Introduction

Maybe it’s the way sunlight hits the colonial buildings and ignites the facades’ already dramatic colors, an array of spicerack and sherbert shades. Or maybe it’s the way that a walker in this city can suddenly glimpse a breathtaking scene in between the narrow gap of a cobblestone street; the towers of the gothic parroquia, a view of a lake far below, a distant blue-gray mountain range. Or maybe it’s the sounds of the city; the sonorous churchbells, the mariachis, the clip-clop of handsome horse guards posted at the main plaza.

Or maybe it’s the shopping, the vast assortment of fine restaurants, the cultural mix of fine arts and traditional folk arts. 

Most probably the only good explanation for the strong love affair so many thousands of visitors and residents have developed with San Miguel de Allende is this- all of the above.
 

Founded almost 500 years ago, this magical city in the Sierra Madre mountains of Central Mexico is a perfect blend of rich history and modern sophistication, with almost ideal weather thrown in as icing on the proverbial cake. Sitting at an altitude of 6,400 feet, San Miguel has an average monthly temperature in the high 60s Fahrenheit, with nights cooling off nicely.

The climate in San Miguel, 240 kilometers northwest of Mexico City, allows for an abundance of vegetation, from the bougainvillea that drips from rooftops or climbs up walls, to the stupendous jacaranda trees that go totally purple for a couple of months each year, adding smudges of brilliant violet to the already vibrant cityscape. 

Equally as colorful are the local festivals which are numerous, spirited and always memorable. San Miguel de Allende, designated a national monument in 1926, truly offers the loveliest and liveliest of Mexico.