By Carolina de la Cajiga
After the 1910 Mexican Revolution, the relevance of San Miguel Allende declined considerably, going from a pre-eminent wealthy commercial center to almost becoming a ghost outpost. Serendipity brought its revival when famous Mexican opera singer José Mojica and American painter Stirling Dickinson, who had met in the 1930s in Chicago, ran into each other, this time in San Miguel after WWII.
Intrepid Dickinson sought to bring to San Miguel Allende veterans to study art under the GI Bill. Through Mojica’s contacts, in 1938, they succeeded in getting the Mexican government to convert the old convent of the Immaculate Conception into the Escuela de Bellas Artes. Eventually, a few and then hundreds of art students started arriving from the U.S. and Canada, and later, from other countries. San Miguel has continued to flourish ever since.
Most of the first arrivals were left-leaning, committed people who wanted not only to study but also to improve the lives of the locals. No wonder the first instructors at the art school were fearless social fighters David Alfaro Siqueiros, Pedro Martinez, and Peruvian Felipe Cossío del Pomar. A mix of engaged people from vastly different backgrounds continues to be the heart of present-day San Miguel de Allende.
Isabel Morales, Isa, as she likes being called, delights in sharing this and many other stories about San Miguel and its vicinity, which she learned growing up in a family of intellectuals, surrounded by old and new books. Her mother is a linguist, and her father is a historian and an environmentalist. Though being part of the tourism industry was not in Isa's original plans–she had studied physiotherapy but, from time to time, her father, Arturo Morales, requested her help in his tour guiding company, and she responded. Eventually, the bug of tourism slowly won her over.
After getting her tour guide certificate, Isa wanted to give a twist to her city tours; she began researching and talking to old folks to recover forgotten stories and customs of the Indigenous Peoples and the criollos––the first descendants of the Spanish born in America. This is how Isa’s one-of-a-kind ‘Xperiences’ came to be.
Isa balances recounting the lives of notable and notorious historical figures such as Ignacio Allende, Diego Rivera, writer Vance Packard, Beat poet Neal Cassady, and many more with San Miguel's contemporary trendy visual artists, writers, designers, wine growers, and lovers. She also points at the magnificent centuries-old stunning casonas (mansions) and palaces that still grace our chuecas (crocked) cobblestone streets. Isa brings alive our incomparable, remarkable World Heritage town. Sanmiguelenses joining Isa's tours have been surprised to discover so much they never knew…
How to be an excellent tour guide? By being a tourist. While in high school, Isa had the opportunity to travel to Amherst, N.H., on an exchange program. There, she admired the beauty of autumn and real winter. She also visited New York, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Later, she was hired as a babysitter and Spanish instructor for Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez's kids. These experiences were invaluable lessons for Isa to better serve her clients.
As any successful entrepreneur nowadays, Isa is ready and open to sudden changes, working at whatever time and number of hours according to the season's demands and her customers' requests. In the low periods and between tours, Isa loves taking her dogs for walks and relaxing in San Miguel's coffee shops.
When possible, she visits Puerto Vallarta, mainly to watch the whales she admires. Isa also likes reading, meditating, swimming, hiking, yoga, and being with her family. What she does not care about is cooking; she prefers visiting the quaint eateries that double as her dining room and office.
Isa is also an activist who fights against social injustices and the mistreatment of animals. Occasionally, she collaborates with her dad's conferences and his radio programs in Cascabel Radio Social to raise awareness of cultural and social issues. These activities give her a sense of peace and fulfillment.
If you want to learn more about the celebrities and the wicked people who have been part of San Miguel, contact Isabel Morales (Isa) at San Miguel Xperiences Tours, Whatsapp: 415 114 9737, smaxperiences@gmail.com, and FB, San Miguel Experiences Tours.
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