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August 18, 2024
by Keith Miller, occasional notes from his sketchbooks
Mama Mía, the bar/restaurant/dance club, was launched in the 1980's when after dark entertainment in town was limited. The sidewalks didn't exactly roll up when the sun went down, but almost. Unlike the disco place, "El Ring", the rhythms here were definitely Latin and the crowd was a thorough mix-up of locals and foreigners. It was all rough edges and smoke-filled; a bit raucous and of course, fun. Single ladies of a certain age could salsa the night away and feel perfectly safe, if not always confident in their dance moves. Everyone was thrown together and ageism was mostly left at the door.
Best of all was the interior; balcony seating, stone arches and dramatic lighting, like some kind of classic film Noir set. A table above the dance floor was the perfect perch to observe and sometimes draw the dancers and drinkers below.
I've been a nocturnal wanderer in many cities here and abroad but I've never found anything like Mama Mía's, at least, as it was in the 80's and 90's. I checked out what's in its former locale in "Plaza Coy" a few days ago and the contrast couldn't be greater. It's still a bar, but a prime example of the up-scaling going on in San Miguel. Sleek and refined, it's a good representation of the "quiet luxury" trend much in favor now. It wouldn't be out of place in any urban setting around the world.
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Keith Miller was born in Canada, but has spent most of his life abroad. At first travelling and working in Europe and S.E. Asia in the 1970's and 80's, he later settled in Mexico.
From the Gulf of Siam to the urban wilds of Manhattan his work explores a broad range of subjects reflecting a life of travel and observation. He recently crewed on a square-rigged sailing ship which crossed the Indian Ocean; recording the experience in another of his travel sketchbooks .
He has exhibited in in his native Canada as well as in the U.S., Mexico and the U.K. His paintings can be found in the collections of the United States Dept. of State and in a number of museums as well as private and corporate collections.
He's lived for the last 35 years in San Miguel de Allende where he now shares his home with a sometimes-faithful Schnauzer/Poodle mix.
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