What is it about the village of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico that attracts scores of visitors and new residents every year?  Could it be that it is nestled in the mountains of central Mexico and offers a temperate climate year round?  Could it be the picturesque village itself, where old Mexico flourishes with just the right amount of modern conveniences?  The sunlight, often compared to the subtle brilliance that attracted master artists in the South of France?  Or could it be the festivals that entertain in the winter and summer? 

Writers and artists have been converging on SMA since the end of World War II, when the Instituto Allende was reestablished as a center of the arts.  Today, the Instituto offers Bachelor and Masters Degree in Fine Arts. Another draw to San Miguel is The Bellas Artes, which offers courses year round in everything artistic.  With two master art institutes, both located within the town, the level of culture, and number of art galleries, is unparalleled.

Throughout San Miguel, classes are in constant session.  Everything from cooking, painting, printmaking, silver smithing, photography, dance and language can be studied in SMA, making its foreign population one that is focused on the arts.  

The Annual Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival, held every year the last weekend in February, garners an international crowd, including best-selling authors, agents, editors and publishers. 

Founded by expatriates, The Biblioteca Publica, a library offering selections in both Spanish and English is another center of activity.  Partners for conversing in Spanish are available.  Foreign films are offered.  Lectures are presented and everywhere children can be found after school doing their homework in this popular site.

Two English language newspapers are available in SMA. 

For those who come to SMA and don’t want to leave, the feeling is contagious, and has been experienced by the over 2,000 expat residents who now call San Miguel de Allende home.  Many gather daily for their morning coffee in the Jardin, across from the town’s magical pink colonial cathedral, The Parroquia, before heading off to their classes or lectures. 

The ghost of Zorro casts its charm over this section of the Grand Plateau of Mexico, and echos of the fight for independence ring through its canyons. Contrasted with the weekly outdoor market, where flowers, fruit and garden-grown vegetables, crafts and beverages are sold, San Miguel de Allende has settled into its maturity with a glory that only a special colonial town can offer.