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San Miguel de Allende: A Magical City High in the Mountains of Mexico By
Arnie Greenberg (Above, Arnie Greenberg's impressionistic image of San Miguel de Allende reflects his many happy moments in Mexico's mountain village famed as an artist Mecca) Mexico is a Mecca for vacationers, and every part of this colorful country has something different to offer. My trip to San Miguel de Allende, high in the mountains a few hours north of Mexico City, proved to be the best family spot I've discovered in years. It is bustling and colorful -- a gourmand's paradise, an artist's dream, and it fits most budgets. If only I'd have listened to others who raved about it. Now it's my turn to rave about this absolutely seductive destination.
(San Miguel de Allende, bustling and colorful, is found in a mountain setting a few hours north of Mexico City) Take, for example, its location rising on a mountainside from the flats below. And in those flats a myriad of colors in stuccoed old buildings, whose exteriors hide the warmth, comfort and beauty of the homes behind the walls. Our own residence had a plain wooden door on a stone front. Inside was a charming two-story townhouse with private garden, two bathrooms and a roof patio. It was high enough for a great view but a bit of a climb on a dark cold night, I must admit. Not to fret, though, because taxis to the door are $2 from anywhere in town...and a bus to within 50 steps of our place was only 40 cents. Our stone front was not the norm, however. Most houses had colorful pastel fronts that often entered onto a richly-flowered courtyard. I saw mauve, pink, yellow or orange and even light-blue house fronts glowing in the ever-present sun. But it was the pinks that called out to me. Wherever I went, the colors followed.
(Adama Street, in Arnie Greenberg's version, greets the visitor with a shock of color) On
Adama Street, you could see a pink wall and a yellow-and- The center square was the meeting place of locals and expatriates. There were flower sellers, balloon venders and French-styled benches, where you could relax and listen to the mariachi bands or read your daily paper. The square was always teeming with old and young. On some evenings there were concerts, choirs, and dances by traveling Aztecs or traditional eggshell breaking, a subject I'll go into at another time.
(Colrful, hand-made flowers for sale at El Jardin) Every year in September there is even a Pamplona-style running of the bulls around a roped-off El Jardin. At this time there are also parades and fireworks over three days, all to celebrate San Muguel's chief patron saint, the Archangel Michael. Nearby, you can sit at an outdoor café, restaurant or bar. Facing the square's cut trees around Le Jardin on one side is the great city cathedral known as Las Parroquia, a pink, neo-Gothic church, and at the corner nearby is the original home of General Allende, a hero of the Spanish Mexican War, that has been turned into an important center for the arts. (It is now is closed until the spring for renovations). The town's hero, Allende himself, can be seen as a white statue at the corner of El Jardin.
(San Miguel's pink, neo-Gothic church rises above the other buildings of the town) Close by you can even have a 'bagel breakfast.' Yes, there's something for all tastes in a city of restaurants. While food was generally middle-priced on a North American standard, my wife and I enjoyed dinner in a protected patio, which consisted of soup or pasta entrée and a veal or chicken main course. Add to that two Margueritas to make you feel that you were in the land of Taquila and the total for both dinners came to $11 -- cheaper than eating at home and the atmosphere was "perfecto."
(San
Miguel has lovely patio restaurants, like Ten Ten Pie, where the food is good
and reasonably priced) This city goes back to the middle of the 16th century and was declared a national monument in 1926. Still it was a sleepy mountain village until the art institute was opened and both Americans and Canadians began 'going south.'
(Chiles en nogada...a plate dedicated to independence with the colors of the Mexican flag) It is truly a different holiday spot, where you can take painting or language classes and get involved with the growing community. In one of their tourist or visitors brochures it says "People go to Florida to die. They come to San Miguel to live." And they certainly live well with all of the activities, a modern library, a theatre, exciting shopping in old kiosques or modern shopping centers. There are walking and bus tours with proceeds going to help pay for children's eye, dental and medical help. Some of the profits go to a scholarship fund for those who might otherwise have to drop out of school. Combine all this with perfect weather during the winter months, where it's bright and cool in the morning, seasonably warm during the day and cool at night. I saw no rain while we were there. Our townhouse boasted two gas heaters and a wonderful fireplace. I soon ran out of wood but was visited by a roaming firewood salesman, who arrived one morning with two donkeys laden with dry wood. It was just on time.
(A roaming firewood salesman appeared at just the right time, with firewood on his donkey) I remember warm, comfortable evenings heated by the living room fireplace. During the afternoon we would sit on the patio warmed by the January sun. By the third week in January we used the fireplace only for atmosphere.
(The cozy fireplace in the living room) We met some of the artists and a few of the locals. One particular artist was Terry Ann Tomlinson, a New Yorker whose work and home particularly impressed me. I will devote an article to her over the next few weeks. Every Friday a newspaper, "Attencion," comes out in Spanish and English that lists all the cultural activities of the week. We'd sit in El Jardin and plan out our week. On weekends we would go to Park Juarez, where many local artists displayed their wares and the locals came out to watch an organized league of determined women basketball players. Tuesday was always market day, and the weekly schedule included lectures, concerts, classes and special events. But just walking around the town in and out of the markets was a thrill. Imagine a city with no neon signs, billboards, no garish signs or commercial pollution. Up to recently there were no stop signs or traffic lights. Cars and people respected each other. There were no people losing their temper and even the taxi drivers were cordial and helpful.
(Homes in San Miguel are hidden away behind gaily-painted walls) On other days you could visit the Bellas Artes cultural center and sit in on an art course or go to the Laja River or Queretero nearby, or venture into the Guanajuato mountains and see why this area was first colonized. It was here that silver and gold were discovered. At my age, I often balk at too much difficult climbing or lengthy distances. In San Miguel I looked forward to the walks down from the hills on safe, poorly lit, but narrow, cobbled streets, and the more strenuous walk back later in the day or night. Each day was a gift, as we shed our anxieties and just enjoyed the cloudless days, starry nights, great restaurants and bargain prices. We found beer at the supermarket, Gigante, imported from Belgium at $1.99 for a six pack.
(Imagine a city with no neon signs or commercial pollution) We were also lucky to be there when they had two weekends dedicated to art-and-crafts sales exhibitions. The souvenir treasures of silver or fabric will adorn our display cases for many years. During the winter months, there are about 80,000 people in San Miguel. They fly into Leon or Mexico City and take special first-class buses into San Miguel. The expats organize special days from time to time. We went to a chili cook-off, where we tasted about twenty different varieties. It was a fair type of activity with a horse riding and roping display during the day. It was one of the highlights, and looking back, I smile.
(San Miguel, peaceful and colorful, is the perfect place for retired folks, says Arnie Greenberg)
In
short, this was all one of the nicest holidays we ever had. A Jewish Presence in San Miguel
(A Star of David denotes the home of the Cohen family in San Miguel) San Miguel also has remnants of a small Jewish community. One family, the Cohens, is still there and has been selling metal fixtures since 1930. Their building has Stars of David on the front, a plaque, and animals along the roof. The building is dedicated to Noah's Ark.
(A plaque at Casa Cohen, circa 1930) Jews interested in a service and/or Torah study meet every Saturday at 10 a.m.at Hotel Quinta Loreto (TV room). For more information, call 152-2659 or email: nadel@cybermatsa.com.mx. Next
time I'll write about the capital of the district, colorful
(An
outdoor lasso demonstration is a wonderful form of entertainment)
For more information on visiting San Miguel, see www.thesanmiguelguide.com, or visit www.simplysanmiguel.com.
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