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Yes, You’re Gorgeous — So is Everything Behind You

Ask yourself why you came before snapping another selfie

6 min readOct 26, 2026

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A beige-and-brown building with its facade half-covered in purple bougainvillea
Bougainvillea beauty on every block | photo by author

It’s the bougainvillea you notice first. The purply-pink petals grow from spiny vines and cascade like waterfalls from rooftops across the city. They spill over the dark volcanic stone that frames thousands of intricate, hand-carved doors, an indication of the architectural wonders a visitor is about to experience.

Make your way to the Jardin Allende in the heart of downtown San Miguel de Allende and find a lush urban garden filled with manicured laurel trees and a gazebo where mariachis play and children run. The scent of cinnamon and chocolate beckons one to turn the corner and wait in line for locally famous dipped churros.

Look up and there’s the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, the city’s iconic crown jewel. The church dates back to the 17th century, built from cantera rosa, pink volcanic rock drawn from a nearby volcano. Its mineral composition causes the church to shift colors throughout the day, from a soft blush in the morning to a deep, fiery terracotta by nightfall.

San Miguel de Allende, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, is often named the best city in the world by Travel & Leisure. It’s praised for its spectacular Colonial-era architecture, centuries of history, a thriving…

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I write memoir, creative non-fiction, and flash. Newly retired American living in Mexico, in the most beautiful city in the world, San Miguel de Allende.