Why We Love San Miguel de Allende
San Miguel de Allende (SMA) is a historic city located at 2,000 meters in the mountains of Central Mexico. It is often rated one of the very best small cities in the world to visit and in which to live. We returned once again this November (after the first serious snowfall in Canada) and were immediately captivated and reminded why we chose this charming place.
On arrival we were reminded of the variety, culture, beauty and community that originally attracted us – and the weather helps! We celebrated my 81st birthday and concluded that this is a great place to spend these senior years!
Saturday means a walk through the organic market to buy direct from growers and artisans. I meet a friend where we reminisce about the recent loss of her husband – and then she bounces back enthusiastically about her newest project to help some local cause. The coffee and pastry are a reliable Saturday breakfast. The fresh flowers are as varied and spectacular as always. The tables are filled with old-timers – and recent arrivals searching for their place to age gracefully.
A quick stop at City Market (supermarket) – which exceeds in variety and presentation to anything back in Winnipeg. The fruit and vegetables are fresh and did not need to cross any international borders.
Back at the house we built – a combination of the best of modern and Mexican – we join friends (a classic pianist and former rocket scientist) to head for a famous vineyard that features a Saturday show of antiques and specialized cars. You can stay for the polo game if your conscience can handle the punishment to the horses! We opt for the Mediterranean Restaurant in the vineyard. Both the Risotto and local wine were outstanding.
It was late afternoon but there was just enough time to be dropped in Centro at the Casa Europa – a project of Austrian friends where the name of one of the founders is Haydn – the real Haydn. This doubles as an art gallery and we had the privilege of touring both current exhibitions with the artists who were on display – friends from other days and events. The young jazz singer from Boston performed very well. We have enjoyed a great number and variety of musical presentations in this historic location.
We depart and note that the longest line in town is at Margarita’s – a local café that specializes in takeout churros dipped in chocolate. Margarita was an Argentine model and Playboy Centerfold in days gone by and now serves churros in a room lined with the photographs of her more glamorous youth. We skip the line and opt to rest in the historic civic square surrounded by the earliest SMA churches. We are rewarded with a wedding party using the space in front of us for photos and excitement.
We returned to the same square a few days later for the inaugural concert on a rescued and renovated pipe organ from New England that has been given a new life in an old Franciscan chapel. It was a musical extravaganza!
We wander through the Saturday twilight crowd into the Jardin (garden) or Central square. It features the historic Parroquia – designed by a formally uneducated but clearly talented indigenous architect several centuries ago using ’postcards’ of Spanish churches as a guide. It is the most photographed church in Mexico. The square on a Saturday night belongs to the locals and we notice few “tourists” among the crowds – we are clearly the guests in this setting.
The square is full of families, children, youth and older folks sitting on the benches and enjoying the activity. There is no shouting, no signs of alcohol abuse or drugs – just people having a great time together. We were advised that this had been a poor summer tourist season in terms of Canadian and American visitors. The locals felt that the negative press about violence in Mexico is discouraging people from coming.
With a bit of time to spare, we wander around the Jardin and enjoy the mariachi bands playing at every corner – often with a group of young women breaking into spontaneous dance. If there is a dress code it is these young women. All the hair is long and black, the boots are tall and the skirts are short! For everyone else it is anything goes.
We note the many new restaurants that have opened after covid and make plans to put them on our future exploration list – along with the many established and excellent rooftops, bars or specialized menus. To connect with our memories we opt for the storied el Manantial – an old bar with great entertainment and menu. We settle for our favorite tacos with the help of the other version of ‘margarita’.
The designer shops around the square are still open for anyone with curiosity or extra time at this hour. It is now approaching 21:00 and the band is beginning to perform on the free stage set up directly in front of the Parroquia. The choice seats have been occupied for hours but the music is loud enough to enjoy from a bench at the far end of the square and focus on watching the people. We will actually attend three nights of this Jazz and Blues festival with a different program each evening. At 22:30 everything is in full swing and nobody is leaving the square. We slowly make our way through the crowd and down our favorite street. At this hour there are no cars but it is like walking through a postcard. We recall the beautiful Christmas eve photo we made there a couple of years earlier with all of the festive lights. Our last stage is a walk through Parque Juarez which would have been a hive of activity of families, dancing and basketball a few hours ago – now just beautiful well-lit walkways and a few locals taking their dogs for a late stroll.
We pass the historic Antigua Santa Monica – restored by a famous Mexican opera singer of a century ago and enter our privada – a small private street of 10 homes. We are the last house – our second entry opens onto a street originally laid out as a road in 1542! We pass the extra lot we own and have developed as a cactus garden featuring an inukshuk built of the debris of local history to remind us of Canada. The gate responds to our code and we enter our little bit of Mexican heaven.
The balance of the season will include music of every variety – our favorite is the classics. A spectacular Writers Conference, genuine Opera, fading actors who are not quite ready to forget their better years. We attend a local congregation filled with people of shared history and hopes. If you have the skill and the energy there is endless golf, tennis, hiking and more. Then of course there is the shopping!
We turn on the fireplace, pour a glass of fine Mexican wine and reflect on the 25 years since we discovered San Miguel de Allende and the 12 years since we created our own home. We consider our good fortune and the privilege of living in a place that is so full of energy, spontaneity, culture, history, beauty and friends.
