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San Miguel de Allende
Unlike the other cities on this list, San Miguel de Allende, a beautiful colonial town set in the mountains outside of Mexico City, isn’t renowned for its art collections per se, but rather, as a stellar place to create art itself. In fact, New York magazine described it as "the closest thing Mexico has to Florence" – an apt comparison, as the town’s unusual light has helped transform it from a colonial backwater into an upscale, world-renowned art colony. The place is particularly popular with North Americans, many of whom visit for the art classes alone (many of which are downright inexpensive or even free). Indeed, painting, jewelry-making, sculpture, and ceramics, among various others crafts, are taught at terrific schools here; one of the most reputable is the Instituto Allende (www.instituto-allende.edu.mx), which occupies an atmospheric cloister loaded with murals and stone work. When you’re not in your studio, spend time browsing the dozen-plus galleries that line the compact town’s colorful streets.
San Miguel de Allende
Unlike the other cities on this list, San Miguel de Allende, a beautiful colonial town set in the mountains outside of Mexico City, isn’t renowned for its art collections per se, but rather, as a stellar place to create art itself. In fact, New York magazine described it as "the closest thing Mexico has to Florence" – an apt comparison, as the town’s unusual light has helped transform it from a colonial backwater into an upscale, world-renowned art colony. The place is particularly popular with North Americans, many of whom visit for the art classes alone (many of which are downright inexpensive or even free). Indeed, painting, jewelry-making, sculpture, and ceramics, among various others crafts, are taught at terrific schools here; one of the most reputable is the Instituto Allende (www.instituto-allende.edu.mx), which occupies an atmospheric cloister loaded with murals and stone work. When you’re not in your studio, spend time browsing the dozen-plus galleries that line the compact town’s colorful streets.