As Eye See It: Spending April In San Miguel

By Frank "Sugar" Hudson with apologies to Bill Memo Wilson

April in San Miguel de Allende starts off warm and dry - the beautiful beginning of spring. Late April and May mark the hot season before the summer rains begin. Early April is considered one of the best times to visit San Miguel due to the pleasant, spring-like weather.

April Fool’s Day is celebrated on April 1^st and has a rich history regarding its origins, including connections to ancient festivals.

Preparations are underway for April 5^th, Palm Sunday - Domingo de Ramos. Local vendors set up outside the main churches, selling items handmade from palm fronds. Some of the best scenes are in front of the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri, a place of worship established in 1712, playing a vital role in the town’s religious life and cultural history. Holy Week processions start at the Oratorio on Palm Sunday and continue throughout the week, building up to Easter. After all the observances of Good Friday and Holy Week, Easter in San Miguel - Domingo de Pascua - is more solemn in nature. There are no Easter processions. The streets of San Miguel are quiet and reflective now that Good Friday has passed, and the cobblestones have been swept clean. Saturday evening marks the beginning of the good news, with evening Mass and fireworks - Christ has risen.

The most lighthearted event of Holy Week takes place at noon on Easter Sunday: la Quema de Judas, where large, brightly colored, six-foot-high papier-mâché figures are strung across calle San Francisco. Although they are meant to represent the betrayer of Christ, Judas Iscariot, today they are often comical characters and effigies of unpopular politicians and other authority figures. Fireworks are wrapped around their waists, the fuses are lit, and the explosions begin, setting each other off in a lively chain reaction. As the effigies burst apart, people laugh and scream, covering their ears in delight. As April unfolds, San Miguel reveals its unique blend of devotion, tradition, and celebration—where solemn rituals and joyful expressions coexist in vivid color and sound. It is a time when the city’s spirit feels especially alive, inviting visitors and locals alike to witness centuries-old customs in one of México’s most enchanting settings.