Category Archives: San Miguel de Allende

Huatulco, San Miguel de Allende

The Emperor’s Ghost in the Mural: The French Connection to Mexican Muralism

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By Randy Jackson—

On June 19, 1867, on a hill outside Querétaro called the Hill of the Bells, Emperor Maximilian, appointed by Napoleon III to rule a country that had never wanted him, faced a firing squad. His execution reverberated through Mexican and European history. Yet how that moment was understood was shaped not by those who witnessed it, but by those who painted it. In Europe, that response was immediate. In Mexico, it would take decades, passing through a classroom, before it found its voice on the great public walls of the Revolution.

In Paris, Édouard Manet’s series of paintings on the execution, collectively known as The Execution of Emperor Maximilian, demonstrated the power of art to shape historical memory. Painted from written accounts, they portrayed the event as a condemnation of Napoleon III’s imperial folly and were subsequently banned. In Mexico, the effects were slower and paradoxical. The execution did not silence Maximilian’s court painter; it freed him to walk into a classroom and change the course of Mexican art.
When Maximilian’s court collapsed, his retinue fled to the coast. One man, however, walked in the opposite direction, not toward a ship, but toward a classroom in the Mexican National Academy of Fine Arts.

Santiago Rebull
That man was Santiago Rebull, the official court painter to Emperor Maximilian, appointed to use art as an instrument of imperial legitimacy, to make a foreign emperor look like he belonged.

Rebull was born in 1829 to a Catalan father and a Mexican mother. His talent was recognized early. He won first place at the Academy of San Carlos in 1851 with his painting La Muerte de Abel. That victory earned him a scholarship to study in Rome, where he spent seven years, and what he learned there would shape Mexican art, passing through his hands to the students who would later paint the Revolution.

In Rome, at a Catholic arts school, he learned the techniques and principles of the Nazarene Movement. The Nazarenes believed art should serve a moral or religious purpose, and their major project was to revive the medieval art of fresco painting. It was a tradition built for walls, designed to tell stories to anyone who stood before them.

Rebull returned to Mexico in 1859 and, within two years, had risen to Director of the Academy of San Carlos. In 1865, he painted the official portrait of Emperor Maximilian – Retrato de Maximiliano. The Emperor was so pleased that he appointed Rebull as court painter and awarded him the Order of Guadalupe, the Empire’s highest honour.

Within two years, the firing squad on the Hill of the Bells ended that empire. Rebull returned to the classroom carrying everything Europe — and the Empire — had taught him.

The Protégé: Rivera at San Carlos
Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato in 1886, nineteen years after the firing squad on the Hill of the Bells. When he arrived at the National Academy of Fine Arts at San Carlos as a student at the age of ten, Santiago Rebull was still teaching there.

As director of the Academy and as an instructor who took personal interest in the young Rivera’s progress, Rebull brought his influence to bear beyond technique. He transmitted the Nazarene conviction that scale gave art its purpose. Frescoes were consequential, not just because of their size, but because their ambitions were monumental. Art was meant to instruct, to elevate, to speak to anyone who stood before it. Not for palace staterooms, but for the public walls.

As important as Rebull was to the painting style Rivera came to create, there were two other notable instructors at the Fine Arts Academy of San Carlos.

Félix Parra was a trailblazer in depicting Mexico’s pre-Hispanic past with the dignity usually reserved for emperors. Parra’s painting, Episodes of the Conquest, depicted the brutality of the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs. For a young Rivera, it was likely the first time he saw Mexican history treated as something proud and worthy of monumental art.

The other notable instructor was José María Velasco, arguably the greatest landscape painter in Mexican history. With paintings like The Valley of Mexico from the Hill of Santa Isabel, Velasco taught Rivera how to organize a massive, sprawling horizon into a coherent, balanced composition. It was a skill that would serve Rivera well when his canvas became walls and mountains and valleys were replaced by the epic history of Mexico.

By the time Rivera left the Academy at the age of twenty, he had spent half his life under the tutelage of these old masters. He had become a formidable talent recognized by these men, significant artists in their own right. Rebull famously remarked of his student: “He draws as well as I do, and he has a better sense of colour.”
But his education was not finished. Like Rebull before him, Rivera left for Europe on a Mexican government scholarship, spending years in Spain, France and Italy. What he found there, the Cubists of Paris, the great fresco cycles of the Italian Renaissance, only deepened what Rebull had taught him.

The art that would come to define Mexican national identity, defiant, indigenous, and revolutionary, returned home with Diego Rivera. Mexico gained something unexpected from the defeat of the French-appointed emperor. Hidden in plain sight on those great public walls, in the very conviction that art belonged to the people who stood before it, was the ghost of a court painter who had once made a foreign emperor look like he belonged.

Randy Jackson blends local reporting from the perspective of a seasonal Huatulco resident with explorations of life and change in Huatulco, Oaxaca and Mexico.

San Miguel de Allende

Between Names: Yásnaya Aguilar on Being Mixe and the ‘Latino’ Moment

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By Estefanía Camacho—

Latin American pride is rooted in a colonial and undeniably hierarchical category. This is how ayuujk (mixe) writer, linguist, and activist Yásnaya Elena Aguilar Gil (1981) described it in an interview during the San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival in February 2026.

“If we were to arbitrarily mark the history of our peoples with the domestication of maize 10,000 years ago, we would have spent 10,000 years being Zapotec, Mixe, or Nahua, and of those 10,000 years, 500 as Indians and 200 as Indigenous. So where does ‘Latino’ come from?” questions Yásnaya, with her long, straight black hair, wearing black-framed glasses with a small cat-ear-like detail at the top.

She explains that “Latino” is a label that originated in France in the 19th century, coined to distinguish between two types of colonization in this part of the continent: Anglo-Saxon America and Latin America.

“’Latina’ has to do with the fact that we were oppressed (…) it is a category produced by a colonialist process. Therefore, there are peoples who have not been fully Latinized,” she explains, referring to the different Indigenous populations across the territory, who continue to keep languages alive outside Spanish and their own roots.

“Latino” in Spanish—not to be confused with how it is used in the United States—is a category that has not only regained relevance but has also gained strength in response to racist actions, especially in that country, primarily against Spanish-speaking migrants or racially profiled Americans.

Yásnaya, translator too, also understands the nuance of “Latino” as a “weapon of resistance,” but she asks that it should not be used as a folklorizing essentialization of something that comes from a violent process such as colonization, and that it remains as an external label.

The category of “Latino” and that of “Indigenous”
Yásnaya says that when she travels to other regions, she is invariably categorized as Latina, regardless of the fact that she is ayuujk and—if anything—identifies as Indigenous.

“In Europe I was Mexican, in Mexico I am Oaxacan, in Oaxaca I am Mixe, in the sierra I am usually from Ayutla. At some point I am Indigenous, but that was something I was told or intuited through contrast before the name even arrived. During an extraterrestrial attack, I will surely be an Earthling, and I will be so with passion,” she wrote in her first book “Ää: manifiestos sobre la diversidad lingüística” (Almadía, 2023).

She has frequently pointed out in her research and columns that patriarchal, colonial, and capitalist systems seek to turn “the other” as a mechanism into a homogeneous, monolithic entity in order to oppress them.

Just as with the category “Latina,” the same happens in Mexico when the category “Indigenous” is adopted as a whole, without mentioning the 68 Indigenous peoples who live in the country, including Afro-Mexicans, who represent at least 10% of the total population.
“Indigenous is a category created by a system of oppression; it is not an essence of our peoples. It is a political moment in our history. We were not always Indigenous,” Yásnaya said. “In the end, in the future, hopefully we can be Mixe without being Indigenous. Because that has already happened. That would mean there is no longer oppression,” the writer proposes.

She explained during her keynote lecture at the literary conference that in Mexico there are 11 Indo-American language families within the 68 groupings of languages, and these in turn belong to 365 distinct linguistic systems, according to the National Catalog of Indigenous Languages. “What generalization can be made about such diversity? None. What exists is a diversity of traditions and poetic mechanisms,” she added.

Now everyone wants to be Latino?
“Now everyone wants to be Latino, but they lack flavor,” sang the world’s most famous musician, Bad Bunny, in his song “El Apagón” during the halftime show of the 2026 Super Bowl.

The surge in pride around the “Latino” category was especially visible during this event in the United States, but it was also observed across much of the world. The Puerto Rican singer went on a global tour in 2025, although he skipped performing in the US out of concern that anti-immigrant raids could be organized at his concerts. The Super Bowl was the only performance he gave there, and the performance was loaded with symbolism, alluding to an independent Puerto Rico and America as a continent and not merely as the “country.”

However, Yásnaya questioned the emotional weight and sense of pride attached to the label “latino” in the days following the event: “That America that continues to resist the effects of colonization is not even America; it is Abya Yala,” she wrote a few days after the Super Bowl in her El País column titled “¿América Latina o América latinizada?. Xëëmo’oy”

There is still resistance to European colonization from the territory, just as there is today from communities resisting other processes driven by contemporary imperialism.

Spanish, its defense, and shifting contexts
In a context where speaking Spanish can be a risk in a country like the United States, or where it was fiercely defended once it was announced that Bad Bunny would headline the Super Bowl halftime show, Yásnaya explains that it is not a hegemonic language.
“I had always seen Spanish as an enemy because it is erasing my language, right? The first time I went to Los Angeles and spoke with migrant communities, I realized that their experiences were the same as mine in school and with discrimination. So Spanish is not always hegemonic; in reality, we cannot see it only as English versus Spanish and Spanish versus Indigenous languages. There are many layers of complexity,” she said.

During the interview, she also mentioned that as a linguist, she is aware that due to structural asymmetry, she cannot have something as basic as a Mixe dictionary. “Something that is so basic for another language,” she says, “you can go to a bookstore and buy books in Spanish and buy a dictionary where the words are in Spanish and the definitions are also in Spanish. I cannot have a dictionary in Mixe where the definitions are in Mixe. At best, they are bilingual.”
However, she does not see it as far off that a Mixe dictionary with definitions in Mixe could exist.

Defending diversity and multidiversity
“In short, I would not have learned about myself, about what I speak of, through the lens, the eyes, the language of others,” she also wrote in her 2023 book.

Yásnaya has been an activist for linguistic rights, Indigenous autonomy, and the revitalization of indigenous languages, while also consistently advocating against climate change and for the defense of land and resources.

She also writes about celebrating otherness and plurality, as she believes that at this moment in history there are too many “ideological political monocultures” threatening the world, as she warned during the conference.

“Let us remember that monolingual utopias, or futures designed in a monolingual way, are characteristic of the far right.”

Estefanía Camacho is a freelance Mexican journalist working across media and digital magazines. She is a specialist in gender, SMEs, economics, and business.

Huatulco, San Miguel de Allende

Editor’s Letter

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By Jane Bauer—

“Peace cannot exist without justice, justice cannot exist without fairness, fairness cannot exist without development, development cannot exist without democracy, democracy cannot exist without respect for the identity and worth of cultures and peoples.”
–Rigoberta Menchú Tum (Guatemalan
Indigenous Rights Activist, 1990 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education, 1992 Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Mexico is often misunderstood. For many outsiders, the country exists as a kind of postcard: bright colors, mariachis on every corner, sombreros, tequila, and fiesta. The image has become so exaggerated that it borders on parody. Mexico is reduced to a handful of clichés that flatten the depth and diversity of the country. The reality is much more layered.

One of the things that has struck me most during my years living here is how strongly people identify simply as Mexican. In Canada or the United States, identity is often expressed through hyphenated heritage; Italian-American, Chinese-Canadian, Irish-American. Cultural roots remain visible and frequently celebrated.

In Mexico, those histories are often quieter, woven into the fabric of everyday life rather than worn on the surface. The result is a national identity that feels cohesive, but it can also obscure just how many different cultures have helped shape the country.

Like many countries, Mexico wrestles with questions of identity, belonging, and prejudice. Conversations around gentrification, migration, and “foreigners” have become increasingly heated in recent years. At the same time, Mexico itself has been shaped by centuries of migration.

Indigenous civilizations laid the foundations of this culture long before the arrival of Europeans. Spanish colonization profoundly altered the landscape. Later came immigrants from France, Lebanon, Germany, China, and beyond. Each group left its mark—sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically. We see these influences in architecture, food, language, music, fashion, and even urban planning.

This month, The Eye explores one of those threads: the French connection. From pastry techniques that transformed Mexican bakeries to artistic exchange, architecture, and politics, the relationship runs deeper than many people realize. Recognizing these influences does not diminish Mexico’s Indigenous heritage. One of the country’s greatest strengths is that Indigenous traditions are visible in daily life in ways that are rare in the rest of North America.

But culture is never static. It evolves, absorbs, adapts, and reinvents itself. Mexican culture, as we know it today, is the result of centuries of exchange layered together into something entirely its own. That complexity is not a weakness. It is one of Mexico’s greatest strengths.

Thanks for reading and see you next month!

 

Huatulco, San Miguel de Allende

A Banner Year for the Novel and Its Master Storytellers

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Since the theme of The Eye this month is healthcare, herein lies a literary path for positive mental health! This is turning out to be a banner year for lovers of the novel. Many of us thought 2025 was a bit bereft of books by creative minds that produce beautiful stories. Now it appears they were being saved for 2026.

Fire up your Kindles and be sure your library card is up to date! Here is a handful of bright gems hailing from around the globe. There will be more to follow in upcoming months, with June appearing to be the biggest month for publication.

Land by Maggie O’Farrell
For me, this is the most exciting selection of the year. If this is your first foray into O’Farrell’s novels, you have many satisfying hours ahead. I’ve been hooked on her books for the past 20 years, ever since I first read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox in 2006.

O’Farrell may be best known for her recent best-selling novel Hamnet, which has been made into a blockbuster movie and nominated for several Academy Awards. O’Farrell was also one of the screenwriters.

Regardless of the film’s success, I found the book much more emotionally satisfying (as happens most of the time for me). Two hours in the theater simply can’t compare to the hours spent in the silent contemplation of the reading process.

Land, due out in June, takes place in Ireland before and after the dreaded 1842-1852 Great Famine, also known as the Irish Potato Famine. It is a story of survival in a land of a million deaths. Another million fled the country. Publication June 2, 2026.

Contrapposto by Dave Eggers
It’s been a while since we’ve had news of a new Dave Eggers novel. He rose to fame in the literary world with A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and has since repeatedly proved himself a formidable writer, with a substantial litany of the finest novels of our time including What Is the What, You Shall Know Our Velocity, and The Circle. Eggers has also been published in The New Yorker and Esquire magazines.

Eggers is so much more than a writer. He is also the founder of several literary and philanthropic ventures, including the literary journal Timothy McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, the literacy project 826 Valencia, and the human rights non-profit Voice of Witness. Additionally, he founded ScholarMatch, a program that connects donors with students needing funds for college tuition.

In this latest novel, about art and its world, we follow the two principal characters, Cricket and Olympia, for 65 years. Publisher Penguin describes it as “a wild and beautiful examination of the rules and market forces of the art world.” But it’s also about the power of friendship.

Eggers is a classically trained artist whose work has been exhibited throughout the world. This novel has been percolating in his mind for the past 20 years. Publication date: June 9. 2026.

John of John by Douglas Stuart
At the start of the Covid epidemic in 2020, Douglas Stuart’s debut novel Shuggie Bain seized our attention, as did his fairytale personal story.

Shuggie is a young boy in 1980s Glasgow, desperately trying to save his alcoholic mother while dealing with his own identity. The knowledge of the author’s personal struggle and ultimate success gave us joy and hope during difficult pandemic times.

In 2022 Stuart published his second novel, Young Mungo, that also received critical acclaim.

Now, Stuart’s third novel, John of John, promises more excellent craftsmanship in a gripping story of a young man returning home.

Award-winning author Colm Toibin raves about this newest from Stuart, saying “it has the emotional reach and empathy of his earlier books, but this book is special; it has an urgency, an immediacy, a brilliant sense of place, the drama of a fierce emotion repressed, hidden, and volcanically exposed.”

Ann Patchett, another venerated writer, also is enraptured: “Reading John of John is like moving to the Isle of Harris and settling into the family farm. The novel is so immersive, so all-encompassing, that I felt as if I were living in it. Douglas Stuart has written something brilliant and exceptional.”

I needn’t read further previews to know that I’ll be the first in line on publication day May 15, 2026.

The News from Dublin by Colm Toibin
Speaking of Colm Toibin, he graces us with a new series of short stories this year. These 11 selections take you across continents and eras. The Miami Herald calls Toibin an “achingly beautiful writer…with infinite compassion.”

If you’re among the many readers familiar with Brooklyn and its sequel Long Island, you may enjoy a change of pace in Toibin’s non-fiction. Travelers and European history fans may enjoy Homage to Barcelona, a book that celebrates one of the great cities of the world, from the vibrant architecture and expansion to the lives of Gaudi, Miró, Picasso, Casals, and Dalí.
Many of you may, like me, be interested in the separation of Catalan, as well a glimpse into Franco and the Civil War.

Toibin’s selection of both fiction and nonfiction will complete your library.

Now I Surrender by Alvaro Enrigue
The luminous re-creator of Montezuma and the Spanish Conquest in his novel You Dreamed of Empires took both sides of US/Mexican border by surprise. It was lauded by the most prestigious reviewers. The Washington Post called it “An alternate history of Mexican conquest, with a Tarantino-ready twist.”

Riding on this success, Enrigue takes on the American/Mexican Wild West in Now I Surrender. It’s an expansive novel of past and present using myth and history to tell the story through imagined characters such as Geronimo and the Apaches.

Publication date: March 3, available in Spanish and English.

Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead
Fans, including yours truly, of Whitehead’s Harlem Shuffle and Crook Manifesto are enthusiastically awaiting this third and final novel of the trilogy.

Returning are furniture dealer Ray Carney and his old friend and partner in crime, Pepper, who is a bit of a sociopath. It has now been 20 years since the death of Ray’s cousin Freddie. Ray is feeling a responsibility for Freddie’s son and needs to weigh the risks of rescuing him from the violent forces of the city versus maintaining the safety and security of his own family.

Most readers are familiar with Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize (for fiction) winning The Underground Railroad. The novel also won the National Book Award. Many readers feel this trilogy deserves equal praise.

Whistler by Ann Patchett
“It’s Friday and if you haven’t read this it’s new to you,” says Ann Patchett, introducing her Friday chats on Facebook. Every week she offers several minutes out of her busy literary schedule to discuss the books she’s reading.

You may know Patchett as the owner of the famous Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee, with a branch at the Nashville Airport. In addition, she keeps an online magazine. At a site called Musing, you’ll find Ann Patchett’s blog, staff-picked reading lists, exclusive author interviews, shop dog diaries, and more. No matter where you live you can subscribe.

We know Patchett as a reliable storyteller. She has written extraordinary novels loved by a wide range of readers. My personal favorite is Bel Canto, and I’m not alone in my assessment: the New York Times Book Review named it one of the most important books of the 21st century. It also won the PEN/Faulkner Prize and the Orange Prize. “The Shining Path meets the opera star” could be the subtitle.

Now to her new book, Whistler. It concerns a subject we all ponder from time to time: the decisions we’ve made and the ones that have been made for us. Two main characters reunite to formulate and develop the plot and philosophical rendering. Pre-publication reviews are raves. Due out on June 2, 2026.

With so many wondrous novels arriving this year, we dedicate this and future columns to keeping you in the loop.

 

 

San Miguel de Allende

SMA Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival: Holding the Megaphone

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By Estefanía Camacho

The writer Margaret Atwood (1939), widely recognized for her work in speculative fiction and for her dystopian novel turned into a film and television series, The Handmaid’s Tale, said she has never quite understood why Elon Musk, the owner of SpaceX, is making so much money. “You’re not ever going to live on Mars. I’m here to tell you,” the Canadian author said, prompting laughter during the closing keynote of the 21st San Miguel Writers’ Conference & Literary Festival.

Approximately 1,750 people attended the event, about 250 more than in 2025, enjoying four days of stimulating talks alongside morning yoga and writing sessions. From February 11 to 15, participants learned how to write memoir, poetry, short stories, crime fiction, and how to give voice to characters, guided by internationally renowned speakers such as Jennifer Clement, Elizabeth Santiago, Susan Brown, and Sandra Cisneros, the multi-award-winning recipient of the PEN America Literary Award. Sessions were held in tents spread across the grounds of the Hotel Real de Minas, a six-minute walk from the warm, radiant historic center of San Miguel de Allende.

Maira Kalman, Sandra Cisneros, and Yásnaya Aguilar
The acclaimed keynote lectures were among the most anticipated moments of the afternoon, with the conference opening on Wednesday, February 11, led by Abraham Verghese. At certain times, other roundtable discussions opened space for dialogue on a range of topics, with artificial intelligence emerging as a particularly popular theme.

On the second day, Maira Kalman (1949) spoke about her book Women Holding Things (2022). She explained how the project began during the pandemic. “What do women hold? The home and the family and the children and the food, the friendships, the work, the work of the world and the work of being human, the memories and the troubles and the sorrows and the triumphs and the love. Men do as well, but…” she recited emotionally. Kalman reflected on care, beauty, and the quiet persistence of daily work, arguing that in moments of collective anxiety, the most radical acts may simply be to keep working, notice beauty, and help those who need it.

Later that afternoon, Sandra Cisneros and Yásnaya Aguilar Gil, the Mixe writer from Oaxaca, led a close conversation in Spanish with a small group of attendees. Cisneros confessed how she thought she’d speak more with Mexicans since the first time she attended the festival, but realized it was mainly for English language speakers. “So we want these programs to include the Mexican community, to decolonize it, but we have to figure out a way for them to be free, truly free for the Mexican public,” she said, although this year some workshops were held in Spanish and offered to teenagers as well.

Yásnaya reflected on the panel’s theme of activism and literature, emphasizing that activism does not always look like constant resistance. Sometimes, she said, it looks like resting –and that does not mean abandoning the struggle. “When my community appointed me as a spokesperson in defense of water, I had my grandmother and many others who would have coffee and food waiting for me when I returned from assemblies. There is no such thing as heroic individual activism. It is sustained by the work of many.”

Cisneros also addressed the fact that right-wing religious groups have called for her book The House on Mango Street –now 42 years since its publication– to be removed from school programs. “They haven’t targeted my book specifically. It’s not that they chose only me,” she said, switching seamlessly between English and Spanish. “So I don’t take it personally. And I’m sure they haven’t read my book. The good thing is, they give me great publicity.”

Rebecca Kuang: A Call to Let Go of Nostalgia
As the afternoon progressed, excitement built for another highly anticipated keynote. The room erupted into thunderous applause as New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Kuang (1996), better known as R.F. Kuang took the stage. Young, with a soft, slightly high-pitched voice, she delivered a message in a tone so gentle it felt hypnotic.

Speaking about her novel Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution which draws parallels between a fantastic world and the reality of pursuing an academic degree. Kuang argued that one must break the illusion.

She went on to discuss the three myths that we cling to about the university: first, that academia is a pathway to upward socioeconomic mobility; second, that it is meritocratic; and third, that it is a site of free speech and political resistance. “I’ll argue all of these myths are false. They don’t describe any American university that exists. Indeed, they don’t even describe any university that existed in the past. We’re defending a nostalgic vision of that which never was.”

The audience listened, stunned, but engaged. With no guarantee that a college degree will lead to a well-paying job, she added, “These kids do not have the leisure to read Homer because they need that perfect transcript.” suggested Kuang and asked to extend more empathy toward students navigating precarity, including those who turn to AI out of desperation rather than laziness. The line earned vigorous applause.

Kuang did not leave the audience without answers. She proposed honoring forms of knowledge-sharing outside formal degree programs, just as much as we honor twelve sleepy undergrads. She praised adult learners as some of the best students and explained that she also offers a creative writing workshop for her community much like the one she teaches at Yale, with the costs partially contributing to a fund for children in Palestine. The audience rose in a standing ovation.

Day 3: Oral Tradition and the Written Word
The following day, Yásnaya Aguilar opened her lecture first in Mixe and then in Spanish, with interpretation provided for some attendees. She explained that literature is only one of the many possibilities encompassed by the poetic function of language. For her, it is not a problem that Mixe oral narratives are not validated as “literature,” since that label applies specifically to works produced within the Western tradition. “Mixe oral tradition narratives are not literature, and that’s not a bad thing. They are, however, a clear example of how the poetic function is exercised in this language.”
She emphasized that a community’s tradition of memory is collective, likening it to jazz. “While there is a shared structure, each performer of the memory tradition will execute it differently.”

That same afternoon, the lecture by Argentine writer Andrés Neuman (1977) felt like a direct dialogue with Yásnaya’s talk. With hints of stand-up comedy despite the seriousness of his ideas, Neuman demonstrated that the universal language of laughter requires no translation. He recalled how his grandmother kept to herself the fact that she used to be a translator from Yiddish into Spanish. Then he also spoke tenderly about documenting his child’s first words and early sentences. “We don’t remember, astonishingly, learning how to speak. And I suspect literature exists because of that gap. Poetry, in particular, exists as an attempt to remember that once we didn’t know how to speak, and we tried.”

Neuman also described his fascination with the life of María Moliner, the avant-garde librarian who single-handedly produced the most comprehensive dictionary of Spanish, which inspired his novel Until It Begins to Shine (2025).

That evening, three teenage writers were recognized among 70 students from Guanajuato who had attended workshops to write short stories. The moment deeply moved Neuman, who sees this kind of care as central to his idea of literature: caring for thought, and thinking about care. “That’s what festivals like this do,” he said.

Day 5: Margaret Atwood, Memory, and Times of Turmoil
The festival closed with Margaret Atwood, who reflected on memory, protest, and political instability following the publication of her 2025 memoir, Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts. In a conversational keynote, Atwood revisited moments, repeating an interesting advice she provides in her book to “hang on to the megaphone” recounting how she once went for a walk with a friend then joined an anti–Vietnam War march. “We marched to the Boston Common, where the American Nazi Party took away our megaphone… So hang on to the megaphone. Don’t let them Nazis take it away from you.”

She also recalled a public event in Montreal where, during a Q&A session, someone asked whether The Handmaid’s Tale was autobiographical. “And I said, ‘No, it isn’t.’ And he said, ‘Yes it is.’ And I said, ‘No, it isn’t, it’s set in the future.’ And he said, ‘That’s no excuse.’ In a way, he was right, because anything you write goes through your head. Of course, the experiences you’ve had, the people you’ve met, the places you’ve lived: all of that comes in handy one way or another.”

Finally, and after questioning Musk’s wealth, despite acknowledging a time of turmoil and change that is not entirely under our control yet deeply affects us, Atwood expressed hope. She argued that while this may not be the worst moment in history, it does make us more aware of what we once took for granted, including a supposed Pax Americana, that seems to be crumbling. “We have to make it clear that this is not a problem of peoples; it’s a problem with an administration,” she said, touching her pacemaker to tell the audience to “Keep your nerve, and keep good relations wherever you can.”

Estefanía Camacho is a freelance Mexican journalist working across media and digital magazines. She is a specialist in gender, SMEs, economics, and business.

http://www.sanmiguelwritersconference.org

 

Huatulco, San Miguel de Allende

Could Simply Moving to Mexico Be Considered “Health Care”?

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By Kary Vannice—

Every year, people pack up their lives and move somewhere else in search of something …undefinable. It’s not about the weather or the money, and despite what friends back home may think, it is not even about running away from responsibility. For most, it’s simply about wanting life to feel different…better.

And modern research backs this up. There’s even a term for it: lifestyle migration.

Sociologist Michaela Benson describes it as the movement of people who are not forced to relocate for work or safety, but who are “searching for a better way of life.” And that phrase comes up again and again in studies of first-world citizens who move to places like Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand and many other developing countries.

But does changing countries actually change anything internally? According to research, it certainly changes things energetically.

Psychologists Judith Rodin and Ellen Langer have spent decades researching what they call “perceived control.” Their studies show that people who feel they have more influence over their daily lives experience less stress, better health, and even live longer. Their work suggests it’s not simply what happens to us that matters, it’s whether we feel we are in control or being controlled.

The Journal of Happiness Studies found that agency, a sense of directing one’s own life, is consistently linked to higher life satisfaction across almost every country studied. In other words, feeling in charge of your day-to-day life matters, a lot.

When someone relocates, the move itself doesn’t magically solve all their problems, but it does force them to redesign their way of life. They’re now living in an environment with different bureaucracies, different expectations, different cultural rhythms, and different definitions of success. As a foreigner, they experience the unique freedom of not having grown up inside the existing structure, so they no longer feel bound to it.

Researchers looking at stress physiology use another term, “allostatic load,” defined as the cumulative physical, mental, and emotional “wear and tear” from chronic, repeated, or prolonged stress exposure. Neuroscientist Bruce McEwen, writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed how long-term stress responses become embedded in the body, affecting cardiovascular, metabolic, and emotional health. leading to long-term health problems as one ages.

These stress responses are not just triggered by traumatic events. Most come from constant low-level demands, time pressure, competition, and unpredictability in the surrounding environment.

Another study published in Psychological Science showed that people report greater well-being when their personal values align with the norms of the society they live in. Not feeling aligned with the current political climate, for example, can cause a persistent sense of friction and emotional discord.

Relocation can reduce that friction. Not because the new location is necessarily better, but because it aligns more with one’s personal values and lifestyle choices.

In her study Lifestyle Migration and the Quest for a Better Way of Life, researcher Karen O’Reilly documented how participants talked about wanting “time,” “space,” and “control over everyday living” rather than material gain. This is what prompted many of them to move from their country of origin. They described their decision to relocate less as an escape and more as a recalibration.

Of course, living abroad also poses challenges such as language, bureaucracy, and adapting to new cultural norms. But these types of challenges also carry unexpected health benefits. Manageable stress, the kind that comes from learning, problem-solving, and navigating new situations, can build resilience and cognitive flexibility. Unlike the draining stress of constant pressure, these kinds of challenges engage the brain, encourage social connection, and create a sense of accomplishment. Figuring out how to open a bank account in another language or navigate a new governmental system may be frustrating in the moment, but it also fosters confidence, adaptability, and a sense of autonomy in daily life.

If you strip away the romantic ideals of living abroad, you start to see that changing countries often changes how we feel about ourselves and our lives. For many, it fosters a more calm, centered, and grounded sense of self and personal agency. Both of which have long-term positive health benefits and can contribute to living longer.

So, could relocating be one of the best things you do for your mental and emotional health?

Not so much because of the new country itself, but because you stepped outside of the patterns and systems that once defined you. In this case, well-being has less to do with where you land and more to do with what you leave behind. A new environment invites an opportunity to live in a new way, and for many, life no longer feels like something that happens to them by default, but more like something they are creating with intention.

Kary Vannice is a writer and energetic healer who explores the intersections of culture, consciousness, and daily life in Mexico.

San Miguel de Allende

Healthy and delicious dining in San Miguel

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By Michael Solof

San Miguel de Allende isn’t just about the colorful buildings and lively streets—it’s turning into a solid spot for healthy eating too. More folks are paying attention to what they eat, and the restaurants here have stepped up with fresh ingredients and menus that work for different diets. Whether you’re vegan, avoiding gluten, or just want something lighter, there are excellent choices available around town.

Spots range from laid-back to a bit more polished, so you might find yourself eating in a quiet garden, on a sunny patio, or at a shared table where the vibe feels easy and welcoming. Here are a few standouts for healthy dining in San Miguel de Allende. Each one has its own style but sticks to quality ingredients so the food not only tastes good but is also good for you. Locals and visitors alike keep coming back to these places time and time again for a reason.

RUSTICA – Salida a Celaya 34
Everyday 8am – 5pm

Rustica is one of those places that gets healthy eating right. I went for the breakfast bowl and lentil soup last time, and both were full of flavor without any heavy seasoning. They let the ingredients do the talking, which is nice. The green juice was fresh and gave me a good boost to start the day.

The space feels calm from the second you walk in—like a quiet garden with all sorts of beautiful plants around. The front patio is fine even if you’re near the street, but the back one is especially nice when the weather cooperates. It’s peaceful without being too isolated. The staff is friendly and on top of things. They make you feel at home right away and are great at keeping everything running smooth and relaxed.

They have plenty of plant-based and gluten-free dishes, and you see people ordering breakfast tacos or smoothies that look just as fresh. The menu covers a lot, from breakfast sandwiches to mole eggs, and prices stay reasonable for the quality. It’s easy to understand why this spot stays busy. If you’re after a healthy breakfast or lunch in a chill setting, Rustica is a reliable pick. It’s definitely one of my favorite places to take visitors.

NÉCTAR – Correo 43
Wednesday-Sunday 8:30-4:30pm

Nectar has become a popular hot spot for people looking for healthy meals. The place mixes a cozy indoor area with loads of beautiful artwork, with a nice outdoor patio, so it feels inviting no matter where you sit. The menu works for vegetarians, vegans, and anyone gluten-free. I liked the roasted vegetable omelette—it came with delicious potatoes on the side—and the mini tamales were a fun, satisfying option. They do creative things like Earl Grey-infused black beans or chilaquiles with sesame, keeping things lighter but still tasty. Desserts like chocolate cake are worth saving room for, and portions are generous.

The helpful staff will suggest dishes if you need ideas. They‘ve never made a bad suggestion in all the times I’ve visited. While you wait, you can check out the gift shop with home decor and glass hummingbird feeders. It adds a little extra to the visit.

Nectar is about the whole experience: solid food, a relaxed spot, and friendly people. It’s great for breakfast or lunch, and it quickly becomes one of those places you’ll want to revisit again and again.

OJO DE AGUA – The Corner of Correo and Portal de Guadalupe, near the Jardin – hours vary, check locally.

Ojo de Agua sits close to the Parroquia and Jardin, making it an easy stop when you’re out walking. The inner courtyard is a peaceful break from the bustle, with plants, swinging hammocks and nature sounds all around.

The menu focuses on fresh, simple dishes. I had chilaquiles and avocado toast, both made with really good ingredients that let the flavors stand out. Friends tried the matcha tea cakes with ricotta, and tuna tacos—everything came out perfectly. They have lots of vegan-friendly and lighter options, plus made-to-order juices and smoothies. It’s one of the best juice places in SMA!

The quesadillas are another solid choice, showing how they turn basic ingredients into something filling. The garden seating, including swings, gives it a fun, relaxed feel. It’s a good place to settle in for breakfast or lunch without being rushed. It’s worth stopping by if you’re nearby and want something wholesome.

DON TACO TEQUILA – Calle Dr Ignacio Hernandez Macias 83 Everyday 2pm -10 pm

Don Taco Tequila does fully vegan Mexican food in a way that works even if you’re not usually vegan. The dishes feel hearty and creative. Some favorites are the corn ribs, tequila nachos, and tacos like chicharrito (vegan chicharrón style), mayahuel in lettuce wraps, baja, and spicy chorizo. Vegan staples are in plentiful supply there and they use lots of vegetables, grains, legumes, mushrooms, and avocado, so the meals are nutritious without a single animal product in sight. The mushroom quesadilla has a nice texture that feels close to meat but stays plant-based. There’s also a spinach and quinoa salad with roasted tomatoes and agave-sesame dressing, or quesabirria for that classic flavor.

They also serve a tasty selection of all sorts of drinks including ginger lemonade, Jamaica options, and cocktails like the Jamaica mezcal margarita. Many folks go there just for the drinks; they are that good!

I talked with Hernando, the owner, during my visit. He’s been vegetarian his whole life, even though he grew up in northern Mexico where carne asada was everywhere. He opened Don Taco Tequila in 2012 believing tacos could be a base for more refined Mexican flavors. The restaurant slowly evolved into being fully vegan, and he’s proud of helping people try cruelty-free food without feeling like they’re missing out.

He feels the main challenge he faces is the word “vegan” which sometimes turns people off, but changing people’s minds and seeing his customers enjoy his food, year after year is the best part of his job. Dishes like the Bigotes taco and Mushroom Mixote show how simple ingredients can make a complete, flavorful meal. Hernando says the real draw is the atmosphere there, and everyone from staff to customers adds to the positive energy that pervades the place. Food, he says, brings people together and he loves providing that chance.

As you check out these healthy spots in San Miguel de Allende, it’s clear you don’t have to give up great taste to eat well. And all these restaurants use fresh ingredients and create welcoming spaces where you can relax and enjoy. It makes every meal feel like a small but wonderful discovery. So, whether you’re after a big meal or just something super refreshing like a delicious salad, soup, fresh juice, or smoothie. There’s something available for every type of tasty and dietary desire.

Healthy eating in SMA can be both easy to find and incredibly enjoyable. Ya just gotta get off the couch!

Michael Solof leads SMA Adventure Hound, a group which takes locals and newcomers to brunches and dinners at different restaurants every week and he also offers classes in the art of smartphone photography. You can contact him at WhatsApp +1-443-310-9214 for more info and to reserve.

Huatulco, San Miguel de Allende

Medical School in Mexico: An Option for US and Canadian Students?

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By Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken—

Several decades ago, we met American students attending the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara (UAG) School of Medicine waiting in line at La Chata – an ever-popular restaurant in the city center worth the wait. We chatted as the line inched forward and agreed to be seated together when we reached the front. We were surprised that the students were conversant in Spanish but definitely not fluent and wondered how they were able to understand their med school lectures. They explained that the UAG program was developed primarily for US students, with many courses in English and coordinated with hospitals in the US for clinical rotations. We assumed their decision to attend UAG was motivated by the beauty and rich cultural opportunities in Guadalajara.

Years later, we had closely watched our oldest granddaughter, youngest niece, and cousins’ kids negotiate the lengthy process of applying to US undergraduate schools that have high acceptance rates for med schools, then applying to outstanding med schools, and then seeking a “match” for residency in a specialized field. We frankly wondered if UAG and similar med schools in Mexico would have provided an easier option for aspiring MDs who wanted to practice eventually north of the border.

Medical school acceptance rates in Canada are extremely competitive. There are 18 accredited medical schools in the country – of which 7 are in Ontario. The overall acceptance rate is under 15%. The acceptance rate is even lower for applicants who live out of province – about 5%

While there are about 160 accredited med schools in the US that grant MD degrees, competition is still fierce. Fewer than 50% of applicants are accepted each year: the med school that our granddaughter attended accepts under 3% of applicants each year. At her white-coat ceremony at the beginning of her first year, the dean of students pointed out that all the newly inducted students and many other applicants met the basic criteria for acceptance: very high undergraduate grades, very high Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores, and extracurricular activities involving medical proficiency. But the reason they were selected was because all of them demonstrated a very high level of compassion for others.

Mexico, with 151 med schools, has slightly fewer than the US. The acceptance rates vary significantly between the public medical schools and the private ones in Mexico. The highly prestigious public Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) accepts fewer than 2% of medical school applicants. Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL), which some say is second to UNAM in prestige, is less competitive but still rejects close to 90% of applicants. Some of the top-tier private medical schools with classes in English, such as the Universidad de Monterrey, are equally as competitive. Whereas the private UAG accepts about 43% of applicants, other private universities have developed more inclusive programs leading to medical degrees that are frankly aimed at attracting English-speaking students from north of the border. Anahuac University has such a program in Cancun which accepts about 60% of applicants. Xochicalco School of Medicine has campuses near the US border and accepts over 80% of applicants.

In general, students north of the border who have not been accepted at a medical school of their choice in their home country do have opportunities to study in a medical program in Mexico. But realistically they are highly unlikely to be accepted in one of the most prestigious medical schools in Mexico. Their best chance appears to be one of the programs that have been established to educate students from the US and Canada.

Another barrier to medical education north of the border is cost. In the US by 2024, four years of tuition, fees, and living expenses generally cost between $250,000 and $400,000. Tuition each year alone in US medical schools two years ago cost between $42,000 and $67,000, depending on whether the school was public or private and the region of the country. Tuition in Canada is generally significantly lower for Canadian residents, ranging from $4000 to over $25,000 – but the annual fee for foreign students can reach between $90,000 and $100,000 (Canadian dollars). Tuition in the prestigious public medical schools in Mexico are essentially symbolic and remarkably low for Mexican citizens, for example at UNAM under $30 (US dollars) per year. But foreign students attending the programs in Mexico developed to serve English speakers can expect to pay fees comparable to US medical school tuition – about $36,000 for the first years of in-class basic sciences teaching to $59,000 a year for clinical years spent in Mexico and over $80,000 a year for clinical years with rotations in the US.

Although cost of living in Mexico is reputedly much lower than in the US and Canada, as recent US and Canadian temporary residents can testify, the days when gringos could live high-on-the-hog in Mexico are over. To maintain a standard of living that even the most impoverished American or Canadian med student would expect is no longer inexpensive in Mexico.

Another consideration in choosing a medical school is the probability of matching with a residency program after graduation. For those in their last year of med school “Match Day” may be ranked as high on the anxiety scale as a wedding day. In fact, in the case of our granddaughter, Match Day engendered even more excitement. Imagine, the hundreds of soon-to-be MDs all waiting to be informed at precisely the same second whether they were chosen to be a resident in the field of their choice at a highly desirable teaching hospital, a hospital that was not exactly high on their list – or even any hospital at all.

Before choosing one of the programs in Mexico for a medical education, prospective students must realize that earning an MD degree does not escape the rest of the arduous process of becoming a licensed physician in the US or Canada. Admission to a US or Canadian residency program is not guaranteed and may not even be possible depending on the med school and the particular program of studies undertaken in Mexico. For Canadian graduates of Canadian medical schools, post-MD residency is almost guaranteed – over 95% of applicants “match” within their preferred field. And for graduates of US medical schools, the match rate for US residency programs has been only slightly lower. However, the match rate for residency in the US for students who completed MD degrees out of the country (including in Mexico) is much lower – in 2024 according to the American Medical Association – 67%. And although first-time residency applicants from foreign med schools matched in Canada at a respectable 87%, those who didn’t match during the first application were unlikely to be more successful in subsequent applications, with rates dropping to under 30%.

Finally, to be licensed to practice in the US or Canada, MDs trained in other countries must take a sequence of rigorous exams that require intense study. Most medical school students take some of these exams as they complete their in-class studies and are at the top of their game. And based on our observations of young relatives going through this exam process – one really needs to be passionately committed to practicing medicine north of the border to have the stamina and knowledge to pass.

As much as we love Mexico, we advise young students who have applied to med school in the US or Canada and were not accepted, think twice. Take a year or two and work in a related field. Find out if you really have a passion for medicine, and if you do, choose one of the programs in Mexico that is authorized to make sure their graduates match for residency in the specialty you want in the US or Canada.

San Miguel de Allende

A Gallery of Her Own

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Galería San Francisco, and a Creative Community Built Around Women Artists

By Susan Santiago—

I opened Galería San Francisco in January 2016, fulfilling a long-held dream of creating a space devoted not only to exhibiting art but to nurturing creativity and community. My first location was in a historic building on Calle San Francisco—charming and full of character. However, as the gallery grew over the next four years, its limitations became increasingly clear. City regulations prohibited exterior signage, which made visibility difficult, and being on the second floor meant many potential visitors simply could not find us. For older adults especially, the stairs were a significant obstacle.

Recognizing that accessibility would be essential to the gallery’s future, I began searching for a more suitable space. When I visited Fábrica La Aurora, I immediately felt it was where we belonged. I was fortunate to secure a lease on two rooms with a patio, and the owner was specifically seeking tenants who offered public classes—perfectly aligned with my vision for Galería San Francisco.

Over the following year, the owner generously approved the conversion of a two-car garage adjacent to the gallery into a classroom. This expansion allowed us to broaden our programming and eventually relocate entirely from Calle San Francisco to Fábrica La Aurora. Today, the gallery functions as both an exhibition space and a creative hub. We offer year-round classes in watercolor, sketching, mixed media, collage, and acrylics, taught by accomplished working artists with many years of teaching experience. Beginners and advanced students alike are welcome, and the atmosphere is intentionally warm and supportive. The mix of local residents, expatriates, and international visitors creates a lively environment where people connect through art and often form lasting friendships.

Over time, Galería San Francisco has become known as a place where art is not only displayed but experienced. Visitors can observe artists at work, participate in classes, or attend workshops and exhibitions throughout the year. We have received awards and glowing reviews on TripAdvisor, where we are frequently described as a “must-visit” destination in San Miguel. What means the most to me, however, is hearing from students who discover creativity they never knew they had, or from travelers who say their time at the gallery became one of the highlights of their visit.

My own journey in the art world has been deeply influenced by my late friend Bob Geno, who owned Orlando Gallery in the Los Angeles area for more than 50 years. Bob gave many artists their first opportunity—including me—and I will always be grateful for his belief in my work. Through his gallery, I met other artists, exchanged ideas, and experienced the camaraderie of a true creative community. He was an avid collector and a true lover of art, and he will always remain close to my heart.

As my retirement from teaching approached, I began to dream about opening my own gallery in San Miguel. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life around creative people who were open-minded and interested in ideas. Transitioning from being an art teacher to running a gallery was a true baptism of fire, but now that Galería San Francisco has been open for almost 11 years I have a lot more confidence in how to run a business, but I also know there is always something new to learn. My vision for the gallery was to showcase artists working in a variety of styles and recently I have committed to representing only the work of women artists. I also wanted to offer a variety of classes to the community and visitors to San Miguel. I believe having experienced educators and practicing artists teaching classes creates a more vibrant learning environment.

Focusing on women artists has become an especially meaningful part of the gallery’s identity. Throughout my years in the art world, I saw how often women’s work was overlooked or undervalued. By dedicating the gallery to their work, I hope to provide a platform where their voices and perspectives can be seen and appreciated. The artists we represent range from emerging talents to established professionals, working across many styles and mediums, yet united by originality and a strong personal vision. The sense of mutual support among them is one of the things that makes the gallery feel less like a business and more like a community.

Education remains at the heart of everything we do. Our classes are not only about technique but about encouraging confidence, curiosity, and personal expression. Many students return year after year, and some eventually go on to exhibit their own work, which is incredibly rewarding to witness.

Looking back, the evolution of Galería San Francisco has taught me the importance of adaptability, resilience, and community. What began as a dream in a hard-to-find upstairs space has grown into a thriving gallery and learning center that contributes to the cultural life of San Miguel. I feel deeply grateful to spend my days surrounded by art, by creative people, and by the knowledge that the gallery continues to inspire others to explore and express their own creativity.