San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, has been named “#1 City in the World” by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure. Having lived in San Miguel for a decade, Ann Marie Jackson finds the rhythms and flavors of this unique place have a significant influence on her writing.

“San Miguel de Allende itself is a central character in my work. I hope you will agree that the allure of San Miguel saturates The Broken Hummingbird. I am enormously fascinated by the rich way cultures have mixed in this small jewel of a city in the central highlands of Mexico. Full of gorgeous architecture built during the heyday and horrors of the silver mining era, this place offers an appealing lifestyle, an unending supply of fascinating traditions, and a fresh start.

Immigrants from the United States, Canada, and many European countries have been graciously welcomed and incorporated into the texture of SanMiguelense life for generations, since Bellas Artes and the Instituto Allende became world-class institutions of art and language education. American soldiers fresh from World War II used their GI Bill benefits to study here. They were followed by beatniks and hippies, artists and writers, retirees, and now remote tech workers and world-schoolers.

While immigration in the other direction all too often involves facing danger en route and discrimination upon arrival, we immigrants coming south have it much easier. We are generally treated with courtesy and warmth whether we’re just wintering here or seriously building new lives for ourselves and our children. I hope you’ll enjoy experiencing San Miguel’s magic—as well as the less beautiful side of life—with me.”