Nine or so years ago, Scott and I spent one week in San Miguel de Allende, a lovely Spanish colonial city in the state of Guanajuato. I fell in love with SMA and dreamed of returning. As the tour guide on the historical tour of the city center asked rhetorically, what’s not to like? There’s history, culture, architecture, art, music, books, and sunny skies with an average year around temperature of 75 degrees. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, SMA is a major tourist attraction for tourists from all over the world. Furthermore, it is home to a large expat community that numbers roughly 16,000 now; 8,000 US Citizens, 4,000 Canadians, and 4,000 people from other parts of the world. The high number of expats means that the city is both foreign and familiar, and many visitors, including me, fall under its spell and dream of living there.
The Airbnb we rented turned out to be just steps from where we had stayed during our previous visit. Located high on the hill behind the Centro Histórico and Parque Juárez, the views from the studio’s patio were beautiful and we enjoyed many sunsets from the privacy of our room. The views came with a price, though: a steep downhill walk to the city center and, it seemed so anyway, an even steeper walk back up the hill.
SMA did not disappoint us on this return trip. Without doubt, it is one of the most picturesque towns I have seen. The pink Parroquia with its lacy towers and huge bell tower dominates the historic center. In front of the Parroquia is the lovely Jardin, the living room of the city, where locals and visitors sit and watch the parade of mariachi bands, newlyweds, kids with twirly snakes, balloon sellers, vendors selling ice cream and corn, old Mexican couples, retirees, and a myriad of other people passing by.
SMA rose in prominence when the Spanish discovered silver in the Guanajuato area, wanted to establish a colony in the New World, and invited Spanish families to resettle in the area. Those families grew wealthy quickly and built a colonial town that reminded them of their Spanish homes. Unfortunately, like in so much colonial history , the Spanish government levied unfair taxes on the colonists, made unfair laws about imports and exports , and refused to grant the sons of the colonists full rights. Resentment toward Spain grew. Taking courage from the success of the American and French Revolutions, a secret plan to overthrow the Spanish government was formed. On September 16, 1810, the son of one of those prominent families, Ignacio Allende, joined with a parish priest, Father Hidalgo, from the nearby town of Hidalgo, and marched on San Miguel. The War of Independence began with the famous El Grito (the shout) and the ringing of the church bell in Hidalgo. Father Hidalgo and Allende were both executed early in the war, but ultimately their dream of independence for Mexico was realized. Father Hidalgo is remembered in the town where he made his impassioned plea for independence, Dolores Hidalgo, and San Miguel became San Miguel de Allende.
After the silver mines closed, SMA was mostly forgotten until the early 1900s when artists rediscovered the city. It is easy to see why artists fell in love with San Miguel. It is the light. There is a clarity of light that makes colors richer and deeper than I have seen elsewhere. Every time Scott and I walked anywhere, even on the same street, we would see something different, and all because of the changing light. SMA is a feast for the eyes. There are intricately carved wooden doors, elaborate iron window boxes filled with flowers, roof decks with Italian Cypresses reaching to the sky, whimsical stone water spouts, burbling fountains, and religious wall niches. Even the shadows cast by the change in light are interesting and beautiful. It is no accident that SMA has been the home of several well regarded art schools and that many professional artists live there now. Art is displayed in the many art galleries all over town.
Music and literature are intrinsic parts of San Miguel as well. The privately owned dual language library, or Biblioteca, is the heart of the expat community and offers concerts, lectures, films, book sales, and cultural tours as well as providing free library services to the local children. It is where many expats go for social and cultural meetings, or just to meet up for coffee and gossip.
Because walking has become such a big part of our lives, Scott and I took several long walks north, south, east, and west of the city. This was more difficult than it sounds because there are major highways around SMA and no real walking paths. Scott used Google Earth to find dirt roads that we could follow and I am sure we saw areas around San Migael that few tourists see. In addition to the beautiful El Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden with its huge cacti, we walked to Montes de Laredo, the Presa Allende (looks like a silty lake but is actually a river), a small village called Alcocer, and along a dusty but quiet road leading along the foothills behind San Miguel. We also visited the pyramid at Cañada de la Virgen, a prehispanic archeological site that was discovered in 1998 and has only recently been under excavation. These walks gave us a sense of the surrounding area and put us up close and personal with the cacti, scrub trees, grasshoppers, cicadas, and occasional horses, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, and turkeys that live around SMA. We always ended up dusty and tired, but we enjoyed this more natural view of San Miguel as well.
Finally, I have to acknowledge the genuine friendliness, helpfulness, and courtesy of the people of San Miguel–and Mexico in general. Everyone we met was warm and friendly. Even though SMA is a major tourist destination, people were courteous and patient. As we passed people on the street, they always greeted us with a buenos días, buenas tardes, or buenas noches. There is a nice, gentle rhythm of life in this lovely city. So, as the tour guide said, what’s not to like? For many expats, it’s more of a love story and, if asked, they will gladly outline all the reasons they choose to make San Miguel their home. I no longer feel the urge to move to SMA, but I am cataloging the places I want to revisit if I am fortunate enough to return. Ojalá.
The Blue True Dream of Sky 