A Visit to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Dear Readers,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog. It’s a fun challenge to prepare and post on a regular basis. However, this week, my blog team is taking a well-deserved rest and I have decided to repost some of the most popular blogs from the past. I hope you are all enjoying the summer and staying as cool as can be.
On a recent excursion to Mexico, I visited the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende. Located in central Mexico, San Miguel de Allende was founded in 1542 by Father Juan de San Miguel, a Franciscan missionary who was born in Spain. Many heroes of the independence movement were born in this town, including General Ignacio Allende, Father Miguel Hidalgo, José Mariano Jiménez, and Juan Aldama. In 1826, Allende’s heroism was honored by adding Allende to the town’s name. Today, San Miguel de Allende is populated by many foreign artists, writers, and retirees, who are attracted to the town’s aura and its Baroque/Neoclassical colonial structures. The reason for my visit to this quaint Mexican town was to celebrate the successful launch of my friends, Bob and Veronique Pittman’s, artisanal tequila called Casa Dragones. I was a guest at the fabulous hacienda called Casa Chorro and also visited another amazing hacienda called La Casa Dragones. Please enjoy these photos of day one in San Miguel de Allende.
1 We landed at this very modern and well-used facility. The airport helps traffic in and out of San Miguel de Allende move smoothly.
2 The landscape was beautiful all along the drive to San Miguel de Allende.
3 We passed by many chicken farms, which are used for eggs and for meat.
4 The landscape is good for cattle and sheep grazing, as well as for farming corn and hay.
5 Most towns have entrance arches or gateways, like this one.
6 Another archway
7 We passed by this hotel and many little villages, food stalls, and tiny markets.
8 I loved this rustic door way.
9 Notice the very healthy nopales, or prickly pear cactus? When the prickly spines are removed, the fleshy pads are used in a variety of Mexican cuisine dishes.
10 In Mexico, many buildings are painted with bright pinks, oranges, rusts, yellows, and sometimes an unusual blue.
11 The overhead wires in San Miguel are, little by little, being buried in the cobblestone streets.
12 This is a small pottery selling local wares.
13 This is the view of San Miguel from a terrace of Casa Chorro, the Pittmans' beautiful home.
14 The town of San Miguel is quite sprawling, but most of it is accessible by foot, by bus, or by car.
15 The churches are really magnificent.
16 Another large church
17 This is the front path at Casa Chorro.
18 There is a cross over the front door.
19 My hostess - Veronique Pittman - She knows a tremendous amount about the town, its history, and lifestyle.
20 The gardens at Casa Chorro are very well-tended and beautiful.
21 Fountains, basins, and falls make nice sounds and provide for a cooling effect.
22 In the back yard, there is an 18th century house, which is very primitive and historic.
23 These succulents were planted in a fallen tree, which was hollowed out, making it a giant planter.
24 A frontal view of the succulent trough with the garden beyond
25 Meredith Brokaw was also a guest staying at the hacienda.
26 On the Pittman's property, there is a long arched arbor covered with vines and illuminated with star lanterns, made in the town, which is known for its tin work.
27 In the front hall of Casa Chollo hangs a locally made wooden and metal chandelier fitted with beeswax candles.
28 Modesta, the house cook, is wonderful - her salad using fresh eggs, tomatoes, avocados, and greens were delicious.
29 And the chili shrimp was delectable.
30 Modesta's pork mole was really wonderful.
31 We walked to the center of town and we came upon this very large outdoor area lined with laundry tubs for communal laundry.
32 Large date palms were planted in the town years ago and have thrived.
33 Casa de Sierra Nevada is a local chain of fine hotels and restaurants.
34 A townsperson taking my photo while I was taking his!
35 The streets are quite narrow and the facades of the houses are high with narrow doorways, belying the huge haciendas behind the walls.
36 This is one of many water fountains in the town.
37 Looking upwards, one really notices the walls, the depth of the homes, and the landscaping, which is quite unique.
38 Another fountain or source for potable water
39 Most of the streets are quite narrow and are paved with rocks or cobble stones.
40 The streets are clearly marked on the sides of the buildings.
41 The girl in the bright yellow is a model and she is posing with some of the local 'color.'
42 Notice the plants on the rooftops?
43 Another glorious rooftop
44 Great muted, but vibrant colors on one facade
45 One feature I especially liked are the many, many planted pots that are found everywhere - on balustrades like this one, or on the walls surrounding rooftops. These are planted with succulents.
46 This house, once the residence of the inquisitor, is not a popular building.
47 However, it does have lovely architecture and wonderful stone carvings.
48 A belfry, one of many about town
49 The facade of the largest church, the Parish of San Miguel - at night it is often illuminated in a sort of son et lumière program.
50 The store signage for Mixta - a great little shop!
51 In another shop called Mitu, This beautiful chair was on display. It was made by Casa Midi (Ann Marie Midi).
52 Another French chair style adapted to new materials
53 A funky chandelier
54 In Mexico, glass bottles are very popular.
55 Mixta makes a lot of lanterns and decorative lighting.
56 The inside of an antiques store - not everything is old, but much is beautiful.
57 There was a lot of silver and mercury glass.
58 At the hacienda, La Casa Dragones, copper and tin hearts decorate a great wooden door. There are many hearts, each one unique.
59 More hearts and hand illustrated cards
60 This one is hammered copper.
61 And another
62 Each bedroom at this hacienda is also unique and wonderfully comfortable.
63 This was a beautiful headboard.
64 There are many fireplaces that can be lit during the cool nights.
65 I loved all the hand-wrought details, like these hooks for hats.
66 A galvanized tin bathtub set in poured concrete - very spacious and practical!
67 A stone sink set in wood
68 One of many cement sinks I saw, tinted an appropriate color
69 A copper basin with brass faucets, set on a stone counter, made a wonderful sink.
70 One of the showers is lined, not with ceramic, but with copper metal tiles.
71 This tub is cast concrete and tinted a wonderful color - so rustic.
72 This poured concrete tub is very spacious.
73 At La Casa Dragones, I discovered lots of wonderful interior 'detailing,' like this charming sink carved from a wooden log.
74 This is the dining room.
75 More wall decor
76 La Casa Dragones is made entirely of stone and stucco.
77 The trees in the courtyard are hung and lit with small glass lanterns.
78 More candle luminaries in the trees
79 From the terrace rooftops of La Casa Dragones, the nighttime skyline is amazing!
80 The night was incredible - strange clouds and a full moon.
81 The skyline in more detail - It was enchanting and I think the beauty is what lured so many expats to this village.
82 Steeples and towers in every direction are lit up at night.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
What an amazing town! I'm sure you enjoyed seeing all the things that normal tourists would never see, and Thank You!! for sharing with all of us.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | November 29th, 2010 at 12:20 am
San Miguel is a beautiful town full of history from our Independence which by the way we are celebrating the Bicentenial. It is an amiable town and local people would let you take a peak at their homes if you happen to pass by and the doors are open, really friendly people. And the food is hard to resist delicious.
I'm sure you had a lovely time Martha!!
Posted by: Claudia | November 29th, 2010 at 9:10 am
Martha, thanks for sharing this blog.
Posted by: KLBrown | November 29th, 2010 at 10:56 am
Hi Martha, This has been a really special year being able to view all of your photo galleries from your trips to fantastic places all over the world! It really feels like I have visited every one of these wonderful places even though I haven't personally. Thank you so much! Seeing Mexico with dry, warm, lovely weather made me feel warmer. I love the buildings and the beautiful colors they use to cover the buildings. How lucky you were to be there with your delightful friends who have a lovely home. Hope you had a wonderful, relaxing time during this great holiday. Hope you have another great day! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | November 29th, 2010 at 11:56 am
Martha...a beautiful and enchanting place! Thanks for your photos.
Posted by: sherey | November 29th, 2010 at 12:16 pm
Some of us have that dream of going to San Miguel during winter months here in Dakota. Mebbe after the first of the year 2011, close to Heaven. Until then, Casa Dragones can help us get by.
Posted by: ann | November 29th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
You are so imformative, I love your pics. it's like I have been there with you.
Posted by: kathy | November 29th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
You can rent the lovely Casa Dragones (aka Caballarezas Drgones) through San Miguel House Rentals. It makes a great vacation house for your visit to San Miguel, complete with maid and cook! Please check it out at:
http://www.san-miguel-house-rentals.com/Search/profile.php?ID=40
Contact Annie Reutinger at San Miguel House Rentals for more details.
Posted by: Annie Reutinger | November 29th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
P.S. The incredible Casa Chorro is also available for rental and is a popular venue for destination weddings in San Miguel de Allende. You can see photos and get more details at: http://www.san-miguel-house-rentals.com/Search/profile.php?ID=68
Posted by: Annie Reutinger | November 29th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
What an enchanting and rustic place! I love the colors, the plants and old world ambience of the village. So charming! Thank you for the photos.
Posted by: Judy | November 29th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Dear Martha,
I'm very happy you had a great time in my beautiful country! It is great to see positive feedback from visitors! THANK YOU!
Leticia
Posted by: Leticia | November 29th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Ahhhhhh...... SMA! One of my favourite places in the world!!
Strange coinky-dinky... earlier today I placed a link on my toolbar to San Miguel de Allende's weather forecast. With winter quickly settling upon our Southern Ontario home, I thought I could daydream my way through our wintery winter...
Posted by: Mags Kandis | November 29th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
I stayed this weekend at this hotel...... it´s great you enjoy your visit to San Miguel de Allende
Greeetings!!
Ronnie (Querétaro, Querétaro)
Posted by: Veronica Esquivel Ken | November 29th, 2010 at 7:46 pm
Great photos of San Miguel! It is a great place!
One of my favorite shops here is Mixta (located at Pila Seca 16A in Centro). Thanks again.
Posted by: Barbara Levine | November 29th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
it was soooo wonderful to see you again !
Posted by: jackie brummund | November 29th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
Thank you so much for such a lovely review of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. It is great to see that not everyone is afraid to visit Mexico - those who do will find our area safe, clean and very beautiful! I hope you will visit again soon! - Kimberly
Posted by: Kimberly Kubalek | November 29th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
This is beautiful!
Posted by: Kym | November 29th, 2010 at 10:10 pm
We have a colonial house here and it is most enchanting place,work brought us to this are and hate not being able to stay. The house is waiting for our retirement. Great to promote the town. Thank you
Posted by: robin | November 29th, 2010 at 11:58 pm
As one of the lucky Americans that have a home in SMA, I thank you for your trip and blog. The media paints a dangerous vision for tourist in Mexico, but just as other countries, there are pockets of danger and then areas that are very tourist friendly. Unfortunately, the Mexican economy has suffered and with many being afraid to travel in Mexico, the real ones that have suffered are the native Mexicans. They rely on the dollars that come with the visitors. Especially the Mexicans that share their city with an unusually high population of ex-pats. But they are still gracious, helpful, happy and hard working. So, if there is anyone out there that was dreaming of traveling to San Miguel, come on down...
Posted by: Judith Rice | November 30th, 2010 at 12:02 am
Martha... I loved your pictures and how you focus on details normaly no one sees. =) Hope you had an amazing stay in my country. =)
Posted by: MaryJoe | November 30th, 2010 at 2:28 am
Probably people do not know but there is quite a famous Canadian figure skater that lives in this beautiful city. His name is Toller Cranston and he has been acknowledged as being the skater to bring the artistic element to men's skating. But over the last 20 years? he is known for his paintings and, I believe, that is what he concentrates on in Mexico. His paintings are colouful, very detailed, whimsical and, somewhat, otherwordly. I am not versed in art at all but check out his paintings; they are quite unique.
Posted by: Daphne Grant | November 30th, 2010 at 2:33 am
On behalf of The Lavender Project and its colorful artisans and farmers, we were delighted that you and the Brokaws enjoyed the mystical and magical air of family, friends and community in San Miguel. Upon your next visit,please walk in our lavender fields outside of San Miguel by a 40 minute drive, near Dolores Hildago. Located on Colorado Rancho that's as colorful as your spice cabinet, approximately (30)farmers and artisans enhance the under-served community of (900) by selling lavender soaps, sachets, oils and lavender honey. Sending you a lavender smile.
Alexis and... please visit The Lavender Project's website:www.thelavenderproject.com
Posted by: Alexis Hercules Ralston | November 30th, 2010 at 10:44 am
I drove right past you as you were walking up the street, and thought, "Who is that woman trying to look like Martha Stewart?" Only to find out later that it really was you. I'm glad you enjoyed your stay. Come and visit us again soon.
Posted by: Charles Thomas | November 30th, 2010 at 11:37 am
I'm so sad, I did not have chance to say hi to you; when you were here.
Posted by: Rodrigo | November 30th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Many years ago, as newlyweds, we visited villages and towns in central Mexico and San Miguel de Allende was our favorite. Friendly people, perfect weather and quaint hotels and haciendas for rent. Your photos show how the town has grown, yet still has the charm we remembered so well! Thank you for sharing it's beauty with us...
Posted by: Jan Loehr | November 30th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Dear Martha~ Our little town of San Miguel...aka..Magic Town, was all a buzz with you here. It was wonderful to see you walking the streets and enjoying The Matilda opening. Thank you for coming. We can use all the good press possible.
Mexico is a wonderful country filled with a loving, warm and magical culture. Spread the "true" word!
Check out~ festival de los milagros 2009 on YouTube.
gracias por todo~
Posted by: deb | November 30th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Ever since I met a wild man from Scotland who loved to dance and was very good at it I've wanted to visit San Miguel...as he himself raved about the place. This was 30-yrs. ago. I'll get there yet. I've read and heard that the city is a mecca for creative types...artists, fasion plates. Your blog posting was so greaT. Saw it last week. Thanks Martha and gang.
Posted by: http://twitter.com/Geotravel | November 30th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
I love San Miguel! Thanks for posting this. San Miguel is such an eclectic town, and you meet great people from all over the US and the world. I had a beautiful stay at this great house Casa Jazmin. The views of town were breathtaking. I think anyone that visits San Miguel will get more than they expect. I highly recommend checking out this San Miguel home if you come for a visit. http://www.casajazmin.com
Posted by: Anna | November 30th, 2010 at 5:05 pm
Thanks Martha for your visit to México, next time you come visit us in Malinalco where I have these wonderful experience of prehispanic gastronomic tour and cooking class. I am sure from your picture and for your readers that you see MAGNIFICENT México ( my country as it is) available for every tourist!
Be welcome always!
Posted by: Adriana Legaspi | November 30th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
San Miguel de Allende thanks you!
Thank you Martha for this post on San Miguel. As i am sure you know, Mexico has been suffering under the illusion that the whole country is "embroiled in a drug war." Nothing could be further from the truth, and any good press that helps to correct the misconceptions is very welcome and gratefully received. In San Miguel, as you now know, we enjoy a very special, beautiful, sophisticated and peaceful life that we want to share with the world, so thank you again for doing your part to speak truth to our lifestyle and hopes for a better future for all our people.
Con amistad y abrazos,
cynthia price
Posted by: cynthia price | November 30th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
My great aunt and her husband lived in SMA for over twenty years, until they got too old to be so far from family. But their love of the town, and the many many paintings my aunt painted over the years has kept me loving San Miguel forever. Thanks for such lovely reminder of my relatives and their beloved town.
Posted by: margalit | December 1st, 2010 at 1:28 am
Cool!! Too bad we missed you, we would have loved to share some of San Miguel de Allende's secret treasures even the elders are not aware of in town!!!
Hasta la proximo con pasion de vida http://www.sanmiueldeallendeclasificados.com
Posted by: SMA Clasificados | December 1st, 2010 at 11:37 am
Thank-you for coming to San Miguel de Allende, and for visiting Fabrica la Aurora of which I have an artist studio and gallery. I'm so sorry you didn't make it to my space. Maybe next time.
James Harvey
Posted by: james harvey | December 1st, 2010 at 11:39 am
Please visit the Casa del Paraiso the next time you are in San Miguel de Allende. It is a wonderful well-priced vacation rental home in Centro.
Hasta Pronto!
Suzan Apaydin
Casa del Paraiso
Posted by: Suzan Apaydin | December 1st, 2010 at 4:10 pm
Thanks for visiting Martha! For your blog readers, I'd like to recommend this site that highlights events in San Miguel de Allende: http://www.thisweekinsanmigueldeallende.com.
Posted by: Shari Reynolds | December 1st, 2010 at 10:23 pm
hi your portland face is lovely and looked like another portland girl I know.
Posted by: mr morgan | December 1st, 2010 at 10:46 pm
So happy you enjoyed your time here in San Miguel, and thank you for sharing. This is a wonderful town, but I just can't support the Dragones people and their exceedingly overpriced tequila. It is insulting. In any case, I wish them well, and I hope you return. Mexico City is also an amazing place to tap into.
Posted by: Eva | December 3rd, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Someone you know well and who with her husband have been very close friends of my wife and me for years were guests at our vacation home Casa Joya in San Miguel. Ayesha P. and husband Bill celebrated my 50th two years ago there with mutual friends and us and they are dying to come back, as we are to host them again. Glad you enjoyed the town and hope you can mention it someday in the magazine if you haven't already. As previous posts have mentioned the bad news about specific distant regions in Mexico has dimmed the tourist draw of magical SMA hurting the locals more than is necessary.
Posted by: Steve Miller | December 4th, 2010 at 6:44 am
so glad you came to visit san miguel, and brought home so many positive feelings . our is indeed an enchanted town, beautiful, erudite, small, lovliest people, wonderful food and lots of culture, plus many, many excellent restaurants. many of us expats come from all over the world. we spend only a few months a year there, the rest in manhattan. hopefully, this will soon change and we will be able to spend much more time in our faryland called san miguel de allende.
Posted by: clayre haft | December 6th, 2010 at 1:38 am
If you love San Miguel and are looking for a great winter get away check out http://www.covivoccc.com. We specialize in customized holidays for groups of 8-10 with a focus on cooking, culture and commaraderie. We know and love San Miguel and will create a memorable vacation for you and your family or friends at the fabulous Casa Seis Fuentes for the end of March. We hope you'll be able to join us!
Posted by: Kim Shambrook | December 11th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
My husband and I have lived here for 5 years. We came to just visit in search of a place that offered peace and tranquility. As soon as we walked the streets-we knew this was our new home. Our daughter attends a bilingual school and we have embraced and have been embraced by the mexican culture and people. Our freinds and family have visited many times and were suprised at how safe and beautiful it is and how loving the mexican people are. It was great to see you enjoying this beautiful little town the way our family does everyday. Thank you for sharing with all how wonderful San Miguel de Allende is.
Posted by: Catherine Landers | December 13th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
I went to San Miguel de Allende to take photos. I Walked up to the main Church and was watching a professional photoshoot. Normally when you bump into somebody famous you can't really place them but you know you KNOW them from somewhere. When I saw you standing next to me I inmediatelly recognized you and took 4 pictures of you. You were paying attention to your phone and did not notice. When I got home I checked to see if it was really you.
Nice "meeting you"
Robert Alvarez
Professional photographer
Posted by: Robert J. Alvarez | December 17th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Hi Martha,
Thank you for that beautiful gallery from your visit to San Miguel de Allende.Seeing those pictures brought back alot of childhood memories and it made me remember it like I was just there yesterday eventhough it's been twentythree years since I was there last. I can't wait to be able to go back and visit and hopefully retire there someday.Afterall it's where I was born. Thanks again! Jose G.
Posted by: Jose Gomez | January 4th, 2011 at 6:28 pm
Martha, the pictures are still beautiful and I noticed things this time I didn't notice before.
Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane.
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | July 25th, 2011 at 12:25 am
Hi Martha, Your blog post team sure does a fantastic job posting these fabulous blogs for all of us to enjoy daily! I've forgotten how long ago you started this wonderful sharing, but I'll bet it's been several years. Sure hope Laura and Eliad enjoy this rest period and it is fun to see prior posts like this one to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Once again these photos are superb and your comments are fantastic! Was so happy to see that sweet little Sharkey is healthy again in her Friday blog post! I see that The Daily Wag is posting prior blogs, too. I love their blogs, too! Sure hope you have a wonderful day today and that you stay cool! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | July 25th, 2011 at 10:33 am
Hi Martha,
Not only was it nice to see these pictures again, but I also enjoyed reading the comments that were posted all the way through January of this year. It looks like this blog was originally written on November 29, 2010 and I’ve been sitting here wondering why I didn’t comment on it the first time around. Maybe I got wrapped up in thinking about your picture #9 with the prickly pear cactus because it is still conjuring up other thoughts. Namely, did the people who live there even know that you came all the way from New York and drove by and saw their cactus? It just makes me smile. It also makes me think of a setting in a Clint Eastwood movie like maybe A Fistful of Dollars. The churches you photographed are much nicer than the ones in that movie though. They really are beautiful! Thanks for bringing the city of San Miguel de Allende to us – I’m almost sure I will never get the opportunity to visit. Trish
Posted by: Trish | July 25th, 2011 at 10:52 am
It is we, the reader, who thank you for this blog. Your writers are doing a great job and pcitures add so much. Repition is good for us old ladies and Mexico clip offers much new. it is staying cool in Dakota, mornings are down in 50s and ranch style home needs no air conditioning. Dine al fresco on fresh garden produce and watching the world go by.
Posted by: ann | July 25th, 2011 at 11:35 am
I was so excited to see that you'd visited San Miguel de Allende. I became acquainted with this lovely place when there was a need for sewing machines for a women's cooperative in that town! The Sewing Machine Project was pleased to help out.
Posted by: Margaret Jankowski | July 25th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
Wonderful Photos! I love this town and now thriving city!!
Posted by: Vickie Vertel | July 27th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
For anyone going to San Miguel and needing transportation to and from the Airports in Queretaro, Leon or Mexico City or to other towns and sights to see in the area, we highly recommend Reyes Ortiz.
He is not only a very pleasant person but a good businessman. He speaks very good English, is very knowledgeable and informative of San Miguel de Allende and the other cities, towns and attractions in this part of Mexico and has very reasonable rates.
He also gives tours to Dolores Hidalgo, Queretaro, Atotonilco, Guanajuato, Mexico City and other sites.
We used another transportation service earlier, then tried Reyes and we continued to use him for the duration of our trip. He was a tremendous help and delightfully informative. We will definitely be using his services everytime we return to San Miguel.
We Highly Recommend Him.
His Email Address is: rey1900@msn.com
http://www.visit-sanmiguel.com:80/
Cell Phone from USA: 011 52 1 415 153 2333
Cell Phone in San Miguel: 044 415 153 2333
Evans Family
Posted by: susan | January 5th, 2013 at 3:04 pm