San Miguel de Allende is a magnificent place, and nothing like Guanajuato. If anything, it reminds me of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Then again, comparison is always one of those crutch devices to try to understand a place. Apple-to-orange notions fall short every time.
There are a lot of things that I don’t get about this place. For one, its existence. The drive from Guanajuato to San Miguel was desolate and largely featureless — hardly the type of place where you’d expect to find a flourishing spiritual, artistic and historic city. Arriving on the outskirts of town is, to be frank, underwhelming. But then you reach the cobbles, and the character changes. Color explodes in the crisp desert light, temples of Catholicism rise needle straight into the sky, and mariachi music rises with blaring beauty from the main garden square. By day three, you realize that you are constantly discovering new courtyards, new cafes, new shops, new fountains, and new details of quiet beauty. For instance, the way they display roses for sale … by leaving them in a trickling fountain in the hot afternoon.
And yes, there are lots of gringos. Tourists, but also residents. A couple from Canada whom we had drinks with noted that 20% of this town’s population is gringo. So be it. It’s still a gorgeous and inspired place, even if its existence is still something I’m working on.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the town. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you!
[...] Semana Santa was the whole reason Hailey and I were coming to Guanajuato and later visiting San Miguel de Allende. The celebrations and pageantry were something I had read about and wanted to photograph for some [...]