House Sitting San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
January 28-February 28, 2020
As part of our winter escape this year, our travels took us the Unesco world heritage town of San Miguel de Allende where we are housesitting. Nestled three hours north of Mexico City, in the mountains of Guanajuato state, it sits approximately 1900 meters in elevation and attracts both domestic and international travellers. The climate resembles something like year round perpetual spring with daytime temps hovering around 23-27 degrees and falling to more chilly temperatures into the evening. San Miguel is a haven for artists and foodies, and is a very charming, walkable and colorful town. We enjoyed our time here strolling the cobblestone streets, relaxing in the central square and sampling the endless array of pastries!
The House and Pets
We're caring for a beautiful propery just a 15-20 minute walk to San Miguel centre
and a very sweet rescue dog named Lucy
The Town of San Miguel
Mojigangas - The giant "puppets"
On any given weekend, visitors may happen upon a wedding, religious or celebration procession led by one or many of these colorful and whimsical mojigangas (pronounced mo-he-gan-gas). They parade through the cobblestone streets and into the central jardin (central square) of San Miguel. These astounding figures have roots dating back to 1600's when the spaniards brought over Los gigantes (the giants). The enormous decorated heads are burlesque in appearance and made from paper mache while the body is an A frame structure draped with fancy garments. Typically they're 15 feet tall and the dancer climbs under the structure and a small slit allows them to see out. The mojigangas are intended to be representations of humanity in all its beauty, whimsy and flaws.
Day Trip - Guanajuato
Guanajuato was first and foremost one of the great silver mining cities of the world but has long been mined out and closed in 1928. The city is often compared against San Miguel de Allende (just an hour away) and seems divided on which city is better liked. They're similar in they are both compact, walkable and colorful cities. Both are Unesco world hertiage sites but they definitely have different vibes. San Miguel is often referred to as being more "polished" where as Guanajuato is not perfectly restored and retains a gritty realness. A city where people work, study and play.
Mexico City
After finishing our housesiting assignment we opted to spend our last 4 nights in Mexico City before flying home. There are many amazing things about this city that we enjoyed and many amazing things to explore. It was very walkable and easy to get around with Uber. There are endless food and restaurant optioins and its a lively adventurous city. But it also comes with a darker side: its pollution and haze, it can be extremely busy with traffic and crowds, and it can feel "grey" with lots of concrete and not many green spaces. All in all though, we would recommend spending some time here as there is a lot to see and do! We found a great airbnb room in the condesa/roma area of the city which is centrally located, bohemian and full of cafes, restaurants and shops. We also enjoyed the hop on/off bus which was a nice way to explore the different quadrants of the city and get an idea of its layout.
Follow this link to a great blog from "the unconvential route" all about Mexico City
Video compilation of our time in San Miguel, Guanajuato, and Mexico City