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to do and see. Mexican arts and crafts,
blown glass and silver jewelry can be
found at bargain prices in the connect-
ing alleys of the Mercado de Artesanias.
The El Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden
extends over 167 acres, featuring remark-
able biodiversity. Benches await the weary in
the El Jardin, San Miguel’s central square, in
the shadow of the soaring cathedral, La Par-
roquia. At night, fireworks, dancers, singers
and strolling families fill the Jardin, making
it the place to be.

Excursions and special events are organized
for festival-goers, with guided tours of San
Miguel’s elegant homes, visits to neighbor-
ing villages, mining ghost towns, and recent-
ly uncovered ancient pyramids. Byron and I
spent a heavenly morning at La Gruta Hot
Springs, about 10 km from SMA, soaking in
a series of increasingly hotter pools, culmi-
nating with a man-made grotto featuring a
powerful waterspout. Poet Sandra Cisneros,
a keynote speaker in 2012, told me the wa-
terfall “will slap you silly.” She was right, and
it was wonderful.

On the Beat Afternoon Cantina Crawl, we
watched the bartender at La Cucaracha Bar
make the best margarita I’ve ever tasted. It
was a masterpiece of simplicity: a tall nar-
row glass filled with ice, rimmed with salt,
consisting only of tequila, Cointreau and one
squeezed lime. A special event organized for
the festival, the Cantina Crawl will return
for the third time in 2015. For $15, you
visit three of the oldest cantinas in town and
learn the history of the old taverns and writ-
ers who frequented them.

The afternoon culminates at La Cucaracha,
the new location of the seedy joint where
Festival photos by Charlotte Bell Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac once drank.
lovely poet whose work is frequently The bar comes to life with actors portraying
read by Garrison Keillor on “The Writ- out quickly. Set in the historic plaza of one
ers Almanac” on NPR. I attended every of San Miguel’s grand colonial buildings, the Beat stars, including William Burroughs
and Allen Ginsberg, reading their poetry in
talk, and each gave grist for inspiration revelers are greeted by dashing musta- a performance cleverly written and directed
for years to come. My talk on Valentine’s chioed caballeros and floral-bedecked
by another of the SMA Literary Sala volun-
Day went well, and that night we partied burros. The tequila is free and free flow- teers, screenwriter Frank Gaydos. On our
at the legendary Fiesta. ing. Exhilarating singers, Folklorico and last night in SMA, Byron and I returned to
Aztec dancers entertain on the stage, as
The Friday night Fiesta is appropriately towering papier-mâché puppets dance La Cucaracha to dance to the weathered
juke box and drink one last perfect mar-
legendary. My friends had great fun, some through the crowd. Fresh abundant local garita.
even more than others. The locals, used dishes are grilled and served in several
to an annual schedule of parties for which locations. Fireworks cap the evening. Looking back, we agree. It was the best
SMA is famous, take advantage of this shin- ten days of our lives.
dig, buying up individual tickets, which sell Outside of the festival, there’s much

Wine Dine & Travel Spring 2014 91