Rain in San Miguel de Allende

[Continuing journal written by Chiripa partners on a recent buying trip.]

August 19

Today, we left Patzcuaro before breakfast (we ate a granola bar and drank some yogurt), and spent most of the day traveling by bus to the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende. The landscape is drier there, and dotted with cactus. But this is the rainy season, and tonight it rained in San Miguel.

The storm moved quickly up the normally dry valley. Lightning flashed, and thunder rolled through the town. The rain came down in torrents, and flowed like a river down the steep cobbled streets. The sudden downpour caught us in the open, and we were drenched. Later, in the dry comfort of our hotel room, we listened and dozed as the rain splashed in the open interior courtyard.

The Cathedral on the zocalo at San Miguel de Allende (day and night)

San Miguel is a romantic town on a rainy evening, or at any time. It is a favorite haunt of Americans traveling and living in Mexico. They hang out in the cafes, drive up prices, and live in the best houses. As a result, San Miguel can sometimes feel a bit decadent and annoying. But there is no denying its charm. The town is relatively small, but is filled with colonial architecture and was recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cobbled streets spill down the hillside. Fantastic spires and domes look down on colonial facades, lovely courtyards, fountains, vine-covered walls and sculptured trees. Its shops and markets overflow with artisan crafts, some traditional – some not.

If you want a break from shopping, you can climb the hill past the old public washbasins (still used to wash clothes). In the hillside residential area above the town, there is a house with a world-famous collection of orchids. Further up the creek bed, there is a hidden canyon with quiet pools, shaded by willows and steep cliff walls. The ruins of an old Spanish water mill overlook the canyon. Beyond that there is a reservoir, where waterfowl splash about, and an adjacent botanical garden with an amazing variety of cactus species.

End of post from 2008 trip.


Note: One of the businesses we patronize at the San Miguel Artisan Market is Luciano owned by Hector Bustamante. Hector and his family specialize in metal creatures: animals, day of the dead figures, suns, and beautiful tree of life wall art. In this photo his daughter is working on a small metal Day of the Dead figure. We carry many Luciano creations at Chiripa and you'll find some of the metal figures on our website. -KL