Fábrica La Aurora, in San Miguel: top-quality art, cafés and shops

Surely one of the main attractions that draw North Americans to San Miguel are the beautiful colonial townhouses and the pink Paroquia facing the main square, which has an adorable bandstand and topiary trees:

But San Miguel is, above all, an art haven, where hundreds of painters, sculpters and gallerists live and work. Most of them have studios or galleries at the Fábrica La Aurora, a beautiful textile factory turned art center, with breezy courtyards and whitewashed walls. It oozes stylishness and good taste:

This was one of my favourite galleries, the Galería Manuel Chacón:

And here's one of the many art studios, which are open to visitors:

I was immediately drawn to these paintings by Leonard Brooks, a Canadian expat:

But to me the most beautiful art of all were the ceramics by Jaime Goded, a bit reminiscent of Picasso:

Jaime Goded was born in 1945 in Mexico City, to Spanish parents. He's lived in San Miguel since 1983, and has eight grandchildren.

The non-artsy can find plenty of other goodies to buy:

Especially at the Pineda Covalini boutique, selling gorgeous shawls and a myriad other luxury things - even Samsonite bags custom-designed by her. All stunning and quite pricey:

Not in the mood to spend? Well, that's what the wine bar is there for! :)

As I wandered along, I also found this charming café:

The Fábrica also offers art classes, studio visits and workshops.

In short, one simply can not go to San Miguel and not stop in for a visit!

Fábrica La Aurora: tel. (415) 152-1012

Oaxaca hotels and colonial architecture

Oaxaca, beautiful Oaxaca. The colonial town that Americans are totally enamored with. Arid outskirts, old churches galore...

This is the must-go-to place for serial shoppers who are into ceramics and tapestry.

I stayed at the Hotel Victoria, nice and secluded but, in the other hand, totally annoying for those who like to be in the middle of the action. Sits on top of a hill and you have to cab it to the downtown, or walk 25 minutes or so. Nice view, though...

As is the case in most Mexican towns, the Zocalo (main square) is the center of it all, so just pull up a chair and order a mezcal and beer combo. Tequila is SO not the thing to drink here.

Hotels in Oaxaca:

Camino Real: Rua 5 de Mayo, 300, (951) 60-732
An old convent turned into a luxury hotel, considered by most the top in town.

Hotel Victoria: Rua Lomas del Fortín, 1, (951) 515-2633
Almost a country hotel, with extensive gardens, pool, tennis court, etc. Bad location.

Trebol: Rua Flores Magón, 201, (951) 516-1256
Much simpler than the other two, but has a great location, right near the Zocalo

Casa Oaxaca: Rua Garcia Vigil, 407, (951) 514-4173
The cool kid on the block, with an excellent contemporary Mexican restaurant to boot. Here are some of their PR photos:

Oaxaca: the moles and the best hotel, Casa Oaxaca

Upon arriving, I felt a sense of disappointment: the outskirts are dry and poor and blah. The Old Downtown is where it's at: it's pretty, well-preserved, rich in churches and food markets and crafts stores.

Oaxaca is famous for its dark green and black ceramics, sold everywhere. But I had more fun wandering the streets and checking out the locals, many of whom are Zapotec Indians (they look it, too).


Women tend to be short and wear long braids tied with colourful ribbons, long skirts with aprons, while the men favour wool ponchos. The Zapotecs and other local indians speak nearly 50 different dialects!

The greatest oeuvre of the Zapotecs still stands today. Monte Albán, a 20 minute taxi ride from town, are amazing ruins. Not only have they withstood the test of time, but the pyramid-shaped structures are proof of the power, wealth and engineering prowess of the ancient Zapotecs.

They've left a heritage of a strangely delicious cuisine: fried grasshoppers, chayote and corn soup, pork and beef stews, and tortillas stuffed with huitlacloche, a fungus that grows on corn and has a truffle-like depth of flavour. My favourites were the memelas, open-faced tortillas topped with a myriad things:

Then there are the famous moles - thick sauces made with 10, even 15 different spices, such as chocolate, chilli and onions. They're usually served over chicken, beef or pork, with rice on the side:

The local drink is the mezcal, a lesser-known cousin of the tequila, which sometimes comes with a worm (gusano) in the bottle. It's complex in flavour and quite delicious: