San Miguel Street Art: A Complete Map Curated & Designed by Adam Katz

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 website to map and display them, so I did it.

My priorities from the very beginning were clear: the site should be bilingual (I'm learning Spanish, but I'm far from fluent), every artist should be properly credited, and I should respect the art.  If there's bad light, or a car blocking the view when I photograph a mural, I try to go back and re-take it. The site exists only to provide something that didn't exist before, and I have no intention of ever earning any money from it.

Once I started documenting the murals and street art, I was surprised to discover they aren't just in Colonia Guadalupe. They're all over town, including colonias that most tourists, and even many locals, never see.  Colonia Guadalupe has the highest density of street art in town, but it is only a fraction of what exists. For example, in Colonia San Luis Rey, there's a huge collection of street art covering the walls around a park with some beautiful pieces.  I thought that by law there weren’t any murals at all in the center to protect its colonial character, but I turned a corner one day and discovered some amazing murals in a parking lot almost next to the Parroquia.  

One benefit of the project for me personally has been the exercise.  I’ve ventured out into places I may never have gone otherwise and I've walked countless miles across San Miguel hunting for murals.

I recently added features that let artists post their own bios and attach "artist statements" to any work they've made.  And I had some great meetings with the people behind Arte Ranchero Pandillero, which works to reduce violence and substance abuse among young people through hip-hop culture. Arte Ranchero Pandillero is responsible for about a fifth of the artwork in town that I've documented so far.

Last month, the Audubon Society of México organized the creation of twelve new murals along Las Cachinches creek in Colonia Guadalupe near Fábrica La Aurora, each mural highlighting the importance of nature and conservation. Those twelve murals, plus a brand-new mural that just appeared around the corner from my home, serve as a reminder that documenting murals is a project that will never be finished. There is always new art in San Miguel.

Every mural has a story, and part of the project is sharing the stories behind the murals, not just a photo and a pin on the map.   This can happen through the artist’s statements, but it can also happen more organically.  I was taking a photo in Colonia San Rafael when a man approached me.  He told me how much he loved the mural and how it was a memorial for his brother.  It was a powerful moment and it seemed very San Miguel for strangers to approach you and tell their stories. 

After only a couple of months, the site now includes 800 murals and other pieces of street art. I started with murals, but there are also some great "tags" and mosaics.  I've just added a few of the town's art cars. 

It turns out there aren’t an impossible number of murals in town, but there are a lot! 

The site includes mobile features built for exploring.  Tap "near me" to find the murals in your immediate area, or you can pull up walking directions to any mural you'd like to see in person. So go check out a few murals you've never seen.

Check Adam's extraordinary work. The website is intuitive and comprehensive:

www.sanmiguelmurals.com