By Carolyn Studer “Trial by fire.” That’s how violinist Alexa Torres, the first woman and first violinist to graduate from the University of North Texas’s Jazz Strings Program, describes the bebop class where she first met guitarist Mario Wellmann. “You had to play specific musical devices in all 12 keys,” she said. “Random keys would flash up on a screen and you had to improvise in them. The fact that the keys weren’t tonally related made it harder.” After the exam, they wen

By Frank "Sugar" Hudson November is a fantastic time to be in San Miguel de Allende. The rainy season has drawn to a close, blue skies return, and comfortable daytime temperatures settle over town. With Mexico’s rich cultural traditions and an exciting international music festival on the calendar, November offers plenty of reasons to celebrate. Ideal Autumn Weather November brings sunny days, crisp evenings, and very little rain. Daytime temperatures typically reach the mid-s

By Natalie Taylor Bill Graham has been involved in leadership positions and public service for many years. He was born in St. Louis, MO and went to school at the University of Illinois in Champaign. In 1967, after graduating in business administration, he became a White House Fellow during President Lyndon Johnson’s term. Fellows work as special assistants to the Vice President, Cabinet Secretaries, and other top-ranking federal officials. Bill became president of the White H

By Lisa Babincsak Centro is extraordinary. Its architecture, churches, galleries, restaurants, rooftops and cultural life have made San Miguel de Allende one of the most recognizable small cities in the world. Centro isn't part of San Miguel's tourism identity. It's the heart of it. And perhaps that is why we have made the San Miguel experience so small—not in quality, but in geography and in the range of experiences we associate with the name. For decades, Centro has done th

By Camie Fenton This month's edition opens with an insightful essay by Lisa Babincsak exploring the evolving tourism landscape beyond Centro, highlighting how vineyards, ranches, and historical corridors offer a broader, experiential destination for travelers. Readers can also dive into a citywide celebration honoring the legendary artist Pedro Friedeberg across three iconic venues through February 2027, alongside a fascinating profile of Bill Graham and his efforts to addres

By Frankie Cruz-Aedo Stepping off the cobblestone streets of San Miguel de Allende, an immediate, thumping wall of sound hits you before you even clear the doorway of Flores Drum & Percussion Lessons. Inside, the visual collision of serious rock & roll and pure childhood is everywhere. Nestled beneath posters signed by national rock icons, a professional-grade drum kit sits modified—its cymbals lowered and foot pedals brought inward to accommodate young musicians. Founded to

By Dennis Taylor México is home to three flycatchers with a distinctive black mask over their eyes. Thus adorned, they really do look like bandits. One of these, the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) is common to our area. Its extensive range includes inland areas along both coasts of México, central areas south of San Miguel as well as the Yucatan. In addition, it can be found throughout most of Central America, and most of South America east of the Andes. The Great Kisk

By Natalie Taylor San Miguel is a noisy city. From the mariachis in the Jardin, to the screeching brakes on the old buses, from soothing chirping of birds to the eardrum-shattering explosions of fireworks, we are treated to sounds day and night. And then there are the regular sounds: the hourly tolling of church bells, the ringing to announce the garbage trucks, and the high-pitched whistle of the knife sharpener. The afilador de barrio is a staple in many Latin nations, and

By Erwit Reichert There was a time when simply putting a desirable property on the market in San Miguel de Allende was almost enough to generate immediate attention. Buyers were enthusiastic, inventory was limited, and decisions often had to be made quickly. Today, things are different. Not weaker, necessarily, but certainly more selective. And that may actually be good news for San Miguel. Our city continues to offer something that cannot easily be replicated: an extraordina

By Nikki Miller Casita Linda creates a dignified, safe and empowering environment that provides a foundation of hope for families living in extreme poverty. Founded in 2001, after San Miguel de Allende suffered a harsh winter where the unusual freezing temperatures caused several deaths because of the sparce living conditions of many rural families. Jeffrey Brown, a San Miguel resident, stonemason, and graphic artist, with the help of Irma Rosado, a local human-services consu

By Adam Katz When I moved to San Miguel de Allende a little less than a year ago, the murals stood out as one of the defining features of the town. I wanted to learn more and to see more of them, so I asked someone whether a list of the murals existed anywhere. They told me, "It's impossible. There are way too many." Because no such list existed, and because I rarely shy away from a challenge, I started taking pictures. And today’s AI tools make it pretty easy to build a web

By Ferdinand Rosa What happens when three artists—each with decades of experience and a distinctly different visual language—bring their work together in one space? This fall, San Miguel de Allende will find out. On October 28th, artists Alberto Lenz, Ferdinand Rosa, and Gene Johnson will open Three Journeys in Non-Objective Art at Estudio Rosa. Bringing together three independent artistic paths, the exhibition also marks the launch of The Abstract Collective, a new initiativ

By Staff Writer Galeria Blue Moon welcomes Mexican animator, writer, producer, director, and painter Jorge R. Gutiérrez to San Miguel de Allende for the first time. His solo show will feature more than 30 new paintings created specifically for the occasion. Gutiérrez's visual style was forged on the border. Born in México City and raised in Tijuana, he grew up immersed in the vivid, mixed-up world of border pop culture: hand-painted vendor stalls, bootleg toys, and the mash u

By Judith Jenya For Joseph McClain and David Manning, San Miguel de Allende was supposed to be a retirement place. Instead, it became the place where decades of experience in opera, education and leadership converged. Joseph’s life in opera began far from San Miguel. Born in Oklahoma City to a Baptist preacher, he grew up moving from coast to coast with his father’s ministry. Music was a constant. He began with piano lessons as a child and eventually discovered his voice. By

By Catherine Marenghi When you think about tomatoes as a culinary staple, you might immediately think of Italy and its marinara sauces, pasta dishes, and pizzas. But Italy didn’t invent the tomato. México did. Tomatoes and tomatillos were grown and consumed in México for centuries before ever appearing on a European table. The ancestor of the tomato, Solanum pimpinellifolium, also known as the wild currant tomato, was a pea-sized berry native to Peru and Ecuador. The first do

By Staff Writer What does it take to keep the world safe, and what happens when the things we do in the name of security begin to threaten the very freedoms and values we are trying to protec Those are among the questions historian and national security expert Karen Joy Greenberg will explore when she opens i³’s 2026–27 season on Tuesday, October 13 with "Reimagining the Global Order: Peace and Security in the 21st Century". In speaking with Greenberg, one thing becomes immed

By Felecia Ford What I’ve noticed about Jack Joshua on stage is that he is humble, incredibly present, and an absolute master on bass! He is the musical director and bass player for his Grammy Award-winning wife, singer Lauren Mitchell, whom we featured in last month’s Music Spotlight. After getting to know Lauren and her story, it only seemed right to turn the spotlight toward the man beside her onstage and in life. This month, we get to know Jack Joshua up close and persona

By Isabel Calderón Pascacio There are few things that San Miguel de Allende does quite as beautifully as bringing people together around good food, creativity, and a worthy cause. Fashion Feeds brings all three to the table, quite literally. Following the success of last year's inaugural-style runway brunch, Fashion Feeds returns with another afternoon of fashion, food, and philanthropy, this time at Hotel Live Aqua San Miguel de Allende on Sunday, November 15, from 12:00 p.m

By Lisa Babincsak Is it just me, or does ordering an Uber in San Miguel require a kind of faith normally reserved for organized religion? Your driver is five minutes away. This is the last true thing the app will tell you. Four minutes later, he is nine minutes away. You watch the tiny car move confidently in the opposite direction, gaining distance with the serene certainty of a man who knows exactly where he is going, and it is not toward you. Nine becomes twelve. Then: You

By Catherine Marenghi The Atención Book Club is changing its name. In recognition of its core purpose – celebrating local authors – the monthly series is now Atención Presents: San Miguel Authors. “Our inspiration for the series was a commitment to supporting our local literary community,” said Camie Fenton, publisher of Atención News. “But what we’ve created is not a book club in the traditional sense, but a showcase of outstanding local authors.” The series will continue to