San Miguel de Allende Community Watch Announcements & News San Miguel de Allende Mexico
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San Miguel de Allende -- Today is Saturday, September 04, 2010 11:51 at our loyal server in the USA
Las Posadas
Zacatlán de las Manzanas, Mexico
The tourist office, under the archways in the main plaza, was open when I
arrived in the small colonial town of Zacatlán de las Manzanas, two hours
east of Mexico City. The plaza, anchored by the 16th century ex Convento de San
Franciso, was aglow in silvery fog that foreshadowed the magical time I was to
spend. I had been told that Zacatlán celebrated traditional Mexican Christmas Posadas,
the symbolic journey of the Holy Family from Nazareth to Bethlehem seeking shelter,
and I wanted to join in this nine-day festival.
The plaza, anchored by the 16th century ex Convento
de San Franciso, was aglow in silvery fog that foreshadowed the magical time
I was to spend.
The Posada (literally inn) tradition began in
Mexico in 1587 when an Augustine order requested permission of Pope Sixto V to
authorize a Novena, a nine-day Christmas celebration.
The Augustinians, who used theater, drama and song in the process of conversion,
not only wished to tell the story leading to Christ's birth, but wanted to supercede
the Aztecs' twenty-day annual December festival dedicated to Huitzilopochtli,
their war god.
Bethlehem Stars
Today Posadas are often reduced to a single evening but historically it is
a Novena celebrated daily from December 16th to the 24th, which of course is
then followed by Christmas on the 25th. I came to Zacatlán to experience
the Posadas as a Novena, the religious ritual in a provincial setting.
Mary Carmen Olvera Trejo, Director of Tourism, was seated behind her desk,
wearing a soft, bluish-white, downy sweater, working at her laptop computer,
when I entered. She instantly looked up, greeted me, invited me to sit down,
and asked, "How can we help you?" I said, "Where should I go
for Posadas?" She penciled an outline with directions where I could visit
Posadas during the week, in the schools, the churches and also suggested Hospital
San José. And in a gesture of good will, knowing that I was alone, she
invited me to the Olvera Family Reunion-Posada on Christmas Eve. Zacatlán
is a compact colonial town with a huge clock in the central plaza. Red tiled
adobe buildings, windows framed with iron grills, and cobblestone streets give
the visitor a feeling of history and tradition. I could walk to the Posadas that
Mary Carmen suggested.
Hospital San José
Late that first afternoon I joined the Posadas at Hospital San José where
children, warmly dressed in well-worn jackets and jeans, had gathered in the
chapel. They looked as if they could be the children of the shepherds that were
present at the first Christmas.
Passing out treats. San Jose Hospital
In the hospital chapel, I sat in the front pew next to a little girl whose
rosy cheeks glowed through her dark skin. She sat quietly while her mottled brown-blue
eyes carefully examined my camera.
The church was a cream colored white with purple drapes. The director, a petit
nurse-nun dressed in white and wearing wire glasses, introduced me as a guest.
She used the opportunity to remind the children to be on their best behavior
so as to leave the visitor with a good opinion.
The service began. Children sang the rosary. The chapel was in the center
of the hospital with a corridor encircling the chapel. We stood. Four children
in the back of the church lifted a plank with an angel, Mary and Joseph on their
shoulders. It was decorated with a green pine tree branch and Christmas ornaments.
The procession came up the center aisle, turned right and then began a journey
around the outer corridor of the inner chapel. The choir and students followed
Joseph and Mary and made periodic stops, as did the Biblical Holy Family when
looking for a place to rest in Bethlehem. The children continued singing the
rosary: Hail Mary's and the Our Father.
At each stop, the Holy Family asked for shelter and
was denied. Finally, after a full circuit, in the hospital, the Holy Family found
rest, and the nun dressed in white passed out gifts: oranges, sugar cane, jicama,
peanuts and other treats.
At each stop, the Holy Family asked for shelter and was denied. Finally, after
a full circuit, in the hospital, the Holy Family found rest, and the nun dressed
in white passed out gifts: oranges, sugar cane, jicama, peanuts and other treats.
Young children marveled at their good fortune. I was surprised to see such pleasure
from what I would have deemed modest.
Church of St. Francis
The next day at the Church of St. Francis, the largest in town, I encountered
a different expression of the Posada. After we entered the church, the doors
were closed. The rosary was not sung but a number of journeys were made around
the inside of the church, with young men carrying statues of the Holy Family.
We stopped at the various niches as if seeking an inn.
Mary in blue
When the procession rested, a verse of the traditional Posada Song was sung.
The Posada Song consists of two alternating choruses. First, the Holy Family
requests shelter, then there is a response, "This is no inn. Continue on
your way. I will not open. You could be thieves." Back and forth, there
is a request and a denial. Then it is revealed, the chorus sings, "The queen
of heaven is asking for shelter. It is Joseph and Mary, his beloved spouse, who
stand at your doors and seek lodging in your house." The climax follows, "Let
the doors be thrown open, let the drapes be drawn, for the Queen of Heaven has
come to rest."
School: Juana de Arca, Atexna
But it was on the road to El Refugio, a holistic cabin and campground enclave,
where I found the most memorable procession. Here was simplicity, faith and tradition
among grammar school children reenacting the Holy Family's journey and their
quest for shelter.
Here was simplicity, faith and tradition among grammar
school children reenacting the Holy Family's journey and their quest for shelter.
As I turned off the highway onto the rutted dirt road at Atexna, children
had just left a solitary church and had just started their trek up the road to
their primary school. I quickly parked and asked the teacher, Guillermina Juarez
Martinez, if I might join the pilgrims. She was happy to welcome me.
Joseph dressed in green and gold, Mary wore blue, and Jesus' godmother looked
angelic in white. Angels, shepherds, wise men, parents and teachers followed
the Holy Family. Solemnly they hiked up the hill reenacting the journey from
Nazareth to Bethlehem. I ran ahead and took pictures of the pilgrimage treading
on the damp earth road framed with maguey cactus.
The procession arrived at the school. A number of students entered, but the
Holy Family, angels and shepherds, stayed outside. I was inside with my camera.
The Posada Song was sung with the alternating choruses. The door was opened,
the Holy Family entered, and students gathered in front of the manger. Joseph
in green and gold stood on the right, and Mary with her light blue cape stood
on the left, while the godmother, seated in the center, rocked Baby Jesus.
Mixing of traditions, Santa and angel
Guillermina Juarez Martinez kneeled and kissed the Baby Jesus. Everyone, pupils
and teachers followed her example. Then small gifts were distributed and hot
punch was served.
I enjoyed the pageantry, the processions, the rituals, and the songs. But
what I had not realized was that I was yet to experience the love and the essence
of the Christmas message.
Olvera Family Reunion-Posada
Mary Carmen had invited me to the Olvera Family Reunion-Posada. The party
was at 7 p. m. Christmas Eve. I said, "Seven or after seven?" I didn't
want to be the first to arrive, especially at a family gathering of over 80 relatives.
Mary Carmen said, "A partir de las siete." (Any time after 7.)
I meant to arrive about 7:30 but I got lost. In the dark I couldn't find the
turnoff to the family homestead, and I knew I was within yards. But in the dark,
along the road, the Grand Marquis' headlights made every shrub bristle as if
it were the sign of an entryway. Luckily, there was a nearby restaurant getting
ready for a Christmas Eve Party and the owner was cordial and told me precisely
where to turn.
I arrived at 8 just in time to join the outdoor chorus singing the Posada
Song asking for shelter. When the doors opened I entered into a grand multi-generational
family reunion and celebration.
Here I found more than the Christmas Posada, the Holy Family pilgrim tradition
and a religious service.
Señor Olvera, Mary Carmen's father, 83, and family patriarch, dressed
in a suit and tie and wearing a short overcoat and a brown beret, spoke to his
family. He embraced his wife Julita, dressed in a red coat, and gave thanksgivings
for their blessings, and family prayers for those present and absent. Testimonials
were spoken for the family's happiness. One by one adult children hugged their
parents. There was a gift exchange, a grand feast (with 8 daughters, food was
abundant), toasts (even Viva California!), and dancing to salsa, marimba, rock
'n roll, waltz, fox trot and swing.
We danced together, in a group, in a line, in a circle, in the center of the
circle (nudged forward for an impromptu jig, or whirl). There was a call for "Los
Calvos", the bald guys, only two of us, the other being Eduardo, a son-in-law
from Aguacaliente, where cock fighting is the annual attraction at the San Marcos
Fair, so Eduardo and I pantomimed our interpretation of a two strutting cocks
to cheers and applause.
Then singing, Mary Carmen led, followed by nearly every guest, some reluctant,
needing encouragement, some with good voices like Mary Carmen, some frogs like
myself who sang El Rey, but I had to pull Mary Carmen up with me as I was uncertain
of all the lyrics, so we ended up a duet.
Husbands brought tears, pure streams of joy to their wives, as they sang love
ballads, with words like, "My life would be nothing without you, you are
my total love, my source, my reason for being," while directing a fixed
gaze, eye to eye with the wife.
There were other songs and recitations, humorous, or just favorites, more
toasts, more dancing, a total spectacle of a loving, endearing, supporting, joyful
family, whose patriarch's favorite response to, "Como está?" (How
are you?) is, "Yo soy agradecido de haber nacido." (I'm grateful for
having been born.)
La Piñata and a Funeral
I drove home alert, not tired at 3 a.m. Mary Carmen told me to join the family
at noon for the children's Christmas Piñata Fiesta. Afterwards, she said,
we would join her nephew, his wife and daughter at La Trucha (The Trout) Restaurant
for Christmas dinner.
When I arrived, plans had changed. We would be going to a funeral at 2 p.m.
An elderly aunt died Christmas Eve and in Mexico burial is the next day. It seemed
ironic. During Day of the Dead in San Miguel de Allende, I witnessed a wedding,
and here in Zacatlán, on Christmas Day, I would be present at a funeral.
At noon, the children took turns, blindfolded (a symbol that the only guide
is faith), and smacked the piñata. It was a clay pot covered with a 7-pointed
star decorated in brilliant red, blue, orange, green, gold, silver, purple and
white with paper streamers, which symbolized the Seven Deadly Sins. When it broke,
treats gushed out. Children gathered up the traditional gifts: sweet potatoes,
jicama, sugar cane, peanuts, oranges, a few small toys, balls and Spiderman figures,
caramels and hard candy.
After the piñata, the festivities quieted. We still had a funeral and
Christmas dinner to attend.
The sun was out. I was now part of Mary Carmen's family and we walked up the
hill to the original homestead, which was being used for storage. I no longer
thought of the fog. Here on a hill outside Zacatlán the weather was warm
and the sky crystal blue. Children were taking turns on a swing. The homestead
was built L shaped and I photographed the flowers. I took nine photos, all different.
We traveled back to Zacatlán for the 2 p.m. funeral. I dropped Mary
Carmen and her nephew, wife and child in front of the church, and then continued,
looking for a parking place.
The funeral was short. But the church overflowed. In a small town, everyone
is related. The casket, carried by 6 men, was placed in a funeral limousine and
an entourage followed the slow-moving hearse to the cemetery. It was only a few
blocks distant. The aunt was laid to rest on Christmas Day.
Christmas Dinner
We backtracked past the Olvera homestead, drove to Jicolapa, a small village
outside Zacatlán, and then into the quiet green pine forest and onto a
dirt road that lead to mountain streams, a trout farm and a restaurant. We had
been delayed. We were the last guests to arrive at La Trucha.
I felt as if I had returned home to northern Colorado and had just driven
up the Poudre Valley River Canyon.
We selected our trout direct from the pond. Shortly, dinner, wrapped and baked
in tinfoil with herbs, was served. We toasted, clinking bottles of cold beer.
We were in a simple wood-framed building in the pine forest next to a stream
with turkeys wandering about.
Our dining room was more like a giant tree house than a restaurant. It was
modest, rustic, and appropriate for Christmas. Christ had been born in a manger.
-- Dick Davis
Dick
Davis travels frequently and contributes articles to www.ourmexico.com. This
story is from their RSS feed of publically accessible articles. Dick has taught
in both Mexico and Spain and is happy to share his experiences. A resolute companion
in his Mexican travels is his Grand Marquis. He can be contacted at: dickdavis40@hotmail.com | If you read guidebooks or travel articles about México, you will read
that Mexicans are wonderfully accommodating, friendly, warm, and generous to
strangers. You will be given the impression these people are the “Salt
of the Earth” and maybe even virtually Saints. You will be told things
like, “Mexicans are helpful to a fault” and “they will be so
patient with you trying to learn Spanish.” While this might be true, I
have, of late, begun to doubt the multitude of clichés that pour forth
from all the guidebook and article sources about Mexico.
About 18 months into our expatriation experiment, my wife and I began to wonder
what was going on in the heartland of Mexico. The clichés we had read
in our pre-expat research were, frankly, beginning to fall apart. The longer
we lived here, the more we were beginning to see things that the guidebooks gushed
about Mexican’s congeniality weren’t necessarily true. Something
wasn’t adding up.
Guanajuato is about as much in the middle of the country as it gets. It is
truly the heartland of Mexico. Here life is uber-provincial. The dictionary defines
provincial as, “a person of local or restricted interests or outlook; a
person lacking urban polish or refinement.” I began hearing this uber-provincial
stuff more and more as the years went by. I heard this from not only American,
German, and Canadian expatriates but also from Mexicans who grew up in other
parts of Mexico and who, for one reason or another, ended up in Guanajuato.
Certain things begin to happen to us that caused us to begin asking questions.
After all, we were still very fresh and green expats who didn’t know much.
But we began to ask about this or that once things started happening.
I guess it was the first time I was knocked into the street by a Mexican and
subsequently hit by a bus that caused me to wonder what was going on. The second
time was really what got me to wondering. I was pushed off the sidewalk not once
but twice into the path of an oncoming bus and was struck. Not once did anyone
stop to see if I was all right. The pushers never bothered to utter one word
to me. My wife has also been pushed and shoved off sidewalks. I have a 70-year-old
American gringa pal who was pushed into the path of a taxi and was nailed.
One just has to ask what is happening in Guanajuato, Mexico.
I wish I could tell you.
What I began to see long ago was that the Guanajuatenses on the street are
practically running to get somewhere but never arrive on time for anything. Although
all of Latin American (and Italy) is famous for how they regard time differently
than the rest of the world, this has slowly been changing in the more metropolitan
areas of Mexico. More and more, Mexicans are beginning to forsake their traditional
understanding of what it means to be on time for anything. Not so in Guanajuato.
It is just as traditional here as it has been for centuries. Some say the heartland
of Mexico is “stuck in the past.”
But, what you have are Guanajuatenses running at the speed of light and, I
can assure you, to get nowhere fast. They are absolutely not trying to get somewhere
on time. It is a cultural affectation here in Guanajuato. They will never, ever
arrive on time for anything. This is a total mystery in and of itself. Why are
they running? They never arrive on time for anything so what’s the rush?
So, you may logically ask, why are they running down the sidewalk knocking
gringos into the gutter? I wish I could tell you, but I can’t.
I have asked Mexicans because I have the facility in the language to do so.
Most of those I have questioned are not from Guanajuato originally. They are
here for a job, marriage, or whatever, and have been transplanted from other
regions of Mexico.
To my amazement, these Guanajuato transplants have told me that they view
the people of Guanajuato as some of the rudest, most ill educated, and most ill
reared Mexicans in the country. I have gotten emails from Mexicans and as well
as been told in face-to-face interviews that they regard Guanajuatenses Mexicans
as anti-social. This is amazing. These are Mexicans from other regions talking
about their fellow Mexicans. It very much reminds me of those from the Midwest
and western parts of America talking about New York.
Now, I have to take the word of those who tell me this since the only place
I’ve ever lived in this country is Guanajuato. But, I am beginning to take
their word to heart and believe what they say, hook, line, and sinker. Our experience
bears out what our Extra-Guanajuatenses have told us.
Once, I got an email from a Mexican lady in Puerto Vallarta. She had read
some of my articles and columns but poo-poo’ed me as a crazy gringo. Then,
she and another Mexican girlfriend came traveling through Guanajuato. She said
she couldn’t wait to email me and tell me how many times she was shoved
off the sidewalk and pushed away from the cashier’s counter in stores.
Just this morning, my wife was in line to buy some very delicious tamales.
She placed her order and paid the guy. Before the seller could get out of his
mouth, “One moment while I get your food” a Mexican lady, one of
our congenial, warm, and kind Guanajuatenses, elbowed my wife out of line and
cut in front of her. The seller had to be someone from some other part of Mexico
because he noticed what happened and told this woman to get in line.
A month ago, some college student who thought it was appropriate to lay hands
on me and shove me a good one shoved me out of the way in a pharmacy! I wish
I could tell you that these are all isolated incidents but I would be lying.
The guy pushed me as though I was a piece of furniture that was in his way.
The mystery is how Mexicans are supposed to be such kind, generous, and accommodating
people to foreigners while in Guanajuato, you are just liable to be pushed into
the path of an oncoming bus going at the speed of light. How…how…how
is this so?
The other day, we were exiting the post office when we saw one Mexican do
something to another Mexican. This kid, in his early twenties, walked by a lady
who had set her heavy bolsa (a large shopping bag) on the sidewalk while waiting
for a cab. This young man kicked the bolsa into the street. It seemed unintentional.
He looked briefly and then walked off. The lady took off after him. While she
was trying to corral him, a bus came by and squashed her bolsa and all its contents
to smithereens.
My wife once had to catch an elderly lady who was shoved off a 12-inch-high
sidewalk by two girls who seemed not to care a wit that they almost killed one
of their fellow countrywomen.
Something else that goes on in stores all over the city—another mystery--is
something that would get Guanajuatenses killed in America. When you go to meat
counter or any place with a counter, Guanajuatenses will shove you out of the
way to bark their orders to the hired help, even though the employee was already
waiting on you. Don’t miss the picture here. There you are. You’ve
just given your order to the butcher for a kilo of hotdogs when some Señora
puts her hands on you (or elbows you) and knocks you into the middle of next
week so she can be at the front of the line.
This goes on all the time, without fail, day and night—and there’s
nothing you can do about it!
NOTHING!
Why they do it I cannot tell you. We have asked and are told that the people
of Guanajuato are “malcriados” and “maleducadas” …this
means ill-raised and badly-educated.
I think the mystery is how did they earn the warm and inviting reputation
that you read in all the guidebooks? They certainly could not have meant the
heartland of Mexico, especially not Guanajuato!
Perhaps it’s the other regions about which the guidebooks have been
talking.
I do not know!
by Douglas Bower
Article Source: EzineArticles.com | From the Vip Club Newsletter for San Miguel de Allende with information on restaurant discounts available for club members who have purchased the VIP Club Discount Card
- Alfredo's: 1520072, Inside Posada San Francisco Hotel.
Fine dining, international cuisine, lunch and dinner, 1 - 10pm daily, closed
Mondays. 20% discount for cash.
- BBQ Bob's - Salida de Celaya #6, 152-0807.
(10%) ($100 pesos minimum).
- Berlin - (10%) ($100 pesos minimum, cash)
- Buen Café - Jesus & Cuadrante, 152-5807.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Closed Sundays. (20%) ($100 peso minimum)
- Bugambilia - Hidalgo #42, 152-0127.
Lunch and dinner. Traditional Mexican dishes. (20%) (no credit cards for
discount).
- Café San Francisco, Posada San Francisco - Plaza
Principal 2, 152-0072.
Courtyard and street side dining, full menu, Mexican cuisine including seafood
and full bar. (20%.)
- Casa Blanca - Hidalgo #34, 154-6070. Famous for crepes,
pizza and international cuisine. (15%) ($100 pesos minimum)
- Casa Montana Hotel Restaurant, Pozos - Jardín
Principal, 01 (442) 293-0032 International and national dishes in the midst of
a one-time old ghost town in a small luxury hotel. (20%)
- Casa Payo - Zacateros #26. 152-7277.
Landmark San Miguel Argentinean steak house. (10%)
- Don Quijote - Prolongación de Pila Seca #55,
152-0807. Bar and Grill, famous ribs and burgers, lunch and dinner. Closed Mondays.
(20% cash, 10% credit cards)
- El Asador Catlán - Km. 9 Salida a Querétaro, 120-8118
Open 1 until 7pm. Closed Mondays. Renowned traditional Spanish fare. 15% cash,
10% credit card
- El Correo Restaurant - Correo #23, 152-4951 Good traditional
Mexican food, full bar, closed Tuesdays. (15% cash, 10% credit card)
- El Puente,Canal 48, 154-8466, open everyday,
breakfast, lunch and dinner, 8:30 - 11:30 pm, featuring seafood and molés.(10%)
- Finnegan's Restaurant, two entrances, off Codo or
off Zacateros. Full menu, live entertainment, Wednesday through Saturday evenings,
with a live Sunday Jazz session from 3-5pm. The menu is a mixed bag including
Mexican dishes and some of international fame. (10%)
- El Tomato, Mesones #62, 151-6057, Open,
Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. All natural food restaurant, mostly
vegetarian dishes and sandwiches, salads fruits and vegetable juices. 10 %, not
valid for daily special.
- Hacienda los Laureles: Open 1-11pm, everyday but Tuesdays.
Indoor and outdoor seating. Full bar, extensive menu traditional Mexican foods,
Sunday buffet. (20%)
- Harry's New Orleans Cafe and Oyster Bar - Hidalgo #12,
152-2645 for dinner reservations. New Orleans Cafe, Fresh sea food, cajun and
creole dishes, extensive wine list, open 7 days a week. (10%, Cash only)
- La Fragua - Cuna de Allende #3, 152-1144
One of the most traditional restaurants in San Miguel, chef Fernando is your
host with special recipes, full bar. Closed Mondays. (10%)
- La Boca: Hernandez Macias #88, open everyday
except Mondays, tasty sandwiches, pastas, soups and salads, along with other
specials. they sport a full bar open 'til midnight weeknights and 1 a.m. (15%)
- L'Escargot, Hernandez Macias #66, 154-9024.
Authentic French cuisine Lunch and dinner, specialties like Beef Wellington,
Oyster Rockefeller and escargot. Closed Mondays. 15% discount.
- La Puertecita - Santa Domingo #75 , 152-5011.
Rated internationally, as one of the top 100 small luxury hotels in the entire
world. (20%) (no discount on buffets)
- La Princesa - Recreo (20%)
- La Toscana, Hernandez Macias #83, 154-9608,
open daily 1 p.m. until midnight, closed Tuesdays. Full bar and menu: Salads,
a variety of pastas with various sauces, beefs, poultry and salmon. Wines from
Italy, Spain, France, Argentina and Chile. 15% discount Cash only. $100 peso
minimum.
- La Vista, Vista Real Hotel Restaurant: Callejón
de Arias #4, 152-3984. Hotel restaurant, International dining room and exquisite
view of San Miguel. (20%)
- L'Invito (Instituto Allende) - Ancha de San Antonio
#20, 152-7333. Serving authentic recipes from the north of Italy great ambience.
(20%) (Instituto Allende)
- Los Famosos De Pozos - Hidalgo #10B, Mineral de Pozos, Guanajuato.
01 442 293 0112, quaint seeting retaurant in the so called ghost town of Pozos
offering a full menu and bar while serving traditional Mexican food.
- Manolo's - Corner of Pila Seca and Zacateros 152-7277
Intimate sports bar, appetizers, full meals, draft beer, Sporting events, satellite
direct TV. (15%)
- Market Bistro & Petit Bar - Hernandez Macias #95,
152-3229. Country French cooking. Imported wines. Daily until 11pm, midnight
on weekends. (15%, $100 peso minimum at bar)
- Mesón Castellano - Salida a Celaya #57.
Spanish restaurant featuring paella. (15%)
- Mesón de San José - Mesones #38, 152-3848.
Located back in a courtyard off Calle Mesones, Homemade soups and fresh salads.
(20%) ($100 peso minimum)
- Olé Olé - Loreto #66, 152-0896. The best
fajitas en the region, (10%)
- Pueblo Viejo - Umarán #6, 152-4977. Breakfast,
lunch and dinner, Traditional Mexican and international dishes. (20%)
- QUANDO foods, vacuum-sealed, frozen, comfort foods easy
to prepare while placed in boiling water. Quando sells gourmet type food products
that includes, soups, main dishes and deserts. Some of their selections are:
Mushroom chicken roll, potato chicken roll, Coq au Vin with risotto, Chinese
ribs, Lisbon, French and Valencia pork dishes, Toas chicken, chicken pot pie,
meat loaf and much-much more. For club members this is a DELIVERY SERVICE ONLY.
The 10% discount offered to members is NOT INCLUDED at retail outlets where they
also market Quando products. There is a 30 peso delivery charge. Members can
call 152-5153, 152-0038 or 044-415-153-3444 for immediate delivery. Ask for Pam
or Cindy.
- Punta Sush Ingo: Hildago #23,
1521619. Combination sushi bar and internet cafe. Open seven days a week. (10%)
- Sierra Nevada - Hospicio #35, 152-0415. San Miguel's
prestigious hotel, all three of its charming restaurants are available.
Also try Sierra Nevada on the park, just below the Chorro, one of San Miguel's
most beautiful settings. 15% cash or credit card (all three locations)
- Tapas y Tinis: Umaran #36, Modern bar and restaurant,
intimate atmosphere, serving tapas, serves late (10%)
- Ten Ten Pie Restaurant: Corner of Cuadrante and Cuna
Allende, Small, clean and resonable prices, local restaurant, open seven days
a week, serving breakfast lunch and dinner, serves late (10%) (20% off spirits)
- Tio Lucas: Mesones #103, 1524996, Hallmark San Miguel
steakhouse, plus. Open seven days, serves late, nightly entertainment. (10%)
- Villa Rivera Hotel Restaurant, Cuadrante #1, 152-2289.
Behind the Parroquia. Inside and outside dining. International menu, wonderful
ambience, Breakfast, lunch and dinner. (20%)
- Villa Mirasol; Inside Villa Mirasol Hotel, open for
breakfast and lunch in garden setting. (10%)
New restaurants are added frequently, and occasionally
restaurants drop out of the program with 60 days notice. Ask for the bi-monthly
restaurant club newsletter at authorized outlets for detailed information on
restaurants and the current list of participants. All participating restaurants
are under contract with the San Miguel Restaurant Club to provide the same fine
service as they would to patrons who walk in off the street. Discounts are waived
during happy hours, 2X1 specials or other special events in which the restaurant
is offering discounts to the public at large.
Notice: Certain
Restaurants and Businesses may have restrictions that do not appear on this website.
Please contact The Restaurant Club directly for a complete list of participating
businesses and restrictions. | To some San Miguel de Allende means history and tradition, to others art or language, to many, just a place to call home. But, to all, there are a some things that make it unique and memorable, here are a few personal favorites…
THINGS TO SEE
San Miguel de Allende was, by 1790, one of the richest villages in Mexico, with a population over twice that of New York City at the time. The wealth came from the silver trade, and those that had made their fortunes took it upon themselves to build elaborate mansions, churches and theaters. This past grandeur is still evident, with outstanding examples of most styles of colonial Mexican architecture to be found.
Of note are the Templo de San Francisco, Templo de la Concepción (known locally as ‘Las Monjas’), the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri with its interior Santa Casa de Loreto, the Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramirez "El Nigromante” (a.k.a. Bellas Artes) and, without doubt, the Parroquia.
La Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel:
The original Parish Church, built in the late 17th century, was of relatively modest design. This changed dramatically in 1880 when the master stone mason, Zeferino Gutierrez was commissioned to create a new facade. A self-taught architect, Gutierrez is reported to have taken the inspiration for his design from drawings and postcards of European cathedrals. The resulting neogothic fantasy, whose soaring turrets can be viewed from almost any spot in town, has made the Parroquia one of the most photographed churches in Mexico. El Jardín:
Centered between the Parroquia to the south, colonnades of colonial arches to the east and west and the Presidencia, or historic city hall, to the north, this bustling park is the heart of the city. It draws visitors to sit and gossip on the wrought iron benches shaded by boxy laurel trees, to pause and listen to musicians playing from its central gazebo or to line the stone walls and cheer as one of the town’s many parades passes by.
Biblioteca Pública:
The English Public library is Mexico's second largest English language library. The rambling building contdecorated reading room, a restful inner courtyard with wireless internet service, a theater offering foreign film and live performances, a computer center and café. It is an not only an important part in the lives of many of San Miguel’s expatriate population but, due to its mandate of enriching the lives of local students, it is also an integral part of the community.
El Charco de Ingenio:
This privately funded botanical garden and ecological reserve, located on the outskirts of town, is dedicated to restoring and preserving Mexican flora and encouraging endangered wildlife to flourish. The extensive grounds house a conservatory of Mexican plants, with particular emphasis on cacti and succulents; a center where one can purchase plants; remains of an ancient wool mill and an historic reservoir that is home to native and migratory birds. All is linked by a network of paths, with wonderful views of the town and countryside, that are ideal for biking and walking, and allow access for rock climbing on the steep canyon walls. An adjacent Nature Park provides grounds for picnicking and horseback riding.
Tianguis:
Imagine what would result if you crossed a flea market, a farmer’s market, a 19th century food court and the closeout bin at a discount clothier? If you can’t, you should visit the Tuesday open-air market held by Plaza Real del Conde. Under the shade of multicolored tarps are hundreds of vendors hawking fresh fruit and vegetables, dried herbs, kitchenware, hardware, beauty supplies, clothing (new, used, or remaindered from American retailers), watches, CD’s (some of which might be legal) and everything else in between. Even if you only go for the sights you will no doubt end up buying something.
Reprint Permission from "Su Casa"--Your Home in San Miguel de Allende
© 2006 Imprint Publishing/Advertising
Telephone in San Miguel:152-0493 | There are a thousand and one descriptions of San Miguel de Allende written over the past decades. Here's one writer's short take:
San Miguel's reputation as an arts center was established by the founding of the Allende Institute. One of its American founders, Stirling Dickson, came to Mexico as a tourist in the 1930s and fell in love with the city. A painter and engraver, he helped inaugurate the institute in 1950 and was its director until 1987. The lovely building housing the school once was owned by the wealthy Canal familiy. Fountains, arcades and courtyards gardens grace the grounds of the campus, which has extensive classroom space, two are galleries, a theter and a library.
Students from throughout the Americas take advantage of the art and language classes offered, and the institute also functions as a campus abroad for several American and Canadian art schools. The Centro Cultural Bellas Artes, is also known as the Centro Cultural el Nigromante (its official name) and the Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramirez. It is a branch of the wellknown Instituto de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. The impressive building, which dates from the mid-18th century, was once the Convento de la Concepcion and features an immense, tree-shaded courtyard. It offers music, dance and visual arts classes; a bulletin board lists lectures and concerts given both here and elsewhere in the city. Several murals are also exhibited, including one by David Alfaro Siqueirs.
San Miquel is known for the variety and quality of its regionally produced handycrafts. Metalwork -- masks, trays, lanterns, picture frames and decorative objects made of tin, copper, brass, bronze and wrought iron -- and the design of local silversmiths are particularly worth seeking out. Also available are pottery, weaving, sculpture, straw items, hand-loomed cambaya cloth (a material frequently used to make skirts), and folk and traditional art.
The colonial furniture is some of the finest produced in Mexico. Open-air Mercado Ignacio Ramirez, the city market, fills the plaza in front of the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri, and spreads onto the surrounding streets. Livestock and fresh preduce share space with inexpensive everyday items and souvenirs at the cheaper end of the price scale. The Mercado de Artesanias consists of vendor stalls in an alley. Pricier boutiques are scatted throughout the downtown area. Art galleries are concentrated around the main plaza, and exhibit openings are big social events. Two that showcase both regional and national talents are Galeria San Miguel and Galeria Atena. | | |
