Kathleen Cammarata
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Español

by Cathi and Steven House

 
Arriving in San Miguel, as we've done annually now for over thirty years, is never the same. Coming into town never lacks moments of incredulity, sometimes quiet, sometimes filled with all the energies of a place well-loved.

Evening arrivals are to the sounds of music echoing from the Jardin, the aromas of evening meals swirling from homes into the streets, the sounds of laughter, that magic glow of moonlight gently washing the steady towers of faith.

Early-morning arrival is to the sounds of the myriad birds who find their homes tucked into the plants that fill the courtyards, waking and calling to each other in excitement for the new day.

If it is midday, arrival is to the warmth of the sun as it stirs the fragrance from the courtyard flowers to mix with aromas of comidas being readied during the peaceful respite of the afternoon siesta.

And should we arrive in the wee hours when everyone is asleep and the streets are quiet, it is to a dream, a place too beautiful to be real.

Whatever the time of day, arrival is always joyous. We know we are home; enveloped in beautiful sounds and smells, surrounded by truly kind, generous people, who have made us feel the power of what "home" means here.

When we try to explain this feeling to friends and family members from north of la frontera, they don't understand. How can you truly explain what it means to be "completamente enamorada" with a place, with the sounds of the birds and aromas of meals, with the warm embrace of neighbors, with the sweet kisses of friends?

San Miguel is home in the richest possible definition of what home means - the place where our heart resides, regardless of where our bodies may be.
 

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There are countless galleries, studios, workshops, and classes in every kind of artistic endeavor. A former textile factory, the Fabrica la Aurora, is a huge complex of art where frequent gatherings bring people from all over the world. The quality of the art, the depth of meaning behind the art, the sheer quantity of art in San Miguel qualifies it as an art destination, whether it is to create it, enjoy it or to buy it.

Alberto Lenz
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Jo Brenzo & Gregory Berkowitz
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There are few towns in the world that support the arts as beautifully as San Miguel. The stunning, 150 year old Angela Peralta Theater hosts musicians that may be on a world tour, stopping in New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and... San Miguel. Stages or enormous screens are regularly set up in the plaza between the Jardin and the Parroquia to present world class performances or for International Film and Music festivals that host, not only the music or film, but the creators as well, so they can share their processes and dreams with the audience. The renowned San Miguel Writers' Conference draws poets and writers from around the globe.

The quality of these creative outlets is unexpected in a town of this size anywhere in the world. To find it in a small town in the middle of Mexico is both a surprise and a delight.

Ismael Hernandez

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Anado McLauchlin

Anado McLauchlin and Richard Schlutz built the Chapel of Jimmy Ray in 2012 as a gallery within their compound La Casa de las Ranas, the House of the Frogs. In the quiet community of La Cieneguita, just a few miles outside of San Miguel, in a tranquil garden setting, an amazing collection of handmade, broken-tile mosaic-decorated structures is an oasis of art that hosts a multitude of events celebrating the joy and meaning of art, dedicated to "the Outlanders of the world, those who have chosen the road less trodden."

Made by Anado
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Anado McLaughlin's life was dedicated to his and to other's art, celebrating in every manner the ideas of making, questioning and finding new truths.

Made by Anado
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Made by Anado
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"What I do on a poetic, metaphorical level is try to combine all of the different belief systems and all of those spiritual roads, and to show that in reality, there is only one road." - Anado McLauchlin
 

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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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