The dogs and I are in San Miguel de Allende still, and we’ve had a drastic change in the weather! The storm named Alberto threatening the gulf of Mexico was so strong that it pushed big winds and rain all the way up here in the mountains. With a big drop in temperature too.  It’s a welcome change!

I’m in a unique rental situation here in San Miguel. I rented our place site unseen, like always coming from out of town, and I was just glad it had a garden and seemed to be in a good neighborhood. When we got here, I immediately negotiated a longer term stay with the owner because this house is so comfortable for us. This house could be MY house. There are some of the very same books I have. The lady who built it designed it the way I would have: all rooms with southern windows and garden views. The art on the walls… Unfortunately she died so I can’t meet her. Her son is renting the house.

So, we are staying here longer that I thought at first, but it’s not because of my love for San Miguel, it’s because of this lady’s house.

So let me tell you what I think about san miguel de allende. Please know that many many people love this place! And although I’m not trying to be a contrarian, I have to say what I really think.

What I have to say about San Miguel de Allende is… complicated.

It’s a very beautiful small city in the central highlands of Mexico. San Miguel is just a few hours drive from Mexico City. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a photographer’s dream and a favorite for gourmets and food and art lovers.  The buildings are exceptionally beautiful and the city is so walkable! Just small enough to walk to almost anything.

The climate is very nice and the elevation keeps it relatively cool compared to coastal cities.

Years ago foreigners discovered San Miguel and many have made it their home. Or part time home. Or one of their many homes.

They say that in high season, when many foreigners come to live part time, the square is full of them sunning themselves on the pretty benches that surround the park. Locals call it Gringo Gulch.

There are many art galleries, high end boutiques, and top restaurants to be explored if you like that sort of thing.

But something bothers me about SMA. It’s the same thing that’s bothered me in other towns and cities where the very rich have taken an interest and bought houses.  It’s that there becomes a divide: the wealthy enjoying all the expensive resort-like amenities of the town, and the people who work for them or serve them.

 I moved to Oregon where I worked in one town, but couldn’t afford to live there, so lived a couple of towns over, and commuted like many other people.

Seems like this sort of thing happened a long time ago in SMA. It used to be an artist’s heaven and more bohemian, I understand. But now..

To put it in the words of the author of an article I read in the San Miguel Post, “Namely, I’ve noticed a sharp decline in the middle-income ex-pat retirees.” Talking about who moves to SMA now.

“The top ex-pat earners, normally those that own their own businesses that have a second or third home here, continue to flock to town enjoying all a high-end resort and center of culture has to offer.

Conversely, low-income foreign earners continue to shuffle into town which is a bit baffling.  As recently as 2008 one could find an apartment in Centro for 300 USD a month.  

The foreign tenant then thrust themselves into their artistic endeavors in hopes of being the next Grandma Moses, best-selling author or in-demand jewelry designer.

Those real estate days are long gone.  To find housing that cheap one has to cast a much wider net.  The foreign artists still come to town but live farther afield and have fewer foreigners to sell their art to.

Since, on some level, part of the appeal to being in Mexico is the cheaper standard of living regardless of your economic status, many leave the US tiring of being poor only to find themselves poor in Mexico.  These folks baffle me.  If you want to live cheaply in central Mexico opportunities abound close by in villages like Comonfort or Escobedo.  To place yourself in a resort area catering to Mexico’s top income earners, and some of the richest folks in the world who live in Mexico appears idiotic.  It is the equivalent of trying to live frugal in the Hamptons during a hot July.”

Except for the part about being idiotic, I have to agree with this author. Why would an average person earning a moderate income move to San Miguel de Allende?  Yes, you may get lucky with a moderately priced rental somewhere on the outskirts, but You start to feel like a second class citizen when you can’t afford what the rich people can.

The Mexican locals who may have had generations of their families live here, have seen home prices soar into the stratosphere.  Imagine if that happened in your home town and your ancestral home became livable only for other people.

Gentrification is a word talked about a lot in Mexico today. And for good reason. I do believe it’s an issue of the extremely wealthy  and the rest of us (and not so much a foreigner thing) for the most part. There are many wealthy Mexicans gentrifying towns in Mexico. But, nonetheless, it’s not a pretty picture. It creates resentment.

The other issue that concerns me is crime.  Many people will tell you they have lived here for years and haven’t had a problem, and I believe them.  I’ve walked around my neighborhood and centro and had no problem. I’ve also heard, just since I’ve been here, of a woman being robbed in the daylight a few blocks over, an armed robbery in another neighborhood, and someone dying at a shooting at a bar here in San Miguel.  What town doesn’t have crime? Right? But for a small town that seems like a lot.

But when I search for statistics and crime rates I don’t find many answers to my questions. 

I contacted the author I spoke of above, to get his take on crime in the area.

He said he’s not surprised I’m having a hard time getting crime info, most people here don’t report crimes. He’s been living here 14 years and said  My neighborhood, San Antonio, is known for muggings. 

I asked if the people who choose to live here are bothered by the very violent crimes happening just a few miles away in the towns nearby?  Celaya for instance was determined to be the most dangerous city in the world in 2020 and is just 30 miles away.

He said people avoid that area and go to Queretaro for health or shopping reasons. Other towns in Guanajuato state are also very violent.

In Guanajuato state, its population just over 6 million, more police were shot to death in 2023 — about 60 — than in all of the United States Combined. NBC NEWS

For me, knowing that I could take a drive one town over and be in the murder capital of the world is an issue.  Sure, they say that if you stay out of the drug trade you won’t be targeted, but I don’t even want to be close to that. If you can’t understand that, you haven’t imagined what that would be like well enough.

(I could explain the battle between two cartels, but it doesn’t matter)

You could say “why go to Mexico then?” but Mexico is a large country. There are many other states that don’t have these issues. And by the way, this news reporting is also relevant to Guanajuato, the city we just left that I love so much. I didn’t include this information in my videos about Guanajuato because I didn’t know it. Until now.

There does seem to be denial going on, and a pressure to not talk about it. I’m not going over to the tienda and ask the shop owner if he’s being extorted by the cartel, do you want to? But that’s the word on the street: there’s an Increase in criminal activity, extortion payments to thugs who ask, not politely, for money in exchange for letting family stores continue operating. 

So, many people are living peaceful lives here, no doubt. But there is an eerie feeling of tension. I will be glad to be moving on soon.  And, I know, it’s a good problem to have, looking and choosing a new place to live. Not everyone has the opportunity to move away from something they don’t like. I’m lucky to be rootless and free.

I’ve thought a lot about,  if I’m worrying too much, being too sensitive about the issues I see with San Miguel. I’m not usually a very anxious person. And it’s not been fun; delving deeper into these subjects.  But in the end, it doesn’t matter. While this town is great for some, I can appreciate its beauty and now move on.

And that’s how I feel about SMA. Yes, it’s beautiful! It’s near perfect, and kept that way with an army of sweepers and gardeners. I get the feeling the new wealthy residents insist on it. 

But what about the regular people? People who may have had generations of family living here for decades or centuries back. The school teacher, the cab driver, the nurse or the office manager?  The lady who works at the lavanderia? If the taxi cost $3 to get across town, how can the driver afford the $700K house in his old neighborhood?

So, that’s what bugs about SMA. If you’ve ever lived in a town or area that has become popular with the wealthy, you’ll understand.