Colonia San Antonio, San Miguel de Allende

UPDATE: No reprieve for Silveyra’s: Building’s ‘manager’ pockets cash, so owners boot all Colonia San Antonio building occupants

Latest update: Despite talks on Monday, April 15, owners held firm that all occupants of Callejon San Antonio #2 must vacate the building. All had been paying rent to an unscrupulous “landlord” who pocketed the cash for nearly a year.

Restauranter Keli Silveyra posted this on Facebook Monday afternoon:

“An end of an era 😢 The family that owns the spot has contacted us. They are looking at selling the location, and or renting it out to higher bidders It sounds like they have offers already. We will be getting our restaurant out as soon as possible. They were very very kind considering, money is money.”

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San Miguel de Allende, The Week in SMA

SMA Events for April 7-13: Eclipse was cool … but wait, there’s more!

It’s a promising week when an eclipse of the sun is not really the best thing happening in San Miguel de Allende. I mean, you can’t even look directly at it unless you are a former president of the U.S. or you have special glasses.

What fun is that?

Well, it could be some fun even though we’re on the “partial” side of the path. Just, you know, take care of your own eyeballs. So you can see what else is coming up this week.

There is a lot to be excited about — boxing, bullfighting, classic movies and plays, crazy good singers and musicians, a Jerry Rife photography exhibition (see photo above), and a burlesque show that includes the Mexican Elvis — El Vez. (Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of El Vez. Oh, come on!) The ones doing all the burlesque are Moscato Sky, Carmen Caliente, and Ruby Mimosa — and with names like that, baby you know you want a front-row seat.

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Memoirs -- fact and fiction, photography, Reviews, San Miguel de Allende

Blows my mind, every year.

I tried my idea for global peace on a few people in the crowd today as we waited for the Exploding Judases to commence.

“What if all across the United States people had a day like this where you could hang effigies of your enemies and other bad people — and watch as they were blown to bits?”

“Just think of the catharsis!”

How to begin to describe the strange looks that I got. …

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San Miguel de Allende, The Week in SMA

Events for March 31 – April 6: Last hurrah for Easter and High Season and then …

If you haven’t been, you owe it to yourself to go see the Exploding Judases, today, Sunday, at noon. Go sooner and get a close-up look at the lifesize papier mache figures that will be blown to smithereens. You may even recognize one or two! You may even want to project a name or two of your own onto the more anonymous ones.

Frankly, the pyrotechnics signal the end of High Season, that semi-sad time of year when the season begins to change, to heat up and get really really dry, and all that money changes course and begins to flow back north to the United States and Canada.

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Reviews, San Miguel de Allende, The Week in SMA

March 24-31: An Easter parade of things happening in San Miguel de Allende this week

What better way to kick off Holy Week than the sacred rivalry U.S.A vs. Mexico in the finals of the Concacaf Cup — again? Ok, there are better ways if soccer isn’t your religion. We’ve got them here! (Photo: Concacaf)

You can attend two magnificent classical performances on the same day, a spooky play reading, a night of expert storytelling, and learn how to read “Ulysses” for pleasure. Watch as the greatest soccer rivalry in the Western Hemisphere fires up again Sunday night. Take to the stage for a Live Mic night, watch an Oscar-winning documentary, or see one of the greatest movies of all time.

The toughest seat in town will be for the re-birth of the guitar-fueled Media Luna’s trio of concerts.

Probably most important of all is that all week long the Catholic faithful will be reliving the Passion of Christ in ceremony, pageantry, prayer, liturgy, and in the end pyrotechnics.

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photography, Reviews, San Miguel de Allende, Writings

Healing art of Bellas Artes: Know them by how they have suffered

On Wednesdays, I have about an hour between appointments, time I would normally spend sitting in the Jardin with a cup of coffee and a pastry, watching people pose in front of the Parroquia, marveling at how easily alliteration springs from my fingertips.

Not today. Something inside me said I didn’t need the coffee. (The previous three cups?) Or the pastry. (The spreading waistline?) As I reached Calle Hernandez Macias a decision needed to be made.

Ahead of me was the pastry, park, Parroquia, and people. To my left was the Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramirez El Nigromante — Belles Arte for the more mellifluously inclined.

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San Miguel de Allende, The Week in SMA

SMA Events, March 17-23: From Semana Santa to Carlos Santana

One thing is certain, San Miguel de Allende sunsets will always be there for you. Even if you can’t make all the other stuff that goes on every day and night.

We’re a busy little town. That’s for sure. This week we have Semana Santa and it started while you were probably still in bed. In the photos above, families help dress the streets for the arrival of the Lord of the Columns statue. This is the 201st year that it has been carried to San Miguel from Antotonilco.

More events leading up to Easter are on their way.

Meanwhile, there are two Santana events — a tribute concert and a documentary screening that will be attended by his drummer. There are two events for the Bomberderos, our mighty fire department for the past 40 years. There are also two events that find their inspiration in death — one in not being dead yet and one that faces the inevitability that death is coming. Pick your favorite.

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fiction, Memoirs -- fact and fiction, Rants and raves, San Miguel de Allende, Uncategorized

Mind doodles: Flights of Fantasy

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”

– Leonardo da Vinci

Flying like Superman no longer appeals to me the way it did in my youth. You remember, “faster than a speeding bullet,” – and all that leaping tall buildings with a single bound.

It may be an age thing. 

These days, I could use “stronger than a locomotive.” But I’d settle for just a stronger cup of coffee.

The apex of my yearning to fly like Superman came as he streaked around the world counterclockwise until he created enough counterforce to slow its rotation.  He did do that, right? I could be conflating my own imagination with some comic book or movie scenario.

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San Miguel de Allende, The Week in SMA, Writings

SMA happenings March 10-16: These are a few of your favorite things ……

The story this week is probably what I didn’t get to. Oh, well. There’s something here for everyone, especially the Lord of the Column procession at the end of the week. To repeat what I said below, the procession is moving and wonderful to watch — but — do yourself a favor and walk over to Independencia on Saturday evening and watch as scores of devotees create beautiful murals of colored sawdust in the streets.

In the morning, Roman soldiers, priests, acolytes, processioners and all will walk slowly through the sawdust, sending the art into oblivion. Following behind will be a legion of city sweepers with bags and brooms and within minutes it will all be the stuff of a dream. So, go see the dream being created on Saturday evening.

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photography, San Miguel de Allende, Writings

If a tree falls in the Chorro … the sound of one hand clapping?

“Tree down’s just another word for nothing left to lose …” — singer unknown.

Well, not much of a tree. More like a very dense collection of termite tunnels encased in a very mulchy tree-like substance.

The tree had been topped long ago. Which is good, because the abbreviated trunk barely grazed the exterior wall of Casa Liza hotel on Bjd. de Chorro # 7 in ZonaCentro. Imagine one of those towering trees in the park doing the same.

There is just enough room by the Casa Liza wall to squeeze by. The very agile can scoot beneath the trunk, as did Moppit the Philosopher dog on this otherwise serene Sunday morning.

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