Join us this summer in lovely San Miguel de Allende for an unforgettable two-weeks or full month of writing and community in the heart of Mexico.
Faculty and Guests will include:
Joseph and Amanda Boyden
Andrei Codrescu
Alex Espinoza
Dinty W. Moore
Steven Church
Bill Lavender
Jim Grimsley
Hank Lazer
Michael Winter
Julie Hensley
R Dean Johnson
and many more
San Miguel is located in the mountains north of Mexico City.
The high elevation keeps the summer months cool. It is close
enough to Mexico City for weekend visits, and even closer to
such historic locations as Dolores Hidalgo, Querétero, and
historic Guanajuato, famous for its mummies, silver mines,
and as the birthplace of Diego Rivera. The area is known as
the birthplace of the Mexican Revolution.
The nearest airpot is León, which is only a two hour flight
from Houston. We will provide a shuttle service from the
airport in León to San Miguel.
The program will provide excursions to nearby historic sites,
and participants are also welcome to travel on their own on
weekends.
San Miguel was founded in 1542 by the Franciscan monk
Fray Juan de San Miguel. It was an important stopover on the Antiguo Camino Real, part of the silver route from Zacatecas,
Zacatecas.
The town featured prominently in the Mexican War of
Independence. General Ignacio Allende, one of San Miguel’s
native sons, was a leading player in the war against Spain.
Allende, captured in battle and beheaded, is a national hero.
San Miguel el Grande renamed itself “San Miguel de Allende”
in 1826 in honor of his actions.
San Miguel de Allende was declared a national historic
monument in 1926 by the Mexican government, Development
in the historic district is restricted in order to preserve
the town’s colonial character.
The population of the central urban area is approximately
80,000.
The area around San Miguel and Dolores Hidalgo is know,
ironically, as the bajío, which means low place. The name is
ironic since it is situated on a high plateau. The elevation at
San Miguel is over 1800 meters, more than a mile, but the
plateau is surrounded by even higher mountains. Visitors
familiar with Spain will recognize the landscape.
San Miguel has an abundance of lovely and inexpensive hotels
and hostals, like Bosque, pictured above. The program will make
use of several of these establishments to provide housing for
participants, or you may feel free to find your own lodging.
Read about San Miguel daily news in the bi-lingual paper,
Atencion San Miguel, published by the San Miguel library,
which is also bi-lingual and an excellent resource for writers.
Area Map |
