For Creatives in San Miguel de Allende, the Past and Present Collide

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San Miguel de Allende has historically been such a magnet for expats of a certain age that Mexicans have come to refer to it jokingly as Jurassic Park. The colonial town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has long seduced visitors with its caught-in-amber allure and robust traditional gallery circuit. But a boom in commercial and residential development, coupled with an emerging young arts-and-crafts scene, has given San Miguel a fresh identity.

A four-hour drive or a one-hour flight from Mexico City, it's become a Hamptons of sorts for urbanites seeking a weekend escape. It's also increasingly pulling creatives from within and outside Mexico who are drawn to its small-town vibe and access to exceptional artisans who can help realize their designs. Jorge Almada and his wife, Anne-Marie Midy, founders of home-furnishings company Casamidy, were pioneers when they arrived from Mexico City in 1996. “It wasn't on the map; there was no design community,” recalled Almada. The duo quickly became darlings of that international scene. Casamidy still maintains a by-appointment showroom here and just opened Tiendita, a tiny shop selling small, easily transported pieces made in the area: decorative pillows, woven backgammon sets, waxed canvas totes, and jackets hand-beaded by a Wixárika artist.

Inspired by Casamidy, younger creatives have been arriving steadily in recent years, especially during the pandemic. Thirty-somethings Giulia Zink and Mat Trumbull of OHLA Studio moved here from the Bay Area three years ago and decided to stay; they built a house with a gallery space, created a creative residency program, and produced their inaugural line of furniture in partnership with local craftspeople. They also became friendly with Daniel Valero, an award-winning 34-year-old Mexican artist and designer known for his vibrant and energetic furniture, ceramics, and tapestry designs. He moved to the area four years ago because he “found a refuge to create.” He just launched his showroom, Mestiz, this summer and is currently conceptualizing an installation to open this February at the Denver Art Museum. Valero “loves that this is a walkable city with a history that is very much alive,” he says. “And the incredible amount of color inspires my practice.”

Laura Kirar agrees. The American interior and product designer splits her time between Mérida and San Miguel, where in late 2019 she opened Mesón Hidalgo, a three-room hotel in a 17th-century building that she restored, renovated, and furnished with a goal of letting guests “wake up in the city they've traveled to”—rather than in could-be-anywhere rooms. Hers burst with color and craft, and contain some pieces that can be purchased in the on-site shop, which showcases Kirar's line of locally made home furnishings.

The area is known for its excellent wood-carvers and weavers, as well as a papier-mâché tradition that has been embraced by Kirar and other designers like Andrew Fisher and Jeffry Weisman. The duo own a design firm in San Francisco but bought a home in San Miguel 12 years ago and opened a showroom here last year; their designs include quietly dramatic lighting fixtures that look like brass but are in fact papier-mâché. Fisher also recently launched a collection of jewelry, cheekily named Chic AF, woven with a mélange of metal and fibers, hand-gilded in 24k gold, and embellished with semiprecious stones. The collection is handmade by a network of woman artisans who work from home so they can care for their families.

Alejandra Armendáriz is among the latest makers to call San Miguel de Allende home. The 37-year-old, a native of the northern state of Sonora, is an avid equestrian who crafts straw and natural felt hats with artisans under the moniker Suki Palomina. She's been coming to the area since she was a teenager but a few years ago began to notice more younger people doing interesting projects. “It's not like before, when people would come, leave, and not do anything that nourishes the town,” she observes. ”Now they come here to do what they love.”

This article appeared in the September/October 2023 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.