Art Abounds in San Miguel

Walkway in Toller Cranston's Complex

Nancy, Bevyn, and I struggled to define exactly what makes San Miguel de Allende, a colonial town in Mexico, so magical. 
This World Heritage city is blessed with artists who have ample space, both public and private, to display their talents.  Whether you are a collector of folk art like Toller Cranston, whose estate was recently auctioned, or of masks, like Bill LeVasseur,

 you can find space for your esoteric collections.

Contemporary artists can take classes at the Instituto,

Display at the Instituto

or Bellas Artes where classes are held in rooms giving on to this courtyard. (The flowers in the arrangement are real.  I checked!)

Bellas Artes

Even the Biblioteca, the second largest English language library in Mexico, celebrates the arts while the mercado offers wares made by indigenous people.

After your art lecture or class at the Biblioteca, you can enjoy lunch in the courtyard.

But my friends and I finally decided there's more to the magic of San Miguel de Allende than formal classes and art spaces.  We think there is beauty everywhere we look. It's in the carving and painting of a door

 or the way bougainvillea tumbles over ocher walls

 or maybe it's simply the slant of light on ancient walls.

But, no matter what the reason, we know that anyone who visits this city will be captivated by its charm. The beauty that is San Miguel de Allende will beguile even the most skeptical traveler.