San Miguel De Allende (SMA)

We have no idea how we landed on doing San Miguel De Allende! What started originally as a plan to just do Mexico City morphed into a full-blown vacation to this incredible colonial-era town nestled in the central highlands of Guanajuato province, Mexico.

I would like to believe it was just meant to be. But the reality is anything but that. Mexico City’s accessibility was part to blame for the switch in our decision – it was always just a not too long, not too expensive flight away from upstate NY. I found myself telling Pankaja, “It could wait, right? We could do it anytime, no?”. It didn’t help that despite the myriad options we had in Ciudad de Mexico, we were not quite ready to immerse ourselves into its big city experience with its 21+ million population. We are also incessantly poor planners – every time we decide to do a place, our research would span over to everything else but the actual place. I’m told its a common problem that afflicts the ‘chronically short on vacation’ kind. The kind that tends to be high on ambition, but has limited resources & therefore a perennial fear of missing out.

In one such Instagram, Deep Google and Pinterest fueled searches, we were fortunate to come upon San Miguel De Allende (SMA). It’s old world charm & it’s vibrant colors struck a chord with us instantly.

History:

Originally named San Miguel El Grande in 1542 after a Franciscan monk – Juan de San Miguel, it formed an important center for silver mining & trade, and reached its colonial zenith in the mid-1700’s. Magnificent colonial mansions and churches were erected by wealthy merchants. The silver deposits dried up in the 1800’s and as a result the city’s population and wealth dwindled as well. The Allende was added in 1826 to honor one of Mexico’s icons – Ignacio Allende, a revolutionary who fought for Mexican independence from Spain. An influenza epidemic almost turned it into a ghost town in the early 20th century & the town was declared a national monument in 1920 restricting building activity in the central square and preserving its rich baroque architecture. This in turn started attracting a following among foreign artists starting 1926.  What ensued was an influx of foreigners, especially from North America, so much so that today, 20% of the city’s 80,000 population are expats. 

Things to do:

San Miguel De Allende was voted the No.1 ‘Best small cities in the world’ for 2018 by Conde Nast Traveler and it is easy to see why. A UNESCO World Heritage site, this city takes you back to a different age with its beautiful cobblestone streets, it’s Baroque architecture, and the towering Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel’s pink towers that you can seemingly see from every angle in the city. Right at the heart of the city is its beautiful Zocalo – Jardin Principal (Principal garden) or simply El Jardin (the garden), the pulse of the town. Surrounded by churches, shops and eats and lined with tall trees & trimmed bushes, the gothic spires of the Parroquia to its south, and the city hall to its north, it seems to be where the locals hang out. The twinkling Christmas lights, the vendors selling everything from candy, hats, toys and corn on the cob slathered with mayo & queso, and the music of the mariachi lilting through the air as they find patrons in the square all added to the magic of the El Jardin.

We highly recommend the following places in San Miguel De Allende:

1. Zocalo (El Jardin): The Zocalo is definitely where you want to spend time – sit down in its various benches and crowd gaze. Get something to munch on from the local street vendors. Hunt for souvenirs. Go inside and learn about the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcangel.
2. Walk! Walk! Walk! The appeal of SMA is really how open and inviting its streets are despite its huge monuments and mansions. However short your stay is in SMA, it’s one of those places where you will get a feel for the place immediately. The historical center is just 24 walkable streets, alleys and lanes with minimal traffic. Most of these are cobblestone streets that can be hard on your feet, so just make sure to wear good shoes.
   

   
   

   
3. Aldama street: This is the most instagrammed place in SMA! It’s iconic photo of the cobblestone alleyway lined with beautiful houses on either side & a backdrop of the pink ;pinnacles of the iconic Parroquia Archangel church is a must see. We were out here on an evening, and were so happy to see two colorful dancing bride & bridegroom mojigangas (pronounced mo-he-gan-gas. Giant puppets) leading a band playing lively music & followed by joyful revelers in a celebratory parade walk through the entire street.   
   

   

   Mojigangas @ Aldama street

4. Mercado de Artesanias: Just a short 5-10 min walk from the El Jardin, the Mercado de Artesanias is a narrow alley just off of the main street that is filled with shops featuring local artisan goods. If you are doing souvenir shopping, I would highly recommend this place over others closer to the main public square. The prices are very reasonable as well.
5. El Mirador’s instagram worthy view: A steep hike from downtown SMA, the reward for this hike is the overview of El Mirador, a bird’s eye view of the entire town with it’s towering churches from up above. This is a perfect place for sunsets and sunrises.                                  

   

6. Fabrica La Arora: Originally a textile mill, it has long since been converted into art & sculpture galleries, furniture & jewelry stores.  It is just a 15 min walk from the El Jardin and is a must-see for art lovers.
7. Iglesia de San Francisco church:  A bit off the main street, this 18th center church has a great looking facade that opens up to a beautiful courtyard with fountains an trees. It is bustling with shops and eats, and is a must-do in the night when the exterior of the church and the courtyard is magnificently illuminated. 
   

   Beautifully illuminated Iglesia de San Francisco church at night

   

   El Jardin at night
8. Chapel of Jimmy Ray: Not your typical SMA tourist pick, the mosaics, artwork, murals and sculptures is a delight to see. Please note that this is by appointment only.
9. El Charco del Ingenio Jardin Botanico: A botanical garden and nature preserve away from the historical town, there are tours organized for you to explore the local flora and fauna in this 170 acre park.
10. Trolley Bus tour: For about MXN $60 per person, you can get on a sightseeing trolley bus tour that slowly snakes through and provides you an introduction tour to all the prime places to see in SMA. I highly recommend this as one of the first things you do if you have sufficient time so it gives you a lay of the land and gives you pointers on what to explore in detail later. It also stops at El Mirador for you to stop and photograph. Do be mindful that even though the tour frequency is every 30 mins, their English tours are not frequent (I think there’s two – one early in the morning and another after lunch)

Our stay :

It’s been a while since we have booked hotels. We primarily do AirBNb now; its locations are always more edgier & exciting, its typically more affordable & you get a local feel. Our AirBnb location in SMA was no different – just a block away from the central square & in the midst of shops, galleries & restaurants, the place was super stylish and boasted a big private terrace. 

Entrance to our AirBNB place

Private terrace outside our stay

Where to eat?

Food options abound in San Miguel De Allende. Our travails finding vegetarian options had finally come to an end in SMA. In the Yucatan peninsula, especially once you’re past the tourist centric places, we felt like there is not really a concept of vegetarian or vegan food. Even though vegetarian ingredients are widespread, if you do not make yourself very clear, you run the risk of unexpected surprises like beans cooked in chicken or lard or small pieces of meat in your dish that they thought was insignificant. We found ourselves explaining away at every meal “Soy Vegetariano! No como carne (meat), ni pollo (chicken), ni pescado (fish), ni jamon (ham), ni camarón (shrimp)”. Not so in SMA. Either because of the huge expat population, or due to the fact that SMA has been growing in popularity over the years as a top cultural destination in Mexico and has attracted some of its best chefs, we did not have the same issue with vegetarian food here. Most restaurants had ample selections that were truly vegetarian/vegan, and understood what we meant immediately & willing to customize.

We highly recommend the following places to eat in San Miguel De Allende:

Mushroom Risotto @ Nomada

Aguacate Relleno @ Nicaso

Delectable salad @ Nomada

Desayuno @ Cumpanio

Perfect tostada @ Nomada

Churros @ San Agustin

1. Nomada Cocina de Interpretacion: Run by a couple – Marco Cruz (the Chef) & Sofia Antillon (the Pastry Chef), we were there on a day when only Sofia was running the show, & the food was just absolutely fantastic! We loved everything we ate here, the salad, the tostada, the cocktails, but the highlight was the wild mushroom & truffles risotto. It is to die for!
2. Cumpanio: Right next to the popular bakery Panio run by the same owners. The place is more Franco-Italian than Mexican, and we have had some of the best breakfasts in Mexico here. All their bread selections were just excellent and they had great cappuccinos as well.
3. Nicaso Comedor Mexicano: We were pleasantly surprised to find this restaurant dot opposite our AirBnb location. Its so easy to miss this place – the board advertising it is very small and obscure, and it’s located on the second floor and shares it’s location with Hotel Aqui Es Mexico. It has a casual and breezy setting, but the food is just a refreshing & inventing take on Mexican traditional food. Their Aguacate Relleno (stuffed avocado with mushroom, spinach, corn and cheese) was just brilliant. I read somewhere that they were a team of three entrepreneurs – Hugo Tepichin, Manny Flores and Pablo Nicasio that had worked with  Chef Marco Cruz and were inspired to open their own restaurant after Marco Cruz from Mexico City & opened his own restaurant in SMA.
4. Via Organica: Away from the central square in SMA, Via Organica is a non-profit with a focus on locally sourced organic food that also organizes ecotours to its ranches. We wish we had more time in SMA to do a tour (takes up to half a day). Do try their burritos with their delicious salsas.
5. Chocolates y Churros San Agustin: Stop over at this place dot opposite the Antiguo Convento de San Antonio to get your churros & hot chocolate fix and indulge your sweet tooth.