and Zacatecas, and a major road between this area and Mexico City passed through San Miguel. Indigenous attacks on caravans continued and San Miguel became an important military and commercial site. This led to the forty-year Chichimeca War. The viceroy in Mexico City granted lands and cattle to a number of Spaniards to motivate them to settle the area. He also gave indigenous groups limited self-rule and excused them from taxation. The location of the town would make it a melting pot as Spanish, indigenous peoples, and later criollos exchanged cultural influences. Eventually, major roads would connect the town with the mining communities in San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, and the rest of the state of Guanajuato. Serving travelers' needs and providing supplies to mining camps made the town rich. Textile manufacture was a major industry in the town. Locals claim that the serape was invented here. By the mid-18th century the city was at its height, and this was when most of its large mansions, palaces, and religious buildings were constructed. Most still remain. The town was also home to the area's wealthy hacienda owners. At that time, it was one of the most important and prosperous settlements in