Qibla direction in San Miguel de Allende

How to face the Qibla in San Miguel de Allende

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 44.7° towards east: the result is the bearing of 44.7°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “north” would be off by more than 40°, which is why a measured bearing matters in San Miguel de Allende.

The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in San Miguel de Allende, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from San Miguel de Allende to Mecca points to 89.8° (east), a full 45.1° away from the true Qibla of 44.7° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 925 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from San Miguel de Allende first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 44.7° is the direction in which the shortest route from 20.9153° N, 100.7439° W sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.

Distance from San Miguel de Allende to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 13,651 km from San Miguel de Allende as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 13,394 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 16 h 34 min, although most pilgrims from San Miguel de Allende connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in San Miguel de Allende run 9 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of San Miguel de Allende rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in San Miguel de Allende

On 55 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of San Miguel de Allende while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in June (30 days); for example, on 1 June 2027 it happens at 12:36 local time.

On 309 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 15:31.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in San Miguel de Allende (03:18 and 03:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 15:29 and 28 November 2027 at 15:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in San Miguel de Allende points straight to Mecca.

San Miguel de Allende compared with other cities

Compared with Mexico City, 236 km away, the Qibla in San Miguel de Allende is turned 1.9° further anticlockwise (44.7° against 46.6°), and Mecca is 5 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Celaya (44 km), prays towards 44.8°, a difference of 0.1°.

Across the 99 cities in Mexico on this site, the Qibla ranges from 25.5° in Rosarito to 54.2° in Chetumal, a spread of 28.7°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Mexico.

Qibla in cities near San Miguel de Allende

• Celaya44.8° · 44 km
• Querétaro City45.1° · 52 km
• Salamanca, Guanajuato, Mexico44.5° · 61 km
• Irapuato44.3° · 69 km
• San Juan del Río45.5° · 97 km
• León, Guanajuato, Mexico43.8° · 100 km