10 Year Anniversary
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of The Jaunt, we have invited some of the artists that we have worked with over the years to create a new silkscreen print. Liz Flores’ print is one of the seven prints that makes part of this series.

Artist: Liz Flores
Title: Florecita

Print details
Dimensions: ± 50 x 70 cm
Medium: six colours silkscreen print
Edition: edition of 50, signed and numbered by the artist

"I wanted to allow the trip to unfold the way it was meant to. I had written down a few museums and activities that I wanted to do, but aside from that I let the days dictate themselves. I quickly found out that everything about San Miguel de Allende is an artist's dream. I was pleasantly surprised by the culinary scene of the city. It was very diverse, a true feast for the senses. Without a doubt it was the colors of San Miguel de Allende that made the biggest impression on me. Everyday felt like I was living in a sunset painting. The beauty and architecture of the city is unparalleled and really took my breath away.

I was also lucky enough to visit some of my family, who live about two hours away from San Miguel de Allende. All throughout my time in the city and the time I was able to spend with my family I felt like I was finding missing pieces of myself, connecting to something that felt ancient and ancestral. Cracking open so that something new could emerge. Going back to visit the home country of your family can have this effect and I wanted to recreate that with my print for The Jaunt. When it came to color, I knew I had to pay homage to those beautiful sunset colors that were omnipresent during my time in Mexico."

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

After an overnight flight from Chicago to Guanajuato I arrived in the early morning to Hacienda El Molino. The small boutique hotel is beautiful, and I was immediately greeted by friendly staff. After taking a cat nap, I ventured out toward the city center. My first stop was the delicious restaurant Raíces. This was my very first meal in San Miguel de Allende and wow it did not disappoint. I enjoyed a limonada, and to start three delicious corn pancakes with fresh fruit, cream and agave honey. It was UNREAL. Then topped it off with the enchiladas verdes. I rolled out of that restaurant and made my way to the city center.

As I made my way down to the city center (about a 30 min walk) I started to see the famous colors, and the beautiful colonial architecture that San Miguel is famous for. I truly felt like I was living in a painting - pinks, reds, ochres, dried flowers adorning the doors. Everything was particular, and at the same time nothing was too precious. 

I sat in the Jardín Allende, a main plaza that sits in front of the famous pink cathedral - Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel. The plaza was buzzing with people, vendors, singers serenading folks. 

I made my way to the Chocolates y Churros San Agustín and ordered a Mexican hot chocolate with a chocolate churro which I enjoyed at the plaza across the street. I made my way through some shops and slowly home. Excited to continue to deep dive into the artisan culture here. This place is truly brimming with art in all forms - food, architecture, murals, paintings, and design.

Thursday, July 14, 2022
Started the day off on the hunt for coffee. Found myself at Rústica where I enjoyed some mushroom breakfast tacos and lentil soup. Then I began the long hike up to The Mirador. While taking a taxi or a bus would have been faster, I enjoy these long walks because it really is the best way to see so much of the city. I made some stops along the way which broke up the walking. I came across Parque Benito Juarez and strolled through until I found a bench in a shady area. The parks in San Miguel are beautiful, and these past two days I’ve found myself sitting in many plazas and parks just to take in the scenery. Once I felt ready to continue my journey (the walk becomes pretty steep and the cobblestone streets are no joke) I walked toward the Mirador again. Took a few wrong turns until I finally made it. 

After enjoying the view from above, I made my way down toward the city center with a plan to make my way to the markets.  As I was walking, I happened to come across the Museo La Esquina del Juguete Popular Mexicano. This is a small museum that displays vintage, handcrafted toys from various Mexican regions. It had been on a list of museums to check out and it seemed like a perfect coincidence to just stumble upon it. My favorite part of the museum was the rooftop where there were tons of hand painted skeleton mobiles hanging from the ceiling.

The best part of today had to be the two markets I visited — Ignacio Ramírez Market and the Mercado de Artesanías (artisan market). The energy of the buzzy market was exciting and the local food that is available here is something that felt very refreshing after being surrounded by many restaurants in the tourist areas. This market and the people here felt like home. I enjoyed a licuado de fresa (strawberry milkshake) and wandered through the maze of things. I purchased a few items from some local artists and left to start making my way back to the hotel. I’ll definitely be returning here for a torta on another day for lunch. :)

I ended the day at a little hidden gem called Marsala. The duck confit and croquetas were the perfect ending to a long day. Now to go soak my feet.

Friday, July 15, 2022
Today was so special because my family came to visit me from Tequisquiapan! They drove all the way to San Miguel to pick me up where we enjoyed lunch and I met new and old family members. One of the things I love most about my culture is that no matter how much time has gone by, if you’re family, everyone shows up for you. There’s no question, and there’s no feeling of obligation. They show up because they love you and even if you’ve never met your family creates a bond that is invisible but palpable. It’s one of the most interesting connections I’ve witnessed growing up. How my parents were always ready to open their doors to any family member that came to visit the U.S. 

We ventured out of San Miguel to visit some other areas in Mexico and stopped at la Peña de Bernal, which is home to one of the tallest monoliths in the world. We enjoyed giant micheladas in town, played catch up on our lives and it felt so good to feel taken care of after a few days traveling alone. 

We hopped into the car and were off again to Tequisquiapan where I met another cousin who had an incredible dinner ready for us. Tacos and sopes de cochinita pibil and chorizo with cheese. It was exactly what I have been craving, a home cooked meal.

We drank tequila and laughed. We discussed the importance of family, being bilingual and I often heard the phrase “esta es tu casa” - this is your house. No english was spoken all day. I stayed at my aunt's house and tomorrow we’ll explore Queretaro before returning to San Miguel de Allende. There truly is nothing like the cariño de la familia (family love).

Saturday, July 16, 2022

Today will be a lighter diary day as I spent most of the day with family, talking, exploring their neighborhood, and as we say in Spanish — chismeando (gossiping).

I woke up to my aunt making breakfast which were homemade sopes, fruit and coffee. Later they gave me a tour of the neighborhood and we sat at a park to talk for a few hours. We ended the night with tacos al pastor, enmoladas de pollo and aqua de lima. Tomorrow we return to San Miguel in the morning and I continue my journey as a tourist.

Sunday, July 17, 2022

I returned to San Miguel today with my family. We walked around, and since it was Sunday the plazas were full of people. We said goodbye, which was bittersweet, but we are already making travel plans for future visits. 

It rained hard today so I spent some time at the hotel waiting out the storm. It’s interesting, in San Miguel it’ll rain hard for two hours (July is the rainy season) and then the sky is clear the rest of the night. After the weather subsided, I ventured out and tried a Peruvian restaurant called La Parada. It was delicious! Definitely a restaurant that's easy to miss since it isn’t in the center of town but the food was incredible. The pisco sour was perfect. 

I ended the night walking to the city center and eating churros and chocolate again in the plaza and tomorrow I celebrate my 32 birthday here!

Monday, July 18, 2022

Today is my birthday! The plan was to originally fly back on the 18th but since it was my birthday I decided to extend my stay in San Miguel to ring in 32 years around the sun. It started with breakfast at Raices - that restaurant has ended up being one of my favorites! I checked out of my current hotel and headed to a new location — Meson Hidalgo. After settling into the new digs I headed to the Fábrica La Aurora, a renovated textile mill housing cafes, shops & galleries with works by local artists. I loved touring the art studios, and chatting with different gallery owners. When the rain hit (it ended up being pretty rainy for a few hours) a friend and I decided to sit in one of the cafes and ordered some micheladas until the rain died down. 

We ended the night at a place called La Mezcalería for dinner and drinks. I had the Pepino y Cilantro Margarita de mezcal. We tried a little of everything but my absolute favorite were the jamaica flower sopes with mole and avocado. My birthday night ended in the best way — with mariachis in the main plaza. This trip has been so special and unique, a perfect combination of adventure, family, and art. Mexican architecture has truly captured my heart and I continue to feel like I am in a painting as I walk around town. My time reporting for The Jaunt has come to an end, but I still have a few more days here as I extended my trip :). Excited to continue to experience San Miguel this week and create something that hopefully captures even a smidge of the magic this town has shown me.