Sights and Sounds of San Miguel de Allende

This was written by my friend, Roger Droz who just left San Miguel last week. So, if I haven't convinced you this is a MUST SEE kind of place maybe this will ....

San Miguel is not what you expect if you think of Mexico as Spring break year round. It is a very picturesque artist community built on the side of a mountain in Central Mexico. It has old Mexico charm and up to date living. The sights and sounds here seem endless. You can find photo opportunities on every street and around every corner. The light here is wonderful even during the middle of the day.

Every corner, every shop forces you to make a decision. Do I stop here and watch, do I go in and browse or do I walk on in search of the next scene? Yes, I said ‘walk’. Bring your walking shoes. Everything seems to be within a short walk. You can see and hear it all on foot. If you feel the need to explore further from home, there are taxis and buses everywhere. Driving here is different from driving in the states, narrow cobblestone streets with cars parked bumper to bumper on one side leaving just enough room to pass. It is hard to maneuver even the smallest of cars on these streets, so it is amazing to watch the buses pass by. You will not believe there is not enough room for them to pass or maneuver the corners but amazingly they do. You will never see a fender bender here nor will you see rude and inconsiderate drivers. Every one seems to know there place, whose turn it is to go, whose turn it is to yield. There is no horn honking, yelling or gesturing here, just one big traffic jam.

Come here to get away from your everyday mundane life. Come here for a change of pace. Come here to be renewed. This is not the easiest place to find but it is worth the time and effort required. The sights and sounds of San Miguel de Allende will stay with you forever.

THE SIGHTS; you will see large ornate magnificent churches everywhere. Narrow cobblestone streets and side walks crowded with people. San Miguel is filled with shops. There are restaurants everywhere. The shops have everything imaginable, from trinkets to some of the finest art to be found anywhere. There are everyday restaurants that serve the most basic food to dress up types that serve the fanciest of meals in the most beautiful atmospheres.

The narrow streets are lined with stone walls. Behind those walls are some of the most ornate courtyards and houses you can imagine. But to get to these you must pass through a door. San Miguel is famous for its doors. They are ornate, distinguished, large, small, new and old. Mostly, they just need to be seen. The doors are so amazing that they alone will draw you back again.

The entire town is drawn together by the jardin. The jardin is the ‘City Square’. There is a bandstand in the center of a tree filled square with benches everywhere. Mariachi bands perform in the bandstand and on the street. Every age and every type of person you can imagine congregates here. There are native Mexicans selling balloons and trinkets, vendors selling food and drink, adorable little kids playing everywhere, teenagers flirting, young lovers, old lovers, Gringos from every walk of life. Come early, buy a cup of coffee, find a bench and watch it all unfold before your eyes. You will be captivated. Just watching the vendors move in and set up their carts is a show in itself. You can stay all day; it begins early every morning with the vendors and ends, if it ever ends, in the wee hours of the night.

THE SOUNDS; There are church bells. They ring all hours of the day and night. They don’t seem to need a reason chime. They shoot fireworks here at all hours of the night, no reason required. In the wee hours of the morning you will be awakened by roosters crowing. This seems to be a call and response crowing competition every morning. Apparently the winner, if there is one, never retires with a trophy. The competition begins long before you want to wake and lasts through the morning. You hear parties everywhere. At all hours of the day and night some one seems to be celebrating something. If you ask, you will be told, “Oh, some one was born, someone had a birthday, someone died or someone just wanted to have a party, we celebrate everything here!”

San Miguel is both yesterday and today. It is a hundred years ago and it is now. It is rich and poor. It is Mexican and international. It is to be seen and heard!

Roger K. Droz