Why we can’t quit San Miguel de Allende

Our small group trips to SMA just get better every year

Author

Jeannie Edmunds
April 11, 2024

Hi NextTriber,

As travelers, we’re not looking to replicate our experience at home. We crave something different. Show us something we haven’t seen before: let us taste a new flavor and be delighted by the extraordinary beauty we discover behind some ordinary wooden gates. Let us gingerly navigate the unfamiliar cobblestone streets, soak in the beautiful views from rooftop restaurants, recalibrate our ears to appreciate the plaintive wail of a mariachi singer serenading his sweetheart as she stands in the window. Ay, Ay, Ay!

When I arrived in San Miguel for the first time on a NextTribe trip two years ago, I called my husband before I’d unpacked and said “Dave! Dave! We have GOT to move here! This place is just gorgeous!!” 

Dave said yes, of course, because he’s well trained. :)  We don’t plan to move there (yet) but what a fantasy. Talk to any woman who’s been there. There’s something really, really magical about this city.

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What Makes the Magic in San Miguel

  • Desert mountains that dominate the horizon.

  • The colonial architecture, with its cantera accents on windows, doors, cornices.

  • The earth tones on all the walls in the city center (by law, homeowners must only use colors found in the local quarries). 

  • The interior of the homes–which you can often get a glimpse of through open doors–that are vibrant, sumptuous and often include a sunny courtyard. 

  • The food, the food, the food.

  • The cobblestone streets that wind up and down the inclines of the city. 

  • The clear air at more than 6,000 feet in altitude. 

  • The main square, called the jardin, with the grapefruit-pink, crown-shaped parroquia at its base. 

  • The artists who have long been drawn here and whose work adds another layer of allure. 

  • The spirit of the people, who know how to throw a party, how to savor moments of beauty in the everyday, how to embrace the world that comes to their city. 

During our week there we only eat Mexican food a couple of times. The Mexican chefs there are also masters of Peruvian, nouveau American, French and other international cuisines. One restaurateur proudly told me the food was so consistently excellent no matter where we ate because the chefs all trained in Mexico City—a true foodie destination for the last decade. I also think it’s because Jeannie R. has sussed out the best spots with the best views, and in my two years of going there, the food just doesn’t disappoint. 

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NextTribe’s San Miguel Roots

Jeannie Ralston at home in San Miguel with her kids 15 years ago.

Jeannie Ralston and her family lived in San Miguel de Allende for four years. “So many times when I was walking through centro [the old town], I’d stop in awe at my everyday surroundings. It was like living on a movie set.” She loved living there, made lots of friends, learned Spanish, but eventually had to leave–her kids were growing up and priorities changed. 

But her mission is to share the stupendousness of San Miguel with as many people as possible (Read her story for the New York Times travel section on San Miguel here.).

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Safety and Splendor

The magnificent Parroquia on the main square.

During our Day of the Dead trip. The town is hopping, as you can imagine. Unlike in Asia where if you land during Chinese New Year you’re out of luck—everyone’s home with their families. In SMA, everyone seems to go out with their families: buying marigolds and gladiolas, brooms and paint and brushes to refurbish the gravesites; bringing mementos and trinkets and beers for the “ofrendas”, the altars honoring their loved ones. 

On my first trip to San Miguel, I had my doubts about traveling to Mexico, and my family worried, but millions of Americans travel there every year without problems and I’ve always felt safe in San Miguel and in Playa Troncones, where we have our beach trip. These towns are very well protected by the Guardia and they’re not as flashy as other tourist areas like Cancun and Tulum.

Even at night, with big crowds, SMA felt extremely safe. First, tons of policia on the periphery, directing pedestrians to streets where no cars were allowed. Vendors were selling churros and candles, hats and jewelry, masks, mirrors, and papier mache animals. Lots of children, grandparents, and well-behaved teenagers. After we managed to join in with the parade, with our faces painted and our skirts sashaying we were stunned at how many young Mexican women and young families wanted to take selfies with us.

One of our group showing a photo of a loved one at last year’s altar.

Every year we also set up an altar in our hotel for our little group of travelers. We follow this ritual not only to honor the place where we’re traveling, but to give each of our travelers a new lens through which she can view the death of whomever she is honoring with her ofrenda. In our informal setting, as each woman gets up, holds up a photograph and shares a memory, we all laugh together, cry together, and support each other as women have done through the millennia. 

No matter what else we do on the trip–and we do a lot of cool things–this is by far the most meaningful. 

So Good We’re Offering 3 Trips This Year

The pageantry and excitement of Dia de los Muertos.

The first NextTribe trip ever was to San Miguel de Allende over Day of the Dead, which we now call the Classic Dia de los Muertos trip.

This year’s Classic trip, which I have the honor of leading, filled up in one week! We added a second group over Dia de los Muertos that will be led by Jeannie R. and last a day longer. 

We still have a few spots for a third trip, Affordable San Miguel, which happens immediately after Day of the Dead when the city is quieter but many decorations still remain. And we still create our altar, because it’s so important. This is the trip that hooked me on living there, and I still might do it one day when I retire–if I ever retire!

If you consider traveling to San Miguel de Allende, I really hope you’ll do it with us. And if not, I hope you get a chance to go there one day. You won’t regret it, though you might regret not coming with a bunch of NextTribers. We know the secrets of San Miguel, thanks to Jeannie R.!

Adios for now!

Jeannie E.