Tag Archives: san miguel de allende

José Mojica: The Man Who Chose a Greater Stage

August 28, 2026 The Eye Mexico Leave a comment

By Roger D. Jones—

One of Hollywood’s biggest stars gave it all up to become a Franciscan friar—and spent his final years in San Miguel de Allende. José Mojica lived two extraordinary lives. First, he became one of Mexico’s most celebrated singers and one of Hollywood’s earliest Latin stars. Then, at the height of his international fame, he walked away from it all to become a Franciscan friar.

Born in San Gabriel, Jalisco, on September 14, 1895, Mojica rose from humble beginnings to captivate audiences throughout the Americas and Europe. His exceptional tenor voice attracted the attention of the legendary Enrico Caruso, who recognized his talent and encouraged the young singer’s career.

With the advent of talking pictures, Mojica’s handsome screen presence and powerful voice made him one of Hollywood’s first successful Latin actors. Alongside Dolores del Río, Ramón Novarro, and Lupe Vélez, he helped introduce Mexican talent to international audiences.

His recordings—including María Grever’s Júrame—became classics and secured his place among the most admired performers of his generation.

Chicago and International Fame
Before Hollywood embraced him, Mojica was a principal performer with the Chicago Opera, where he appeared before large audiences and earned international recognition. His recordings circulated widely, expanding his popularity throughout North and Latin America.

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A Home in San Miguel
In the 1930s, Mojica discovered the quiet colonial town of San Miguel de Allende. Captivated by its beauty, he purchased and restored the estate now known as Antigua Villa Santa Mónica, intending to create a peaceful home for his beloved mother.

Over time, the villa became a gathering place for artists, musicians, writers, diplomats, and filmmakers. Mojica helped introduce many artists and cultural figures to San Miguel, adding to the town’s growing reputation as a center for the arts.

Solamente Una Vez
Among Mojica’s close friends was composer Agustín Lara. When Lara learned that Mojica intended to leave the stage and enter religious life, he composed Solamente Una Vez, a song that would become one of the enduring classics of Latin American music.

A Different Calling
The death of Mojica’s mother marked a turning point in his life. Soon afterward, he left behind his successful career in opera, film, and recording to enter the Franciscan Order in Peru, where he became Fray José de Guadalupe Mojica.

For the rest of his life, he devoted himself to religious service, charitable work, and music. He later reflected on his remarkable journey in his bestselling autobiography, Yo pecador (I, a Sinner), offering readers a deeply personal account of his transformation from international celebrity to Franciscan friar.

The Children of Mexiquito
One chapter of Mojica’s life is especially meaningful here in San Miguel. He helped establish the orphanage in Mexiquito, just outside the city, where he worked with children and shared his love of music.

For my wife, Rosana, this history is deeply personal. As a young girl, she sang there under Fray José Mojica’s direction. That memory reminds us that history often survives not only in books and buildings, but in the lives of those who experienced it firsthand.

A Lasting Legacy
José Mojica achieved a level of fame few people ever experience. Yet he is remembered not only for his accomplishments on the opera stage and in Hollywood, but also for the life he chose afterward.

His legacy lives on in San Miguel de Allende through Villa Santa Mónica, the orphanage at Mexiquito, his recordings, and the memories of those whose lives he touched.

His remarkable journey reminds us that success can be measured in many ways. For José Mojica, the greatest legacy was found not in applause, but in a life devoted to service.

Continuing Fray José Mojica’s Legacy
More than 60 years after Fray José Mojica helped establish the children’s home in Mexiquito, the Santuario Hogar Guadalupano (Casa Hogar Mexiquito) continues its mission of providing a safe home, education, and support for vulnerable boys and young people in San Miguel de Allende. The organization describes its guiding principle as: “To love, protect, and offer a home to our beloved children.”

Community members and visitors can support the orphanage in several ways:

Make a financial donation, either online through PayPal, by bank transfer, or in person.

Donate needed supplies, including food, clothing, personal hygiene products, cleaning supplies, and school materials.

Volunteer by helping with homework, leading art or recreational activities, assisting with maintenance projects, or sharing professional skills. The home also welcomes university students completing community service.

For more information or to make a donation, visit:
http://www.shgmexiquito.org.mx

Roger D. Jones is a longtime resident of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and co-founder of Casa Angelitos Boutique Hotel and EcoParque La Joyita. A writer, designer, and advocate for regenerative living, he is passionate about creating places and experiences that celebrate beauty, nature, music, community, and the enduring spirit of Mexico. He also supports the regenerative agriculture and educational mission of Vía Orgánica. Learn more at http://www.casaangelitos.com
http://www.ecoparquelajoyita.com
and http://www.viaorganica.org

San Miguel de Allende

Hongosto

August 27, 2026 The Eye Mexico Leave a comment

By Jane Bauer—

7 Fascinating Facts About Mushrooms

In August, the rains transform the forests surrounding San Miguel de Allende into one of nature’s greatest spectacles. Seemingly overnight, mushrooms emerge from the forest floor, tree trunks, fallen logs, and even old pinecones. The season is so closely associated with the month that many affectionately call it Hongosto—a blend of hongo (mushroom) and agosto. For just a few weeks, wild fungi become one of the stars of the season, appearing in markets, restaurant menus, and forest trails before disappearing almost as quickly as they arrived.

1. Mushrooms aren’t plants.
They’re not animals either. Mushrooms belong to their own biological kingdom: Fungi, more closely related to animals than to plants.

2. Most of the mushroom is hidden.
The part we eat is simply the fruiting body. The real organism is an underground network of microscopic threads called mycelium, which can stretch for kilometres beneath the forest.

3. Every mushroom has a different job.
Some recycle dead trees, turning fallen wood back into soil. Others live in partnership with tree roots, helping forests absorb water and nutrients. A few even grow on insects or other fungi.

4. They can appear overnight.
After the right combination of rain, humidity, and temperature, mushrooms can grow from invisible to fully formed in just 24–48 hours.

5. They’re nutritional powerhouses.
Many edible mushrooms are rich in B vitamins, selenium, potassium, antioxidants, and fibre, while being naturally low in calories. Some varieties are also being studied for their potential immune-supporting and anti-inflammatory properties.

6. Mexico is one of the world’s great mushroom countries.
Scientists have documented thousands of fungal species in Mexico, with hundreds considered edible. New species are still being discovered.

7. Forests couldn’t survive without fungi.
Without mushrooms and other fungi breaking down dead plants and recycling nutrients, forests would eventually become buried under layers of undecomposed leaves and wood.

Wild mushrooms can be purchased at Simbiosis in Mercado Sano, San Miguel de Allende.
http://www.simbiosisboutique.com

San Miguel de Allende

How I Became the Empress of Cheese

August 26, 2026 The Eye Mexico Leave a comment

By Tonya Harmon—

When we arrived in San Miguel de Allende in June 2022, there was one thing I truly missed: good, locally made, European-style artisan cheese.

I resigned myself to buying imported cheeses at La Comer and City Market, supplemented by the occasional treasures I carried home from the United States, France, or Italy. At the time, I knew very little about Mexican cheese. I knew only that I did not particularly enjoy the commercial varieties I had encountered in grocery stores.
Cheese, however, had already been part of my life for decades. After leaving my software company in 2008, I began a journey to learn as much about it as I could. It was the natural continuation of a long love affair with cheese that had begun in France, a country where my family and I have spent a month or more nearly every year for decades.

I studied the science and technology of cheesemaking at the University of Guelph. Later, I travelled through Tuscany, learning to make cheese with shepherdesses across the region. I consumed countless books on the subject and eventually decided that our next great venture should be to buy a dairy in Ontario, Canada, and make cheese ourselves.

Then I visited the dairies that were for sale and spoke with the cheesemakers who operated them. It did not take long to realize that the supposedly Zen-like life of stirring curds and whey seven days a week was not for me. Still, I loved the subject. I continued studying cheese without knowing where that knowledge might lead—and, honestly, without caring very much. I simply loved learning everything I could about it.

An Unlikely Cheese Pilgrimage
The following May, I saw a flyer advertising a National Wine and Cheese Festival in Tequisquiapan. The information was remarkably vague. There were no clear dates, no reliable schedule, and little indication of precisely where or when the festival would take place. The admission price was not listed. Online, the information was even less helpful and appeared to have been left over from the previous year.

On a warm Saturday morning, my husband and I decided to take our chances. We drove approximately two hours, past the Querétaro airport, expecting to find a small local festival featuring the same Mexican cheeses I had already decided I was never going to appreciate.

I was wrong.
We arrived around eleven in the morning, parked, and began walking. Our route took us past a long indoor Mexican market packed with people and overflowing with baskets, dolls, brooms, hardware, fresh produce, and almost anything else one could imagine.

A few blocks later, we emerged into the picturesque central square, surrounded by an imposing parish church and lovely boutiques selling jewelry, pottery, clothing, and local crafts. Then we began noticing the cheese shops. They appeared one after another along the side streets, their windows and counters filled with cheeses in an extraordinary variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. Most were completely unfamiliar to me, but they were clearly not the standard commercial cheeses I had seen at La Comer.

My curiosity took over. I fell for the beautiful displays, photographed everything, and tried desperately to understand what the shopkeepers were telling me. My Spanish was limited, my knowledge of Mexican cheese was even more limited, and our phones could not find an internet connection.

This was not San Miguel. We were on our own. Eventually, after wandering around town, we located the festival grounds in a large park several blocks from the center. The entire park was surrounded by a high stone wall, and we could not find an open entrance. After walking almost all the way around it, we finally learned that the festival would not begin until one o’clock.

When the gates eventually opened, we paid the 300-peso admission charge and were each handed a wineglass for the tastings.
We could hear the festival before we entered. Loud music vibrated through the park, which was rapidly filling with stylish young Mexicans enjoying the live performances. Around its perimeter, vendors offered tastings and sold wine, beer, food—and, most importantly, cheese.

We spent the afternoon moving from booth to booth and buying as much cheese as we could carry back to the car. The producers were knowledgeable, professional, and extraordinarily generous. They offered tastings, pairings, and demonstrations, despite our very limited ability to understand their explanations. The greatest surprise was the cheese itself.

Much of it was made in recognizable European traditions: fresh chèvres, creamy Camembert- and Brie-style wheels, smooth aged cheeses reminiscent of Comté, and beautiful cheeses made from goat’s and sheep’s milk.

It was heaven. I bought hundreds of dollars’ worth—not out of restraint or reason, but from curiosity, desire, and the fear that I might never find any of it again in San Miguel. That fear was not entirely misplaced. To this day, I have not found many of those particular cheeses for sale here.

A Gold Mine Hiding in Plain Sight
During the week following the festival, I tried to contact the cheesemakers. I emailed them. I sent messages in Spanish through Facebook and WhatsApp. I explained that I loved their cheeses and wanted to find a way to buy them in San Miguel.

I did not receive a single response. So I began investigating on my own. I searched their websites, learned everything I could about the producers and their cheeses, and began researching the larger history of cheesemaking in Mexico. It felt as though I had discovered a gold mine hiding in plain sight: a remarkable artisan-cheese culture that many people in San Miguel did not seem to know existed.
Meanwhile, I still had a cooler filled with marvelous cheese. What was I going to do with all of it?

I posted on Facebook, inviting people to come taste the cheeses and hear what I had learned about Mexico’s fascinating history of European-style cheesemaking. Within hours, more than one hundred people had responded. And so my “cheese classes” began. I assumed I would teach one or two classes, satisfy everyone’s curiosity, and be finished with it. Instead, three years later, requests for new classes continue to arrive almost daily.

Perhaps that should not surprise me. Cheese combines fat, salt, aroma, texture, fermentation, history, memory, and pleasure in a way few other foods can. It brings people to the table before they have even decided to sit down.

Discovering Mexican Cheese
Since that first festival, I have learned an enormous amount about the cheeses made in Mexico. I have also developed a much deeper appreciation for traditional Mexican cheeses as well as their European-style counterparts.

I had initially dismissed Mexican cheese based on a handful of commercial products. What I discovered was an astonishingly varied world of small dairies, family farms, dedicated cheesemakers, regional traditions, native recipes, European influences, and new experimentation.

I have now found many exceptional cheeses made much closer to home. Some follow French, Italian, or Spanish traditions; others are unmistakably Mexican. The best reflect the milk, animals, climate, landscape, and personality of the people who make them.
Mexican artisan cheese is delicious, distinctive, and still woefully underrepresented in a community with an apparently insatiable appetite for it. The subject is endless, which is precisely what I love about it. There is always another history to uncover, another farm to visit, another cheesemaker to meet, another wheel to taste, and another way to serve it.

My goal has always been to connect cheese lovers with these extraordinary products and introduce them to the tireless farmers, shepherds, and cheesemakers behind them.

I never did buy that dairy in Ontario. Instead, cheese found another use for me.

To book your cheese experience:
Empress of Cheese EmpressofCheese.com

Cheeses to try:
La Estrella’s creamy, rich fresh goat cheese, made at the highly acclaimed artisanal urban farm.

On Stirling Dickinson:
La Factoría’s Criollo – A smooth, semi-mature cow’s milk cheese with a consistency made for slicing and melting.

You can find these at Luna se Queso:
Del Rebaño OVNI — A sheep’s-milk cheese with a creamy interior and a white-mold rind. It was created by Gaby, the master cheesemaker and a former gold-medal winner at the International Cheese Awards.

Banon-style cheese — An artisanal goat’s-milk cheese inspired by the classic cheese from Provence. Made in Jalisco, it is wrapped in grapevine leaves and tied with string.

Del Rebaño Padua — A sheep’s-milk cheese with a creamy consistency and qualities similar to French camembert.

Huatulco, San Miguel de Allende

Carnitas: The Monarch of the Copper Cauldron

August 24, 2026 The Eye Mexico Leave a comment

By Ben Indi—

Porchetta, confit of goose, rillettes, confit de canard… it would seem that the great kitchens of the Old World have always found something inherently noble about cooking an animal in its own fat. To the uninitiated, or to those who see gastronomy as little more than fuel, the idea may sound excessive, even ironic. Yet history has proven, time and again, that few techniques reward patience more generously. Fat, after all, is not merely indulgence—it is one of the oldest vessels of flavor mankind has ever discovered.

Mexico embraced that lesson in its own unmistakable way. Blessed with an extraordinarily rich culinary heritage, introduced to the pig after the arrival of the Spanish, and armed with the practical ingenuity that has long defined its people, the country forged one of the true giants of its national cuisine: carnitas.

Travel through almost any region of Mexico and you will discover how indispensable they have become. From bustling city markets to roadside stands and sleepy village plazas, carnitas are woven into everyday life with such ease that one could almost mistake them for something eternal. They are not, of course. Historical records place their consumption as early as the seventeenth century, and tradition consistently points toward the state of Michoacán as their spiritual birthplace. There, the town of Quiroga proudly claims to serve the most authentic—and, according to many devoted pilgrims, the finest version of them all.

Like many great dishes, carnitas possess a deceptive simplicity. At their core they require only four things: pork, pork fat, salt, and a cazo set over the fire.

A cazo is no ordinary pot. It is an enormous vessel devoted almost exclusively to the preparation of carnitas, traditionally hammered from copper. That choice was never accidental. Copper distributes heat with remarkable consistency, allowing enormous quantities of meat to cook evenly over many hours. Considering that a single batch may require an entire pig, it is difficult to imagine a working carnitas cauldron holding fewer than forty liters. Many hold several times that amount, quietly standing at the center of family businesses that have survived for generations.

Spend enough time around carnitas and you will eventually collect a small anthology of sayings.
“Good carnitas need no disguise.”
“The best carnitas are eaten standing up.”
“The secret is in the cauldron.”
“Carnitas cannot be rushed.”
“You can smell a good cazo from a block away.”

Whether or not every one of these sayings is genuinely traditional hardly matters. Together they reveal the reverence surrounding the craft. Yet perhaps no sentence captures its philosophy more completely than this:

“Carnitas don’t have a recipe; they have a master.”

Every respectable maestro develops an instinct that cannot be measured with thermometers or timers alone. Temperature, color, aroma, the sound of bubbling fat, the feel of the meat as it yields beneath a wooden paddle—these become the true language of the craft. Observation and patience outweigh written instructions, while repetition gradually evolves into intuition.

That knowledge is rarely given away freely. Each master protects subtle details of technique with quiet pride, not out of arrogance, but out of respect for a lifetime spent beside the cauldron. It is therefore no surprise that carnitas are so often a family trade, passed from parents to children until the methods become less like formulas and more like inherited instincts. In many establishments, the copper cazo itself becomes a family heirloom, blackened by decades of fire yet polished by thousands upon thousands of unforgettable meals.

So what, then, is the definitive recipe? The answer is almost certainly that there isn’t one. To understand Mexican cooking is to understand something deeper about Mexico itself. Scarcity has often demanded creativity, and broken circumstances have repeatedly forced ordinary people to become extraordinary problem-solvers. More often than not, those improvisations have given birth to dishes that later generations came to regard as timeless classics. Carnitas are no exception.

Orthodoxy certainly exists, but so does freedom. One cook may add only pork, fat, salt, and water. Another may quietly introduce milk for color, oranges for fragrance, pineapple for sweetness, bay leaves, cloves, piloncillo, cola, or even beer. Every addition has its defenders. Every omission has its purists.

Limit your imagination if you wish; Mexican cooks rarely will. Still, complexity has always had a minimalist rival, and thankfully so.

Should fortune lead you to a humble stand where the only additions to the cauldron are water and salt, do not mistake simplicity for compromise. Quite the opposite. Some of the most unforgettable carnitas you will ever taste owe their greatness precisely to that restraint. They remind us that extraordinary cooking is not always about adding more, but about understanding when nothing else is needed.

When the time finally comes to eat, the ritual is refreshingly uncomplicated. Fresh tortillas are non-negotiable. Salsa is expected. You will almost certainly find sliced radishes, chopped onion, and cilantro waiting nearby. Yet if I were asked to name one ingredient that deserves to stand beside the carnitas themselves, my answer would be simple: lime.

There is an old joke that squeezing lime over a carnitas taco magically turns it into diet food. Let us not insult one another’s intelligence. This is hardly the sort of meal one chooses while counting calories. Save your remorse for tomorrow’s workout and devote today’s attention to the pleasures of the table. Some indulgences deserve to be enjoyed without apology.

Ordering carnitas, however, is an education all its own. You are not merely choosing meat; you are choosing a particular expression of the pig. Lean maciza, juicy ribs, liver, tongue, chamorro (the shank), silky cuerito (skin), buche (stomach), nana (uterus), nenepil (uterus and stomach connective tissue), snout, cheek, or the celebrated surtida, a glorious mixture of several cuts working together in perfect harmony.

If you wish to impress the person behind the chopping block, confidently ask for a taco de nana. There is a fair chance they may not even have it that day, but the mere request is often enough to earn a knowing smile. It tells them you have wandered beyond the safety of the tourist’s order.

Once your credentials have been established, you may elevate the conversation further by asking for chamorro con cuero, a combination many consider a timeless classic. As for me, I remain unconvinced. Magnificent though it may be, I believe it ultimately surrenders its crown to the humble taco de surtida, which I gladly proclaim the undisputed monarch of the copper cauldron. Rich, textured, unapologetically imperfect, it embodies everything carnitas aspire to be in a single tortilla.

I could happily devote several more pages to explaining the finer distinctions between these cuts, but I would much rather leave you with a reason to continue exploring on your own. Curiosity has always been one of the finest seasonings any meal can possess.

My brief stay in San Miguel de Allende has not afforded me enough time to visit every carnitas stand the city has to offer. I do have a favorite, naturally, and I admit I have been tempted to tell you exactly where it is. Then again, I suspect I would be robbing you of one of the greatest pleasures this country offers. Finding your own favorite taco is a journey.

It is the excuse to wander unfamiliar streets, to follow an irresistible aroma drifting through the afternoon air, to trust the longest line of locals, or simply to stop wherever the copper cauldron catches your eye. More often than not, those small detours become the memories that endure long after the meal itself has faded.

Every memorable city deserves to be discovered twice: once through its monuments, and once through its kitchens. Mexico, perhaps more than anywhere else, understands this truth.

So wherever your travels may take you, approach the copper cauldron with both appetite and curiosity. Listen to the crackle of the bubbling fat, watch the practiced rhythm of the master’s knife, accept the taco with both hands, and remember that you are tasting far more than pork cooked in lard. You are sharing in centuries of craftsmanship, family tradition, patience, and quiet pride.

Eat well. Eat slowly. And above all, enjoy every bite.

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San Miguel de Allende

My “Mother” Was 78 When I Was Born

August 7, 2026 The Eye Mexico Leave a comment

By Moose Li, as told to and translated by Micki Voisard—

My name is Moose Li. I’m a rescued Chinese Shar-Pei puppy with wonderful parents. They smell delightfully like salmon oil and sardines. But let’s be honest—my mom was 78 years old when I was born. Living with seniors is quite a lifestyle adjustment, even for a five-month-old puppy like me.

When my family moved from the United States to San Miguel de Allende, I brought my wrinkles while my parents packed the pee pads. Shar-Peis are not exactly known for being marathon runners, but I practice heavy-duty zoomies every day. I also go to weekly training, and my absolute favorite is agility. Yes, me—a bulky, wrinkly puppy—loves hurdles and climbing boulders.

Because of this training, I imagine a human parent as someone who sprints alongside me over the A-frame. My parents don’t do that. They’re in great shape for their age—walking San Miguel’s steep, uneven cobblestones with impressive skill—but they definitely do not run the agility course they created. Instead, my mom relies on hand signals. Poor thing. I also have to bark loudly in a high-pitched voice, since I don’t think either of them can hear very well.

Sometimes I stare at her while she sits at her computer or reads a book for what feels like hours. Then I catch a glint in her eye. She stands up, closes her computer, and practices her own version of human zoomies with me. Once, I heard her tell a friend that she reminds herself every day that my time on this earth will be far too short.

On our daily walks, I hear other seniors whisper, “Oh, a dog—especially a puppy—is just too much work. That’s why we don’t adopt.” From my point of view, they have it backward—it’s the humans who are a lot of work. I’m constantly reminding my parents to drop their serious faces, stop overthinking, and play tug-of-war. Training a 78-year-old is the real full-time job.

What my older parents lack in speed, they make up for with something a dog could only dream of: time. Because my mom is home most of the day, her schedule revolves around my canine clock. If I want to spend five minutes sniffing a single leaf in Parque Juárez, there’s no rushing.

Humans are funny. They fill their homes with fragile things, yet when I manage to snag one of their treasures, they don’t even bark. They just sigh, trade it for a tasty bone—or one of Dad’s wonderfully smelly old socks—and carry on. At their age, maybe they’re happy to see a few things get shredded. I’m glad to help.

The three of us probably look like an odd match strolling toward the Jardín: two sharply dressed seniors walking a wrinkly ball of kinetic energy. Maybe my mom won’t hurdle park benches with me, but having 78-year-old parents is the ultimate luxury. I get endless love, patience, and time. They get a daily reminder that life is meant to be savored like a marrow bone buried for three months.

My best advice to you older folks? Adopt a dog. We’ll liberate you from your stuff and fill your days with fun. You give us your time and your slow, beautiful pace of life. It’s a pretty wonderful tradeoff.

My name is Moose Li, and I’m a young dog with older parents.

Support Animal Welfare in SMA:
Sociedad Protectora de Animales de San Miguel de Allende (SPA) San Miguel’s oldest no-kill animal shelter, SPA rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes abandoned dogs and cats while also providing low-cost veterinary care, sterilization programs, and humane education. http://www.spasanmiguel.org

Read the article from
our January 2026 issue: https://theeyehuatulco.com/2026/01/03/san-miguels-oldest-no-kill-shelter-the-lifesaving-work-of-the-s-p-a/

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San Miguel de Allende

SMA August 2026

July 31, 2026 The Eye Mexico Leave a comment

The Latest Issue—

S MA August 2026

San Miguel de Allende

A Creative Home Base for Artists

July 20, 2026 The Eye Mexico Leave a comment

By Kato Rempel—

I’ve spent much of my life building businesses, exploring new places, and pursuing creative challenges. That spirit has shaped both my artistic practice and the path that led me to create Allende Arts Space, an artist residency program in Santa Julia, San Miguel de Allende.

My creative journey began in Vancouver, British Columbia, where I spent nearly two decades working in digital graphic design during the early days of the technology boom. Looking for new experiences and a different perspective, I later moved with my family to Southeast Asia. Living in Sri Lanka exposed me to different cultures, architecture, traditions, and ways of seeing the world. It was there that I discovered oil painting, and what began as a creative outlet quickly became a lifelong passion.

Over the years, I dedicated myself to learning, practicing, and developing my voice as an artist. Along the way, I have been fortunate to receive recognition for my work, but what continues to motivate me most is the opportunity to keep learning, exploring, and growing creatively. In 2025, that journey led me to create Allende Arts Space in San Miguel de Allende.

After spending time in San Miguel and getting to know the creative community, I noticed a gap in the residency offerings available to visiting artists. I saw an opportunity to create something different: a space that combined comfortable accommodations, dedicated studio space, and a genuine sense of community. When I found the perfect building, I knew it could become the creative home base I had envisioned.

Allende Arts Space was created for artists who need time to focus on their work while also having the opportunity to connect with other creatives. The residency offers private accommodations, dedicated workspaces, and a welcoming environment where painters, writers, photographers, musicians, and multidisciplinary artists can immerse themselves in their practice without the distractions of everyday life.

What makes the experience special is the balance between independence and connection. Artists have the freedom to work at their own pace, pursue their own projects, and shape their own experience. At the same time, they become part of a community of creatives from around the world who gather to share ideas, experiences, inspiration, and support.

Many residents arrive with a project they want to complete. Others come looking for renewal, direction, or simply the time and space to reconnect with their creativity. Some leave with finished work, while others leave with new friendships, fresh perspectives, and renewed energy for their artistic practice.

What consistently surprises people is how quickly the residency begins to feel like home. Shared meals, creative conversations, collaborations, and lasting friendships often become just as meaningful as the work created during a stay.

For me, Allende Arts Space is about creating the kind of environment I would have loved to discover throughout my own journey. A place where artists can fully immerse themselves in their work while being supported by a community that understands their creative process.

Kato Rempel, artist, entrepreneur, and founder of Allende Arts Space in San Miguel de Allende.

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San Miguel de Allende

Water Near San Miguel: Places to Recharge, Relax, and Cool Off

July 17, 2026 The Eye Mexico Leave a comment

By Alicia Flores—

While San Miguel de Allende sits high in the semi-arid highlands of central Mexico, water remains an important part of the region’s landscape and culture. Whether you’re looking for relaxation, recreation, or simply a break from the summer heat, there are several ways to connect with water nearby.

La Gruta Spa
Perhaps the region’s best-known thermal water destination, La Gruta offers a series of mineral-rich thermal pools surrounded by gardens and stone pathways. Its signature feature is a tunnel leading into a domed steam grotto where warm mineral water cascades from above. Many visitors describe the experience as both physically restorative and deeply relaxing.
http://www.lagruta-spa.com.mx

Escondido Place
Located adjacent to La Gruta, Escondido Place features expansive thermal pools fed by natural hot springs. Popular with families and locals alike, it offers a more spacious setting for swimming, soaking, and spending a leisurely afternoon.
http://www.escondidoplace.com

The Presa Allende (Allende Dam)
Just outside the city, the Presa Allende provides one of the area’s largest bodies of water. Birdwatchers visit for migratory species, while kayakers, sailors, and fishermen enjoy the reservoir’s calm waters. Several restaurants along the shoreline offer panoramic views, particularly at sunset.

Charco del Ingenio
Although not a swimming destination, this botanical reserve highlights the importance of water in the region’s ecosystem. Seasonal reservoirs, wetlands, and natural springs support an impressive diversity of plants, birds, and wildlife. Walking the trails offers a chance to experience the quieter, contemplative side of water.

Temazcal Experiences
For those interested in traditional forms of renewal, several wellness centers around San Miguel offer temazcal ceremonies. Combining heat, steam, water, and guided ritual, these Indigenous sweat-lodge traditions have been used for centuries throughout Mexico for purification and reflection.

A Simple Prescription: Sit Beside Water
Not every encounter with water requires a swimsuit. Enjoying a quiet meal overlooking the Presa, listening to a fountain in one of San Miguel’s gardens, or watching summer rains arrive across the countryside may provide many of the same calming benefits researchers now associate with “blue spaces.”

As modern science continues to explore water’s effects on mental and physical well-being, San Miguel offers plenty of opportunities to experience what generations before us already understood: sometimes healing begins simply by spending time near water.

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Spice of Life: Unpacking the Heat of San Miguel de Allende

July 15, 2026 The Eye Mexico Leave a comment

By Michael Solof—

San Miguel de Allende is not just a feast for the eyes with its cobblestone streets and stunning architecture; it’s also a culinary haven, especially when it comes to the use of spices. The history of spices in this region tells a story of cultural exchange and adaptation, revealing how local and international influences have shaped the way we experience flavor and heat in our food today.

I’ve got a lot of territory to cover in this month’s article. In researching the history and uses of both traditional and non-traditional spices in Mexican cuisine, I had the pleasure of speaking with Marco Masseroti, Owner and Executive Chef of Casa Nostra; Donnie Masterson, culinary entrepreneur and master chef behind several of the town’s dining establishments; and Chef Odin Camacho, an up-and-coming private chef and creative cooking instructor in Querétaro. All generously took time out of their busy schedules to share how they incorporate traditional spices into their cooking and how these ingredients continue to shape the evolving culinary landscape of central Mexico.

A Brief History of Spices in Mexico
Spices have played an essential role in Mexican cuisine since ancient times. Indigenous peoples, including the Aztecs and Maya, relied heavily on local spices and herbs for both flavor and medicinal purposes. Key ingredients in this early culinary tradition included chili peppers, vanilla, and cacao. When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, they brought with them a host of spices from Europe, Asia, and Africa, including black pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. This melding of flavors helped shape what we now recognize as traditional Mexican cuisine.
In San Miguel, much of the heat in food comes from local chile varieties, each offering its own unique flavor profile.

Jalapeño: Widely recognized and used, jalapeños add a moderate level of heat to salsas and sauces.
Serrano: With a sharper bite, serranos are often used in dishes such as pico de gallo.
Chipotle: Smoked and dried jalapeños, chipotles lend a rich, smoky flavor to many traditional dishes.

These peppers are frequently paired with other ingredients to create some of Mexico’s most beloved foods. One seasonal favorite is Chiles en Nogada, featuring poblano peppers stuffed with a mixture of meat and fruit, then topped with a creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds. The balance of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors has made it both a local favorite and a symbol of Mexican culinary heritage.

Chef Marco Masseroti, who has been running Casa Nostra for more than eight years, specializes in Italian comfort food but has developed a deep appreciation for Mexican spices.

“I love spices like cumin and oregano that give a lot of flavor without adding a lot of heat from chilies,” he says. “Pasilla and Guajillo are two of my favorites to work with. All my spices are sourced locally. Many foreigners have the misconception that all chilies are spicy, but many are much more flavorful than they are hot. A typical mole can cook for over 24 hours, with countless ingredients and spices needed to get the flavor just right.”

Chef Donnie Masterson, who moved to San Miguel 24 years ago and is currently celebrating the 18th anniversary of his restaurant, The Restaurant, agrees.

“Two of my favorite spices are cumin and coriander seed,” he says. “I love cumin for its warmth and versatility, which work beautifully across so many cuisines. I often use it in rubs, especially for pork, because it brings a deep, earthy backbone to a dish. Coriander seed adds brightness and a slightly citrusy note that balances richer flavors. One dish where I use both is an albóndigas soup that my Mexican grandmother used to make. It’s a Mexican meatball soup layered with cilantro, jalapeños, cumin, and coriander, and it’s incredibly comforting and aromatic.”

Chef Odin Camacho sees spices as something even more profound.

“My passion stems from understanding that Mexican cuisine is deeply rooted in the intelligent use of spices, not just for their heat but for their complexity,” he explains.

“Throughout my training and professional experience, I’ve come to understand that spices are a language: each one tells a story of region, tradition, and technique. That narrative is what continues to inspire me.”

One of Odin’s favorite ingredients is smoked dried chiles, particularly Chilhuacle and Pasilla varieties.

“They add depth beyond just spiciness,” he says. “I like to lightly toast them to release their oils and then incorporate them into sauces, emulsions, or even modern applications like foams or reductions, creating multi-layered flavor profiles.”

He is also passionate about lesser-known regional ingredients such as Querétaro saffron.

“It adds a distinct earthy flavor and vibrant color. It’s fundamental in traditional dishes like Garbanzo en Amarillo, where its presence defines the dish’s identity.”

Signature Dishes Built on Spice
San Miguel’s culinary scene is rooted in traditional dishes that showcase Mexico’s remarkable spice heritage. While recipes vary from region to region—and often from family to family—certain dishes highlight the depth, complexity, and versatility of the spices that define Mexican cuisine.

Mole Poblano: Often referred to as Mexico’s national dish, mole is a complex sauce made from dozens of ingredients, including chiles, chocolate, nuts, seeds, and spices such as cinnamon and cloves. Every family has its own recipe, making each mole a unique expression of tradition.

Tacos al Pastor: A local favorite, these tacos feature marinated pork cooked on a vertical spit and served with onions, pineapple, and cilantro. The marinade typically contains a blend of spices that creates the dish’s distinctive sweet, savory, and slightly smoky flavor.

Tamales: Wrapped in corn husks and filled with everything from meats to sweet ingredients, tamales are a staple throughout Mexico. The masa itself is often seasoned with spices, adding another layer of flavor to this beloved comfort food.

For Chef Odin Camacho, the quality of the spices behind these dishes is every bit as important as the recipes themselves.

“Quality is everything,” he says. “A fresh, well-preserved spice can completely transform a dish, while a low-quality one flattens it. In Mexican cuisine, where preparations like moles or adobos depend on the complexity of spices, using high-quality ingredients is non-negotiable; it defines the final result.”

Odin believes innovation works best when it begins with a strong understanding of tradition.

“I always start with respect for tradition: the basic structure of the dish. Once that base is well constructed, I allow myself to reinterpret techniques or presentations. For example, I might maintain the classic spice profile of a mole but present it through modern textures or unexpected elements, creating a bridge between heritage and innovation.”

One dish that embodies this philosophy is his deconstructed Chiles en Nogada.

“The blend of spices in the filling—cloves, cinnamon, and pepper—creates a warm, aromatic base that contrasts with the freshness of the walnut sauce. By reinterpreting it with contemporary techniques, the spices become more present and intentional in every bite.”

Technique, he says, is essential.

“Toasting is fundamental, as it activates the essential oils and deepens the flavors. Grinding spices fresh is also key. I also use infusion techniques, incorporating them into fats or liquids to extract more complex nuances and integrate them harmoniously into the dish.”Chef Marco shares a similar philosophy when it comes to creativity in the kitchen.

“Techniques like fermenting garlic versus using regular garlic really help bring out exceptional layers of flavor,” he says. “I work closely with all my chefs, experimenting with different recipes, ingredients, and spices to create new dishes. I’m always on the lookout for new spices to try, both in our restaurant and at home. Every ingredient needs a reason to be on the plate.”

For Marco, spices do far more than season food.
“Spices are storytellers. They tell us about culture, how ingredients are used, how they are treated, and how they are grown. I don’t think there’s any end to blending traditional, centuries-old Mexican techniques with modern international cuisine. My Nonna probably would have killed me for mixing Cannelloni with Mexican meats, but I think it’s important to open new doors.”

Chef Donnie Masterson believes freshness is equally important.

“I always prefer buying whole spices and toasting and grinding them myself with a mortar and pestle. Freshness is everything. Spices lose their potency over time, so I try not to overbuy. Keeping them fresh makes a huge difference in the final dish.”

For Masterson, quality spices are often the difference between a good meal and a memorable one.

“The quality of your spices can completely make or break a dish. If your spices are old or stale, you’re not going to get the depth, aroma, or intensity you’re looking for. Fresh spices bring life to food; they create layers, complexity, and balance. Without that, even a well-executed dish can fall flat.”

Whether they are preserving centuries-old traditions or experimenting with new techniques and flavor combinations, San Miguel’s chefs share a common belief: spices are far more than a source of heat. They are an essential part of the stories, cultures, and traditions that continue to shape Mexican cuisine.

For visitors interested in exploring this world for themselves, a walk through Mercado Ignacio Ramírez, a cooking class, or simply a meal at one of the city’s many outstanding restaurants offers a delicious introduction to the flavors that have defined Mexico for centuries.

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.

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San Miguel de Allende

Mexico’s Bottled Thirst How Mexico Became Dependent on Bottled Water

July 10, 2026 The Eye Mexico Leave a comment

By Estefanía Camacho

“And just for a second, while picturing her loved ones back home in New York, she forgot where she was and opened her mouth.”
There is a scene in Sex and the City: The Movie in which one of the characters, Charlotte, avoids drinking tap water or eating certain foods in Mexico at all costs because of the stereotype that every foreigner who visits the country, inevitably gets sick. It is a thing, and it’s colloquially called Montezuma’s revenge, although it is usually mild and short-lived.

What these fears often overlook is that simply leaving your routine and the familiar circle of your own microbiome can make your body more sensitive. New foods, different bacteria, changes in climate, stress, travel itself: all of these can affect digestion.
On the other hand, the idea that a few drops of shower water will immediately send someone running to the bathroom is wildly exaggerated. It is true that people in Mexico generally do not drink tap water, not because of a stereotype, but because water coming through municipal systems is often not considered safe for consumption in much of the country, there are some exceptions but there are as well information gaps.

You would likely have to drink an actual glass of untreated tap water to experience discomfort and, again, it would rarely be serious.
Most Mexicans who have family roots in rural areas or the countryside have at least one older relative who talks about drinking directly from a stream coming down the mountain, from a well, a nearby river, a reservoir, or even melted snow in higher elevations. For many families, this was not some distant past. In some places, it still isn’t.

The Four Reasons That Built Mexico’s Bottled Water Industry
Cities followed a different story.
After the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City, the idea spread that the city’s pipes could no longer safely carry drinking water. In many ways, this was true. Decades of neglected infrastructure collapsed alongside buildings, and parts of the system remained damaged for years. Yet the reconstruction of reliable drinking water systems never fully arrived.

Mexico’s National Water Commission (Conagua) describes the earthquake as an accelerator of the bottled water industry:
“After the earthquake there was no water in many people’s homes. There were people in the streets. There was no water pressure. The biggest problem at the time was that there was no drinking water. In some homes there was a bad smell — the smell of contamination. The pipes had broken and the water was contaminated, so people couldn’t drink water from the tap.”

The earthquake became the first of four major factors cited by researchers that created the conditions for the bottled water boom. Today, Mexico is one of the world’s largest consumers of bottled water, reaching approximately 286 liters per person each year.
The remaining factors came later. The cholera epidemic between 1991 and 1999 further cemented public distrust in municipal water supplies. Economic crises during the same period made infrastructure investments more difficult, while aggressive marketing by bottled water companies transformed bottled water from an emergency solution into an everyday necessity.

Before this shift, many Mexican households routinely drank tap water, boiled it, or treated it with chlorine before consumption. Now, Conagua shares statistics on how many contaminants are present in the surface water, by analyzing in 2022 1,723 sites, of which 42.5% were classified in green and 39% in red. Hence the perception that drinking tap water may not be safe, since habitants have no way of making this analysis in their homes.
However, according to the National Survey of Government Quality and Impact, only 20.9% of households nationwide consider the water delivered to their homes through the public network to be drinkable as of 2023. The situation varies by state, ranging from 49.1% in Tlaxcala to 1.9% in Tabasco, according to the 2025 investigation The impact of bottled water on household expenditures in Mexico: is it a public policy problem? published in the Official Journal of the World Water Council.

Politics and Private Enterprise: A Partnership Without Consequences
I remember that sometime after the early 2000s, Bonafont became one of the loudest promoters of the idea that everyone should drink two litres of water a day to stay healthy, while this was not yet a truly spread and well-known idea in Mexican households. Conveniently, the company sold bottles in exactly the sizes needed to make sure you met that goal.
Once bottled water and refillable jugs became normalized in Mexican households, also as a part of a certain high-level kind of life, it was only a matter of time before soft drink companies entered the business. Coca-Cola, whose presence in Mexican family life is almost impossible to overstate, expanded aggressively into the water market.

Mexico loves Coca-Cola so much that one of its former executives, Vicente Fox Quesada, became president of the country in 2000. But the other side of the story is often left untold: Coca-Cola may love Mexico back, but it arguably needs Mexico even more.
Revenues for Coca-Cola FEMSA, the company’s Mexican subsidiary, tripled during Fox’s administration. Between 2002 and 2003 alone, FEMSA reported extraordinary growth, doubling revenues from approximately $2 billion to $4 billion, while its bottled water business expanded dramatically.

Nor was Coca-Cola alone. Bonafont, owned by Danone and once a relatively unknown brand, became the country’s leading bottled water company.

In Mexico there is a saying: a nadie se le niega un vaso de agua — no one should ever be denied a glass of water. The phrase works both ways: we offer it, and we ask for it. Yet institutionally, drinking a glass of water from the public system often feels almost forbidden.
Bottled water also represents a significant expense for many families. Lower-income households generally spend a larger proportion of their income on water, including both piped supplies and bottled alternatives.

And, as always, inequality runs through the entire system.
It is estimated that households without daily access to piped water spend a total of 503 million USD on bottled water. These households consume bottled water out of necessity. Households with daily access to piped water spend up to 902 million USD on bottled water, which they consume for pleasure or due to mistrust of the quality of piped water.

Researchers at the Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM Azcapotzalco) argue that water insecurity becomes even more unequal when examined by income levels. “When designing public policies regarding household water consumption,” they write, “it is imperative to consider not only accessibility and frequency of use, but also affordability.”

The Sinkhole That Exposed Water Stress in Puebla
The prioritization of private interests over public needs, together with decades of resource extraction and limited oversight, became visible in the town of Santa María Zacatepec, Puebla.

In 2021, residents occupied a Bonafont bottling plant in protest, arguing that the company had been extracting groundwater for more than two decades while local wells gradually dried up.
That same year, a massive sinkhole nearly 50 feet wide suddenly opened nearby. Although the exact causes remain debated, many residents connected the event to the long-term extraction of groundwater. Coincidentally or not, only weeks after the occupation forced the plant to suspend operations, local residents reported that water levels in wells and streams had begun to recover. Investigations also uncovered irregularities involving municipal permits and concessions that Bonafont claimed to possess.
The peaceful occupation, which included cultural events, artistic activities, and community gatherings, was eventually dismantled by the National Guard and state police. Bonafont later resumed operations.

“The More Polluted the Water, the More People Will Buy”
I cannot help but think of The Lorax, where a businessman becomes wealthy by selling encapsulated air after destroying the environment around him.
The comparison may seem exaggerated, yet there is something strangely familiar about it. In some regions, bottling companies extract groundwater from local aquifers, sell it back to nearby communities at a markup, and position themselves as the solution to a problem that increasingly appears impossible to solve without them. What would people drink otherwise?

But perhaps the more important question is not directed at the companies themselves. Where were the political actors who allowed private companies to gain access to public resources instead of prioritizing infrastructure, investment, and public policies capable of guaranteeing access to safe drinking water?
After all, access to water is not simply a market opportunity. It is a human right, one that is also recognized in the Mexican Constitution.

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

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