Blogs from San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, North America - page 2

We are enjoying our new home...it's far from any shops or restaurants, but quiet and spacious. I miss the view from our rooftop patio, but not the neighborhood noise. The walk to school has been steep, but very pretty and quiet. Today was sadly my last day of class...I've really enjoyed this school and my fellow students have been very interesting! This week, Bill and I visited La Fabrica (a fabric mill converted into an arts center, with studios and galleries), hosted new friends, finalized our return plans, and even took an afternoon and evening off and did nothing... My Spanish teacher told us about Candelaria, a festival that is celebrated on February 2nd. The complexity of the customs is amazing, but the economic hardships they cause families seem unfair. Here's some background and a synopsis: ... read more

On Sunday, we went on the weekly house/garden tour that benefits the Library (founded by locals and Americans in 1954) and its literacy programs in the community. It entailed much waiting and being herded, two things I don't like! The first home was for sale. The owner had recently died after having lived there for only three months (the building of the home had taken 2.5 years) She had been a Mardi Gras Queen and quite the beauty. The home was high above the town, and not to our taste. The next home, Casa Luna, was a few blocks down a few steep street and occupied by a an art dealer. He had previously owned a wholesale fish company in Miami. The art in the home was fantastic as you can see from the photos and ... read more

My day started with Spanish class, as usual. There was much sadness about the inauguration, and some attempts at jokes by the teacher. I left class early to join Bill who was waiting for me in the courtyard, and we walked to the Jardin (the main square) to join the Trump protest. After singing "We shall Overcome" (which moved me to tears) we all marched around the park a few times. There were about 100 people marching; all Anglos as far as I could see. A few Mexicans clapped for us. In front of the Parroquia (the main cathedral) there are many posters and candles, in protest of the killing of three young children and the jailing of their father for the murders. It is believed by many that the police killed the sons. More on ... read more

A 1948 issue of Life Magazine changed the future of San Miguel. I left off in the history of San Miguel in the 1860's, when it was well on the way to becoming a ghost town. At its height "it was one of the most important and prosperous settlements in New Spain with a population reaching 30,000. In comparison, in the mid 18th century Boston had a population of only 16,000 and New York 25,000. The town's apogee came during the transition period between Baroque and Neoclassical architecture and many of the mansions and churches have both influences. Mansions were larger than normal for a settlement of this size." (Wikipedia) What remained would stay frozen in time, as the new Mexican government, under the INAH, declared San Miguel a “Historic and Protected Town” in 1926, establishing ... read more

"The town, so the story goes, owes its founding to a few over-heated dogs. These hounds were loved by a Franciscan friar, Juan de San Miguel, who started a mission in 1542 near an often-dry river 5km from the present town. One day the dogs wandered off from the mission; they were found reclining at the spring called El Chorro. The mission was moved to this superior site." Our day started off with firework explosions at 6:00am, followed some more sleep, and then a run for me around 10:00 am..I headed for the Parc Juarez, about a mile away. Running on uneven sidewalks and cobblestones really makes you focus! I saw more and more joggers as I neared the park, both Mexicans and Anglos. The park itself is beautiful, and has local artists selling their work ... read more