Rentals
Real Estate
Hotels
Free Listings
 Search:
 

...........FESTIVALS AND EVENTS.............

February, 2010
  February 19 to 23, 2010
San Miguel International Writers' Conference - Cultural
San Miguel de Allende
, Guanajuato
A Bi-Lingual Writers' Conference featuring Barbara Kingsolver
http://www.sanmiguelwritersconference.org/

San Miguel de Allende, Paradise for Gringos Et Al

Ten thousand gringos can't be wrong, can they? That's the minimum estimated number of ex-pats (actually, gringos and other foreigners) that call San Miguel 'mi casa,' or at least, 'mi part-time casa.' But somehow this UNESCO World Heritage Site manages to preserve its Mexican charm.

Less than an hour north of Queretaro by car and about four hours north of Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende (SMA) has a desert-mountain climate with lots of succulents, cacti and other dry-landscape plants in the surrounding hills. Many of the lovely new and refurbished homes here wisely use xeroscape, which is good because the water table is in serious trouble. This 16th-century town---once a supply center along the Camino Real---has in the last 20 years experienced an exponential jump in population.

People who live here tell me that it's a 'fiesta town,' that SMA has more parties---often with rockets and firecrackers booming long into the night---than anywhere else in Mexico. Add to that the late-November Jazz and Blues Festival, the three-month Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, and classical music season, and the fiesta in honor of its patron saint, the archangel Michael. In late summer there's the Short Film Festival. All year long art films and classics are shown in a tiny video theater the back of The Market Bistro restaurant-bar; the wonderful public library (second-largest English-language collection in Mexico) offers music, films, and lectures. There's pretty much something to do every day of the week. Pick up the weekly bilingual newsrag Atención San Miguel to find out what's up.

Much of the action happens at or not far from SMA's pretty central plaza, El Jardín. Benches under geometrically pruned laurel trees are the perfect venue for loafing, chatting with friends, and admiring the town's unusual cathedral. Shops, cafes and banks are found under the arched porticos.

Cultural Venues and Places to Shop, Browse, Eat and Let Loose

The most well-known places to study---art, yoga, painting, English, Spanish, and more---are Bellas Artes and el Instituto Allende. Many repeat visitors, however, study with private instructors or at less formal classes. Concerts are sometimes held at these venues, at one of the town's many ornate churches, or at the Teatro Angela Peralta. (Every city seems to have its Angela Peralta Theater, as this opera singer died a tragic death of yellow fever after a gig in Mexico.)

While San Miguel isn't a foodie's town (what exactly is the deal with food in Guanajuato state?), there are many pretty restaurants and cafés to choose from, and lots of bars serve food as well. SMA has tons of art galleries and high-end shops selling folk art. The loveliest of the lot is La Aurora, where about 50 different shops and galleries occupy a refurbished cotton mill. It's about a 10-minute walk north of the plaza.

If you're looking to spend less money (that would be almost everybody), try the Artisan's Market, the Mercado de San Juan de Dios, or the fun Tianguis de Martes (Tuesday market), the latter obviously on Tuesdays only. This is an old-fashioned traveling market carrying everything from plants and candy of every description to pirated DVDs and CDs, cooked food, and piles of Gap and Hollister rejects and knock-offs.

Get Outta Town

It's hard to power walk on San Miguel's uneven cobblestone streets. If you don't watch your step you'll wind up twisting an ankle or falling on your fanny. Those who want to jog or walk fast for exercise might head to Parque Juárez, about three blocks south of the main plaza. Other options for exercise outside town include a trip to El Charco del Ingeniero, a lovely botanical garden with plants of the area and a nice cafe and botanical gift shop.

If you're as eager to tip back a few drinks as to exercise, the Hash House Harriers head out of town each Monday at 3 p.m. The international organization call itself 'drinkers with a running problem,' but the San Miguel chapter is more into walking than running.

Out in the tawny hills surrounding town there are hot springs like La Escondida and Las Grutas to visit, both with beautiful gardens. La Taboada has an Olympic-size swimming pool and hot tub filled with mineral water. Beyond all the art, colonial buidings and things to do, San Miguel has an enviable location. In Mexicos heartland, it's reasonably close to such other colonial cities as Puebla, Tlaxcala, Guanajuato, Dolores Hidalgo, Querétaro, Mexico City and Zacatecas.

San Miguel de Allende Real Estate   ♦   San Miguel de Allende Rentals



House for Sale San Miguel de Allende Centro  

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato

More Info
RE/Max  
Property for Sale
Portal Guadalupe #12, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
415/152-7363

More Info
Posada de las Minas  
Hotel
Manuel Doblado No.1, Mineral de Pozos, Guanajuato
(01) 442-293-0213

More Info
Dos Casas  
Hotel
Quebrada 101, Centro, San Miguel de Allende, Guana, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
1 800 728 9098

More Info
Casa Azul y Verde  

Calle Nueva 10 Centro, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
4151140956

More Info
Guanajuato Real Estate - Land and partial construction in Guanajuato.  
Property for Sale
Guanajuato, Guanajuato
473 733 3424

More Info
Casa Angelitos  

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
415-15-4-7448

More Info
Casa Hotel San Rafael  
Hotel
Jose Maria Arevalo #55-A, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
044 415 153 8096

More Info
Centro Bilngue de San Miguel  
Spanish School
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato

More Info
Bill Tirkot Realty, S.A. de C.V.  
Property for Sale
Quebrada 50, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
415/1523221; USA#281

More Info
Mexico Luxury Homes  
Property for Sale
Recreo #11, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
415-152-6409

More Info
RP BIENES RAICES  
Property for Sale
VERACRUZ 2, Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato

More Info

Put your listing here


San Miguel de Allende real estate, rentals, hotels, restaurants, weather, map, and travel guides.



Buy us a taco!

Mexican News

Investigation Into Killings Of Americans In Mexico Spans Border
San Antonio Express-News CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico -- Over the past two years, more than 4,000 people have been killed in a bloody drug war in Ciudad Juarez -- slaughtered almost daily in their hom...
Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:59:10 -0400
More Mexican News

Mexican Slang


fruta prohibida

expression

Meaning: forbidden fruit

Example: Ni pensar en esa mujer casada.
¡Es fruta prohibida! (Don’t even think about that married woman. She’s forbidden fruit!)

More Mexican Slang

Articles

Antojitos

By Jane Onstott
Eating Your Way Around Mexico: Antojitos from A to T ........more

Ajijic, Diary of a Housesitter

By Pat Walker
There are many ways to live here in the Lake Chapala area of Mexico ........more

Cruising Baja

By Jane Onstott
Some of Baja’s road signs are pictorials: a bar and wavy lines means vado, a desert depression or wash that may or may not contain water. ........more


Bookmark and Share


Privacy Policy  | Semana Santa 2010   | Feria de Leon   | Guadalajara Real Estate  | San Blas  | Tijuana Buenas Raices  | Where to Retire  
Guayabitos  | Teacapan  | Punta Banda  | Guaymas  | Morelia  | Mazatlan Carnival 2010  | Copper Canyon  | Costa Lora  | Huatulco
Zacatecas  | Sayulita  | Puerto Escondido  | Tepic  | Tijuana  | Guanajuato  | Progreso  | Izamal  | Puerto Vallarta Real Estate  
Yelapa  | La Manzanilla Real Estate  | Ferias  | Ajijic Weather  | Santa Rosalia  | Real de Catorce   | Creel   | Lake Chapala   | Batopilas
Map of Puerto Vallarta   | Boutique Hotels   | Patzcuaro Rentals   | Ajijic Bienes Raices   | Los Cabos Vacation Rentals  
Loreto Lots for Sale   | Tulum Real Estate   | Bucerias for Rent   | Mulege House for Sale   | Zihuatanejo Vacation Rentals  | Ajijic Rentals
Maps  | Gay Travel  | Best Surf Spots  | Best Beaches  | Gay Mexico   | Weather Forecast Mazatlan   | Dentist in Mexico   | Best Snorkeling
Find Real Estate   | Long Term Rentals   | Puerto Morelos Condos   | Ensenada House for Sale   | Buses in Mexico   | Playa Del Carmen
La Penita   | Budget Travel   | Manzanillo Rentals  | Cozumel Property   | Budget Airlines   | Acapulco Real Estate   | Puerto Vallarta Hotels
Mazatlan Real Estate  | Chapala Apartments  | Housesitting   | Aerolineas   | Weather in Mexico   | Ferry   | Nuevo Vallarta   | FM3 Form
Spanish Slang   | Pendejo   | Mamacita Definition   | Felicidades Meaning   | Corazon   | Gabacho Means   | Pelon   | Chale   | Chingadera   | Orale   

Copyright 2009 by Mexico Guru, Mexico - All rights reserved.