by Cathi and Steven House

A riot of bold colors in constantly changing compositions, the sound of birds and vendor calls, the chatter of bargaining and lively conversation, blaring music, the aromas of roasting meats and vegetables, oven-baked pizzas, grilled corn, tacos, fresh tortillas, fruits, vegetables, flowers - all swirl together in San Miguel's markets in that eternal dance of life and commerce that fills your needs and floods your senses with pleasure.

The vast Tuesday market or Tianguis, takes its name from the Aztec language for open-air market. It is a world of color, texture, sound, smell - every sense heightened and satisfied. Mounds of colorful produce, piles of clothes being sorted through, tables of school supplies, makeup, hair décor, stacked cages of exotic birds singing, every vendor calling out his products and prices, people dining on beautifully crafted plates of aromatic traditional foods, live and broadcast music playing loudly, jewelry, bags, antiques, old tools, sunglasses - you name it - it is there.

A Mexican market is alive and fluid, pulling your attention in every direction. It is possible to find anything you may need, from a sweet songbird to a rooster to an iPad to a chisel or shovel, an ancient wooden statue, or freshly prepared cakes to complement your dinner plans. Young jewelers get their foothold on how to sell their creations; children play among their mother's skirts, fresh churros are scooped from sizzling vats, sprinkled with sugar and handed over in a bouquet of sweetness; vegetables are shredded into colorful vertical salads in large plastic cups; fruit juices become aqua frescas, ladled from enormous glass jugs to quench the thirst of serious shoppers.

Markets may be vast, like the Tianguis, spread over a large area at the outskirts of town; they may flow down a stairway in town, like the many artisan markets; they may pop up in someone's entryway or on a certain street that celebrates holidays unique to that street. There are moving markets in the form of the women who stroll the town center, their arms filled with hand strung necklaces, or the men with vertical stacks of hats on their heads, often as tall as the man himself. There are tiny markets of old women who may be selling only a rosebush or freshly prepared gorditas. On certain days markets unfold in front of churches where women sell homemade tamales and the luscious Mexican drink atole, or nuns sell fresh eggnog or the special ponche at Christmas. And markets accompany any celebration.

San Miguel de Allende: the soul of mexico is available from your favorite bookstores including Aurora Books and La Biblioteca Tesoros in San Miguel, or from many of your favorite internet sites including Schiffer, Amazon, Barnes & Nobel and Thrift Books. If you would like an autographed copy of our new book, please send us an email request and you can buy it directly from us at steven@houseandhouse.com.

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Cathi and Steven House, the founders and principals of House + House Architects, have received over 50 design awards for their work in California, Mexico, Africa and the Caribbean, and have been featured in prestigious publications throughout the world including two monographs, House + House Architects: Choreographing Space and Houses in the Sun: light movement embrace. Their studies of vernacular architecture have been published in Mediterranean Villages: an architectural journey, and in Villages of West Africa: an intimate journey across time, which document the people, villages and unique architecture. Cathi and Steven lecture extensively and created CASA, The Center for Architecture, Sustainability + Art, a study abroad program based in Mexico.

House + House Architects' work reflects Cathi and Steven's passion for soulfully designed buildings intimately responsive to their site and to their inhabitants.

www.houseandhouse.com

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