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During the 1500s, mule trains following the Antigua Camino Real from Spanish gold and silver mines in Zacatecas to Mexico City stopped in
San Miguel de Allende. More than 400 years later it still looks like a slice of Europe with its magnificent domed churches, elegant Spanish
colonial homes and cobblestone streets. Despite an influx of gringos—10,000 make their homes here full or part-time—San Miguel retains its
charming Mexican character. And thanks to the altitude (about 6,200 feet above sea level), its spring-like temperatures and low humidity are
hard to beat.
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Shop for world-class art and handicrafts
You’ll find dozens of shops, fine art galleries and boutiques within a 10-block radius of San Miguel de Allende’s central Jardin. In
addition to a wealth of metalwork—tin, copper, brass, bronze, wrought iron and silver, fashioned into everything from jewelry to pinhole
lanterns—you’ll find a wide variety of regionally produced pottery, glassware, hand-loomed cloth, straw items and folk art. Gallery
openings are frequent and regarded as major social events.
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Learn how to paint, cook or speak Spanish
Half a dozen Spanish-language schools both in San Miguel offer group and one-on-one lessons, as well as total-immersion programs. And why
send a postcard of San Miguel’s enchanting skyline when you can paint it? Instituto Allende offers instruction in painting, weaving,
silversmithing, ceramics, photography, sculpture and lithography. Las Bellas Artes, a cooperative housed in a cloistered colonial building,
also offers classes in art, music, language and US$2 yoga classes. There are numerous fine cooking schools in San Miguel. Book a week at
Casa de la Espiga and Josefina, the full-time housekeeper/cook will take you shopping for fresh, native ingredients that are staples in her
traditional recipes such as jamaica (hibiscus blossoms) and nopalitos (cactus).
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Watch the world go by in the Jardin
San Miguel’s central Jardin comes alive when dusk falls. Kids careen around fountains. Wives flirt with their husbands. Mariachi band members in
full dress wait for their next gig. Vendors clutch fistfuls of balloons. A flamenco dancer struts and stamps on the stage in front of the French
Gothic La Parroquia (parish church) begun in the 14th century. El Jardin, in the center of San Miguel, is a world of its own, a great place to
people-watch.
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San Miguel de Allende written by Joyce Hadley Copeland. Joyce has been writing about
travel trends and vacation destinations for more than 20 years.
View all of Joyce's articles.
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North America 
