The heart of Old Mexico

Discovering the rich culture of Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende

Right: A Tarahumara Indian woman making dolls in downtown San Miguel de Allende.

The central Mexico cities of Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende are far removed from the tacky border towns of Tijuana and Juarez. This is the real, old-old Mexico. Guanajuato and San Miguel are 350-year-old colonial cities with a wonderful array of pastel buildings,
plazas, baroque churches, sidewalk cafes, marketplaces and narrow cobblestone streets with a real European ambience.

During Thanksgiving week of 1999, we were part of a seven-member group of friends -- including two musicians who were playing at the San Miguel de Allende Jazz Festival – who traveled deep into central Mexico. We flew into Leon, then caught a taxi to our first stop: La Casa de Espiritus Alegres in the Marfil district of Guanajuato. This is a wonderful B&B full of colorful folk. In Guanajuato, we visit San Gabriel de Barreras Hacienda & Garden, the centro, Teatro Juarez, Café Dada and El Pipila, a high vista punctuated by a large statue overlooking the city. We walk down a steep, narrow alley to the center of town. The alley is bordered by homes painted bright colors with walls and roofs jutting at odd angles.

Above: The alleyway from El Pipila to the centro of Guanajuato.

Now the fun really begins. It's Jazz Festival week, and San Miguel is alive with music.

This story is unfinished. More to come.