san miguel de allende: a birthday celebration, exploring the town & meeting fellow bloggers

Arrival in San Miguel de Allende

Tuesday, February 25, 2025: We arrived at our two-story apartment at Calvario 8 in San Miguel de Allende on Tuesday late afternoon and promptly went out to a market to pick up some breakfast food.

After dropping our food and before unpacking, we went out for dinner in the classic courtyard at La Doña de San Miguel. We shared HIBISCUS HARD SHELL TACOS (4PZ) with guacamole, serrano chili, pickled onion and cotija cbeese; “FLAMA” CHEESE: Mixed cheese au gratin with grilled chistorra and sliced chile chilaca; & “MAIZAL” CORN CREAM SOPA: with fried bacon, yellow corn and poblano chili roasted cubes. It was delicious and we had the place almost to ourselves.

After dinner, we unpacked and settled into our two-story apartment. We loved its two outdoor patios, one on the second level outside of our bedrooom, and one on a third level.

Some tidbits about San Miguel

San Miguel de Allende was once settled by nomadic tribes known by the Spanish as La Gran Chichimeca. In 1542, Franciscan friar Juan de San Miguel arrived and founded the settlement of San Miguel de los Chicimecas along the Laja River Valley. Between 1548 and 1549, a French friar moved the settlement to the hill of Izcuinapan, site of a natural spring known today as El Chorro.

In the mid-16th century, the booming silver mines near the cities of Zacatecas and Guanajuato changed San Miguel, which was strategically located between the northern mines and Mexico City, into a strategic crossroads for traders traveling along the Camino Real de Tierra Adentra (Royal Inland Route), leading to great prosperity. During the 17th century, San Miguel grew from a settlement of several hundred to a small city of about 15,000. A new parish church was built in 1683, and by the early 18th century, wealthy criollos (colonial-era term for Mexicans of Spanish descent) had begun to build luxurious homes around the town’s main plaza. The wealth attracted some of the country’s most celebrated architects and painters.

When the fight for independence from Spain began in 1810, San Miguel fell peacefully to the newly formed Mexican army. Though not affected by violent conflict, San Miguel was ruinously sacked after its surrender.  After the long War of Independence ended, San Miguel was largely destroyed. Silver production dropped and the city fell into decline. By 1821, there were only 5,000 residents; the town was renamed San Miguel de Allende in 1826.

San Miguel remained a forgotten backwater until the early 20th century; it was declared a national monument by the Mexican government in 1926. When Latin America’s first art school opened soon after, it attracted a few Americans to study there under the GI Bill (following WWII). Many never left. In 2008, the entire downtown district was named a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. (Moon: San Miguel de Allende)

Of San Miguel de Allende’s population of around 175,000, foreign residents range from 20,000 to 25,000, with at least half of these from the United States. Most are retirees from the United States, Canada, and Europe, attracted by the mild climate, cultural opportunities, and low crime. It is only a ten-hour drive from the U.S. border. The large foreign presence has established a number of institutions here, most notably the Biblioteca Pública in the former convent of Santa Ana, which has the second-largest English-language book collection in Mexico and serves as a community center for foreigners (Wikipedia: San Miguel de Allende).

Steps: 8,877; Miles 3.76. Weather Hi: 83°, Lo 47°. Sunny.

Mike’s birthday celebration

Wednesday, February 26: Today was Mike’s 71st birthday so I gave him the choice as to what we would do to celebrate. He chose to go on a series of outings on the outskirts of San Miguel de Allende: 1) La Gruta; 2) Nirvana; 3) Atotonilco; & 4) Tres Raíces.

La Gruta

We started the day at La Gruta at 10:00 a.m. The hot springs at La Gruta Spa include several pools of thermal waters and a steamy cave (gruta) of warmer water that visitors can access by swimming through a cool tunnel. The pools get warmer the closer one gets to the gruta.

The pools are set amidst lush plants, banana trees, and flowers.

We started in the most lukewarm pool and then moved to a warmer pool where a group of Mexicans were already drinking micheladas & cervezas (it was 10:30 am). They seemed to be having a grand time.

We moved to a warmer pool from which we then swam/walked through a tunnel to the gruta.

We then went back to the pool where we could have drinks while soaking and got our own michelada, a spicy Mexican beer cocktail made with tomato juice, lime, and hot sauce, to share. We stayed there for about 2 1/2 hours then headed to Nirvana for lunch.

Nirvana

For part 2 of Mike’s birthday, we ate a lovely lunch at Nirvana, a spot recommended by Endre, our host at Terra Vista in Guanajuato. We sat under a thatched roof on a ridge with a cool breeze and a view over a herd of goats in a valley below. It was breezy and scenic spot.

We shared a beet, goat cheese and walnut salad, a corn soup, and sausages with veggies and cheese. It was a wonderful place to celebrate another orbit around the sun for Mike.

Santuario de Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco

For part 3 of Mike’s birthday, we visited Santuario de Jesús Nazareno de Atotonilco, a church complex and part of a World Heritage Site, designated along with nearby San Miguel de Allende.

The complex was built in the 18th century by Father Luis Felipe Neri de Alfaro, who, according to tradition, was called upon by a vision of Jesus with a crown of thorns on his head, with blood on his face and carrying a cross.

The main feature of the complex is the rich Mexican Baroque mural work that adorns the main nave and chapels. This was chiefly the work of Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre over a period of thirty years. The mural work has led the complex to be dubbed the “Sistine Chapel of Mexico.” The complex remains a place of worship and penance to this day, attracting as many as 5,000 visitors every week.

Tres Raíces Winery

To wrap up Mike’s birthday: we topped off the day at Tres Raíces Winery. It was more of an industrial-like complex than what we expected. Again, this was recommended by Endre at Terra Vista in Guanajuato. We cheered Mike’s birthday with glasses of cool white wine, shared a chocolate mousse cake, and bought a bottle of Sauvignon blanc.

San Miguel de Allende

It took us over an hour to return to San Miguel de Allende because of major road construction north of town. We sat at a dead standstill for long periods of time. A frustrating way to end our day of outings but luckily, it didn’t ruin Mike’s special day. 😍🥂🎂

Since we’d had a long day exploring the outskirts of San Miguel de Allende, we decided to stay at our Airbnb and sit on our two patios to enjoy the sunset. We also chatted with our daughter Sarah by FaceTime and gave her a tour of the apartment. We had chatted by FaceTime with Adam while at Tres Raíces and with Alex while driving back to town.

On our patio, we had one last tequila & fresca. Overall, I think Mike had a wonderful birthday. And now that he’s 71, I can enjoy this period from now to October when I’m in my last year of my 60s and Mike is 2 years older than me! 🤣😘😂

Mike ate some of his leftovers from Nirvana and I had Ritz crackers with peanut butter for dinner. I’d had plenty to eat during the day!

Steps: 4,656; Miles 1.97. Weather Hi: 82°, Lo 46°. Sunny.

Thursday, February 27: Our first day in the town of San Miguel de Allende, we had a lazy morning. On our way out, we got photos in front of our Airbnb and our narrow street, Calvario.

Templo de San Francisco

Then we headed to the town center, first stopping at Templo de San Francisco; there we admired the ornate carvings of its churrigueresque entryway. A fine example of Mexican baroque architecture, this church was constructed at the end of the 18th century. The principal facade is the site’s most striking feature, with cascading sandstone columns carefully carved with saints and figures.

The church’s large dome towers over Calle Mesones. In contrast to its ornate exterior, the Templo de San Francisco’s interior is austere, with very high ceilings and glass chandeliers, a neoclassical altar, and walls lined with rows of wooden saints and dark retablos.

We enjoyed El Jardín with its box cut trees 🌳 that provide a lot of shade.

Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel

The Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel is impressive with its neo-Gothic sandstone towers. The building itself was constructed in the 16th century and, as old photographs reveal, was large but rather unspectacular. In the 19th century, the church’s facade received a complete renovation at the hands of imaginative architect Zeferino Gutiérrez. According to local history, this self-taught draftsman based his design for the parish on prints of the Gothic cathedral in Cologne, Germany. The results display cascading bricks of pink sandstone surrounding the peaked archways of the parish, concluding in three pointed bell towers.

While the exterior of the parroquia is elaborate, the interior’s design is spare and neoclassical, with towering stone columns flanking the altar and chapels, some gilded.

There is a carved statue of San Miguel Arcángel on the altar; however, there is a more notable sculpture of Jesus in the east transept, carved from cane bark and highlighted by a backdrop of turquoise Byzantine mosaic and aging murals.

Today, the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel is still the parish seat, mass is held here daily, and weddings take place almost every weekend.

We saw some of our first mojigangas (moh-he-GAHN-gahs), giant puppets, animated by the dancers who wear them. In other parts of Mexico, they are sometimes known by names that are variations of giant or doll. When we saw one walk by, we were having coffee in a cafe while FKJ sang “Why Are There Boundaries.”

We then wandered around San Miguel with no particular destination in mind.

Templo de la Inmaculada Concepción

We popped into the Templo de la Inmaculada Concepción, known locally as Las Monjas; it was originally built as part of an extensive housing complex; now, it serves as a convent for the nuns of the order of the Immaculate Conception.

The church was built between 1755 and 1842, with the elegant dome added by Zeferino Gutiérrez in 1891. He again modeled his construction on a European historic site, the church of Les Invalides in Paris, France.

San Miguel wanderings

I dragged Mike into a number of cute shops and bought a few camisas for myself. I hadn’t found much in the way of shopping in Mexico, so of course I was happy to contribute to the local economy.

We stopped for a light lunch (as light as we can get in Mexico) at Los Burritos. I liked it because the food was good and we were the only gringos in there. Nearly 20,000 expats live in San Miguel, about 10% of the population, so we saw hordes of white-haired people that looked like me!  The popular look for white haired men seems to be white hair with a white goatee.:-)

Oratorio San Felipe Neri

We dropped into more cute shops in San Miguel. Also, we dropped into another church: Oratorio San Felipe Neri. During the 18th century, the congregation of San Felipe Neri was rapidly gaining popularity throughout New Spain. In San Miguel de Allende, the congregation constructed the beautiful Oratorio San Felipe Neri in 1714, along with a school, the Colegio San Francisco de Sales.

The pink sandstone facade of the oratorio is delicately carved and represents the beginning of a shift in architectural aesthetic, from baroque to churrigueresque. Above the facade, the church has five beautiful bell towers, which were recently restored. The unpainted pink sandstone tower to the northwest of the church is especially lovely.

We walked through a park with a horseman statue and the up to our street, in the next to last photo, where the green taxi is exiting. It’s our tiny one way street called Calvario. The white apartment with blue trim is the outside of our Airbnb again. I spread out all my Mexican tops on the bed for a photo op and the rooster was atop one of our patios.

Baja Fish Taquito

After relaxing for a bit in the afternoon, we went Thursday night to the rooftop at Baja Fish Taquito. We enjoyed refreshing Jicama with chili powder, a michelada & tequila, Taco torito (chile güero capeado relleno de camarón / battered chili filled with shrimp), Taco de camarón enchilado con queso/ Spicy shrimp taco with cheese, & Aztec soup.

We went for a short stroll after dinner.

Steps: 7,337; Miles 3.11. Weather Hi: 85°, Lo 49°. Sunny.

El Charco del Ingenio

Friday, February 28: Friday morning, we went to El Charco del Ingenio, a beautiful botanical garden set near a reservoir in San Miguel de Allende. It was early, so despite the sun it was breezy and cool.

While wandering around El Charco del Ingenio, we happened upon four people who we found by chance had many similarities to us. I think it was Mike’s North Carolina hat that started the conversation because one of the young guys was born in Chapel Hill (UNC in Chapel Hill is Mike’s alma mater). That same guy’s father was, for a time during the guy’s youth, president of The College of William & Mary, my alma mater. One of the older men said he graduated from William & Mary and was in Glenn Close’s class (I think he said ‘69). I graduated in 1978. We all expressed our dismay & disgust over our scumbag President and how he’s ruining the country. We talked about Dogwood Dell and the delis around W&M. The young guy and I both got married (1st weddings both) in the Wren Chapel & I had my reception outdoors under the shelter at Lake Matoaka, both on the campus of W&M. So many strange coincidences. One of the older guys, married to the W&M graduate, has an apartment in SMA and spends alternating 2 months here in Mexico then 2 months in San Francisco. The young couple was from San Diego. It’s such a small world sometimes!

Mineral de Pozos & Mine of Santa Brigida

After visiting the garden, we drove about an hour out to Mineral de Pozos and the Mine of Santa Brigida. For more on that, see: exploring the outskirts of san miguel de allende: santa rosa de lima, dolores hidalgo, mineral de pozos & the mine of santa brigida.

Hank’s in San Miguel de Allende

After our mining town expedition, and after relaxing in our apartment for a while, we went out to dinner at Hank’s, a New Orleans style restaurant in the centro histórico. They had a Mardi Gras theme going full blast. We also heard music that didn’t sound much like Mardi Gras, like “El Soto V1 – Remix” by Adan JFW, Doble ONE Flow Letal, which I loved even if it didn’t fit the theme. We shared appetizer dishes of roasted corn cream soup and fried oysters, strolled around the town, and got ice cream treats at a heladeria.

Steps: 11,796; Miles 5.0. Weather Hi: 84°, Lo 50°. Sunny.

Meeting fellow bloggers of Green Global Trek at Mercado Sano on the Ancha

Saturday, March 1: Saturday morning, our last day in San Miguel de Allende, we had the pleasure of meeting fellow Instagramers and bloggers, Peta and Ben of @greenglobaltrek .

Peta and Ben have been inspirational to me over the years as they have lived abroad in many Asian & Central American countries, especially Bali, Sri Lanka and Nicaragua. As our son has been living in Nicaragua for the last 5 years and married a Nicaraguan woman with 3 daughters, we have common ground in our shared experience of Ometepe Island, where Adam lives and where Ben and Peta own property. We know some of the same people such as British Ben, the owner of Cafe Campestre, and American Rachel, owner of Pan de Mama. Peta still has dreams of building a house on their land in Ometepe. I have these kinds of dreams myself (in many other places but not Ometepe) but Mike is always reminding me that I can’t live everywhere and still travel like I want to.

We all expressed fear and dismay that the demise of the U.S. is at hand. Luckily they live in SMA, while we are hoping to escape the U.S. as soon as possible.

We met at their favorite organic market in SMA, Mercado Sano on the Ancha. We enjoyed coffees, courtesy of Ben, talked about our experiences in Japan and Ometepe, and they shared their love of Mexico and SMA. They also told us stories about the most challenging place they lived, Sri Lanka.

San Antonio neighborhood

After eating an early lunch at the market, we took a taxi to Peta and Ben’s house in the San Antonio neighborhood and got to see their amazing casa which they substantially designed and refurbished. It was so wonderful to meet this couple who I have interacted with online for such a long time! 🙏🏻🙏🏻 It was truly a special treat for us.

After leaving Ben & Peta’s casa, we wandered through the San Antonio neighborhood with its colorful murals.

Fábrica la Aurora

We caught a taxi to Fábrica la Aurora, a large art gallery in barrio Aurora. The taxi driver was playing, of all things, “Alone Again (Naturally)” by Gilbert O’Sullivan. We wandered around there for a while and then caught another taxi to a toy museum near our apartment.

Museo la Esquina del Juguete

We visited the cute little Museo la Esquina del Juguete (Toy Corner Museum) not far from our apartment on Saturday afternoon. It was fascinating to see all the children’s colorful Mexican toys.

El Manantial

On our last night in San Miguel de Allende, we took Ben & Peta’s advice and went to El Manantial, a bar/cafe not too far from our apartment. It was a lively place with good music and friendly vibes. Bill Withers sang “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean on Me,” and Ishtar sang “Last Kiss” as we bid adieu to San Miguel.

We met a couple, a young man from Boston & a woman from Mexico. He had left the US to come to Mexico just before the pandemic (just as my son left the country & ended up in Nicaragua). He met his partner while she was bartending in Playa del Carmen. Now he works remotely and they live a month or two in different Mexican towns. I love how people figure out many different ways to live and work abroad.

Mike enjoyed a tequila pour & a Camarón en pico de gallo tostada = Camarón con tomate, cebolla, e cilantro y aguacate. I didn’t have a drink because we had just shared a tall beer on our patio. I had Chile ahumado = Chile poblano tatemado relleno de queso y frijoles. We shared a warm brownie for dessert.

Steps: 10,755; Miles 4.56. Weather Hi: 81°, Lo 47°. Sunny.

Sunday, March 2: We checked out of our Airbnb as late as we could, as we only had an hour drive to Querétaro, our last stop on our Mexican trip. We of course didn’t think we could check in until 3:00 in Querétaro, so we took our sweet time checking out of our Airbnb. We waited on the front steps of our Airbnb to have our car brought to us, and soon we were on our way.

We drove about an hour to Querétaro with no issues.