San Miguel is Famous for Ex-Pats and a Literary Conference

By Lauryn Axelrod

Nestled high in the cool hills of the Mexican altiplano, San Miguel De Allende is one the hippest, busiest, most charming towns in Mexico.

More importantly, this seductive little city offers the alternative traveler numerous inexpensive and high-quality opportunities to study Spanish or the arts. So much so, that many travelers come to visit and never seem to make it home.

Is it Safe to Visit San Miguel de Allende in 2019?

San Miguel de Allende was even designated as the Number One Best City in the World and the Number One Best City in Mexico, Central and South America for 2017 in Travel + Leisure‘s 2017 World’s Best Awards.

Founded in 1542 by Fray Juan de San Miguel, and home to the heroes of the Mexican Independence, San Miguel (or SMA as it is called by the local ex-pats) is a perfectly preserved Colonial city of more than 160,000 people.

Cobblestone Streets

With clean-swept cobblestone streets, brightly painted haciendas urbanos, a shady and peaceful Jardín, gorgeous churches, and a fiesta every week (it seems), it is reminiscent of old Mexico – graceful, gentile, and urbane.

There’s a reason for this. In 1926, San Miguel was declared a National Monument, and no ugly modern development has intruded since: there are no traffic lights, billboards, flashing neon signs or fast-food chains within the city center.

In the 1930s, the Instituto Allende, a national art school, was established and SMA became an artists’ colony — a mecca for aspiring painters and artisans from Mexico and beyond. Those aesthetic sensibilities helped preserve and develop the towns’ character and appeal.

Today, the number of artists and artisans has grown along with other art schools, workshops, boutiques, galleries, and markets. The ex-pat population has also grown (numbering between 2-5,000, depending upon the season), and with it came Spanish language schools, the largest bilingual library in Mexico (Biblióteca Publico), English language papers, theatre, concerts, lectures, and restaurants.

Great Weather

Combine all these things – throw in cool, sunny, dry weather most of the year, reasonable accommodations, an astounding number of happenings and goings-on for a small town, and the ability to walk anywhere — and you have a near-perfect destination for alternative travel.

There are five Spanish language schools in San Miguel that cater to travelers, (click here to see them) all offering inexpensive and intensive group or one-on-one lessons for a few hours or a few months, held in shady courtyards. Most schools also offer courses in Mexican history and culture, and some can arrange inexpensive accommodations with a local family.

The most popular and well-established is the Instituto Allende, Latin America’s oldest and largest arts and language school for English speakers.

Housed in the sprawling, lush former palace of the Counts of Canal, the Instituto offers beginners through advanced students the opportunity to study one, two, four or six hours per day, for one week or months at a time, either in a conversational group or one-on-one.

The Instituto also offers lectures and, of course, art classes in painting, weaving, silversmithing, ceramics, photography, sculpture, lithography, and more taught by well-known local and ex-pat artists.

More Schools

Other popular schools include Warren Hardy Spanish, which offers 2 1/2 week courses designed to get you speaking Spanish fast, and The Centro Mexicano de Lengua y Cultura de San Miguel, featuring small classes (no more than 5 students at a time), and special courses for teachers, kids, and families.

Don’t want to take a formal class? Need more practice? Hire one of the 20 or more private tutors in town to come to your hotel, B&B, or apartment for $14-$15/hour. Or join the Conversaciónes con Amigos, a free conversation group that meets at the Biblióteca in the evenings twice weekly.

The best way to take advantage of all SMA has to offer is to combine language studies with art courses. Again, the Instituto Allende is the favored school, offering everything from 6-week courses to a full MFA through the University of Guanajuato. Courses vary monthly but almost always include the standards.

Bellas Artes (El Nigromante), is a government cultural center named after Ignacio Ramirez, a 19th Century San Miguel intellectual, that offers arts and crafts courses year-round, including dance and music. Monthly tuition for foreigners is $80/month, plus lab fees for specific courses. Bellas Artes also offers numerous exhibits, concerts, and performances by Mexican and foreign artists and troupes throughout the year.

Academia de Fotografia

If all you want to do is take pictures (easy to do in San Miguel), the Academia de Fotografia specializes in photography courses. There are also numerous local and ex-pat artists that offer courses in their studios around town.

If you need something more physical, you can always take yoga, Pilates or other movement courses offered around town. Don an apron and sign up for a Mexican cooking class with one of 5 local chefs, attend a free lecture at the Biblióteca Publico or a concert at the Teatro Angela Peralta. Catch an English movie at the Biblioteca’s Teatro Santa Ana or the Villa Jacaranda Cine-Bar.

Live music – from salsa to gypsy – is offered nightly at Mama Mia and Agave Azul. Just pick up a copy of Atención, the English weekly, on Sunday mornings to see what’s happening.

Between classes, make sure to visit the sprawling Tuesday Flea Market to buy anything you might ever need from puppies to bicycle parts. Shop for fresh food and flowers at the covered Mercado, stock up on Huichol Indian beaded bracelets, Oaxacan crafts and woven rugs at the Mercado de Artesanias, or check out any of the literally hundreds of shops that line the cobbled streets.

Silver, ceramics, artisan crafts, antiques, tin, folk art, clothing, art, are all inexpensive and plentiful. Artist studios and galleries are also open to visitors (pick up a gallery guide), as are the churches, including the confection-like, towering Parroquia at the Jardín and the ornate Oratorio.

Make sure to spend at least a few minutes a day relaxing in the shade of the Jardín listening to the strolling Estudiantes (student musicians) or walking through the tropical gardens (with resident snowy egrets) in the Parque Juarez or the Botanical Gardens.

Take the Sunday morning House and Garden Tour to get a peek at some of the treasures hidden behind the brightly painted walls of the town.

Attend a bullfight at the Plaza del Toros Oriente (don’t miss Pamplona- Running of the Bulls– in September), or dance the night away at one of the local (and almost weekly) fiestas.

No matter what time of year, it’s hard to be bored. Most people spend at least a few weeks studying and absorbing the Sabor of San Miguel. B&B accommodations can run as low as $35/night, and there are at least one hundred from which to choose.

There is a hostel in town ($8/night), and apartments can be rented for $500/month. Of course, you can go upscale, too. The best places to splurge include Casa de Liza en el Parque, a gorgeous B&B near the Parque Juarez with lush grounds, a pool, impeccably decorated casitas and overflowing breakfasts, and Casa de Sierra Madre, the discreet favorite of many visiting celebrities.

Festivals, Festivals, and More Festivals

San Miguel de Allende plays host to many fun, popular festivals every year. Whether you’re into film, writing, music, or whatever it may be, you’ll be able to find a festival that exposes you to San Miguel de Allende’s cultural, artistic, architectural, and environmental significance.

La Calaca is an annual arts and culture festival combines public and private sector activities in San Miguel de Allende. Integrating traditional celebrations (Dia de Muertos or Day of the Dead) with the city’s modern art movement.

Between performances, workshops, processions, parties, and conferences that explore, promote, and honor traditions regarding death, you will discover a lot about Mexican art and culture while perhaps becoming more comfortable with the idea of death.

The International Festival of Jazz & Blues is one of the longest-running and most prominent festivals of its kind in Mexico, and among the most important festivals in Latin America. Featuring popular local and international acts, it’s easy to witness some world-class music at The International Festival of Jazz & Blues.

San Miguel Writer’s Conference

The largest and most prestigious bilingual, co-cultural literary gathering in the Americas is known as the San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival. Workshops, consultations, speaker panels, storytelling, and open mic nights draw teaching professionals, industry experts, prominent authors, emerging writers, and many more to San Miguel de Allende’s Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival.

Sabores de San Miguel is a culinary festival featuring chefs from various destinations and a whole bunch of different cuisines. The festival takes place in San Miguel de Allende’s Parque Juarez and offers wine tastings, conferences, showcases, live music,  and activities for children.

An even bigger culinary festival is The San Miguel de Allende Food Festival. As San Miguel’s biggest annual festival and one of the most anticipated culinary events in the country of Mexico, the San Miguel de Allende Food Festival hosts over 50 national and international chefs, more than 100 exhibitors (restaurants, artisans, hotels, local food producers, etc.), plenty of food writers and other media personnel, and roughly 2,000 food lovers from Mexico and all over the world.

Festival attractions include tasting menus, wine tastings, live entertainment from several music groups, product exhibits, and the “Chefs Table,” the festival’s keystone event.

San Miguel de Allende is a Culinary Dream

There are plenty of different options and venues for great food in San Miguel de Allende (too many to list, in fact), making this Mexican City a food lover’s wildest dream.

The Mercado Centro San Miguel debuted in San Miguel de Allende’s city center earlier this year. It is a gourmet market home to 27 vendors offering one-of-a-kind culinary experiences to visitors. This particular venue can hold up to 200 guests.

Also situated in San Miguel de Allende’s city center is the new Doce 18 Concept House. This location is divided into several different areas including sections for flower and coffee vendors, eating and drinking venues, artisans and craftspeople, a bookseller, and more.

The Doce 18’s Dining Room is home to the Jacinto 1930 restaurant. This ode to Mexico’s colonial heritage features a maize-based menu from Chef Matteo Salas. The Kitchen area of the Doce 18 holds food vendors such as Birdie’s Burgers, San Mike Pizza Gourmet, and Taco Lab.

For more information on San Miguel de Allende’s restaurants and culinary scene, click here.

Out of Town Excursions

Occasionally, you might want to get out of town for excursions: lie in the sun, picnic, and swim in the warm pools at La Gruta hot springs; visit the nearby ceramic village of Dolores Hidalgo or the silver-mining ghost town of Pozos; wander the narrow lanes, underground tunnels, and college town cafes of medieval Guanajuato; take the Saturday morning tour of the nearby grand haciendas and ranchos; go horseback riding or hiking in the hills.

There are also numerous volunteer opportunities in and around San Miguel, from teaching English to working with the elderly or helping improve the environment. All the local social service and volunteer organizations can use your help.

Frankly, it doesn’t get a whole lot better than this. But be careful: the ex-pat community here can attest to the seductive nature of San Miguel. All it takes is a few Spanish classes, a few art classes, the allure of cloudless days and starry nights, cheap beer and good food, and home begins to seem much less appealing.

How to get to San Miguel de Allende

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To learn more about all the things you can see and do in San Miguel de Allende, click here!