While growing up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, in the late 1970s and 1980s, Yadira Del Rocio Hernandez Mendez saw only a few Americans who either studied art in the 14th century colonial town or made San Miguel de Allende (SMA) their permanent home. By the time Mendez reached her late teens, she noticed more and more Americans on the streets of San Miguel. “Some people liked having the ‘new’ people in town; others did not because the town was changing, it was no longer the same,” she said.
In just three decades, the population of this colonial town located in central Mexico, swelled from 25,000 to roughly 100,000, with American expatriates accounting for at least 10 percent of the population explosion. The cobblestone streets, colorful architecture, temperate weather, thriving art community and low cost of living, attracted new arrivals, many of them retirees.
Even so, most of the Americans in SMA live a much richer lifestyle than most of the Mexicans, many of whom make their living farming or running small shops. This creates some resentment, though, for the most part, it stays under the surface. “You hear all kinds of stories about very humane Americans with strong connections to the town and its people,” Mendez said. “But there is the occasional story of the ‘ugly’ American who pays her employees poorly, and makes no effort to learn the language or assimilate.”
With a host of American residential enclaves, it’s easy to socialize almost exclusively with other Americans. There’s a Wal-Mart and Costco 45 minutes away, Cable TV with all the English language channels, and the Internet make it easy for ex pats to remain closely in touch with the United States. And, SMA has one of the largest bilingual libraries in the country. It’s not unusual for Americans and other ex pats to spend years in SMA without learning to speak Spanish.
However, many Americans like Allen Bedingfield, 65, who with her partner moved to SMA three years ago from Winston Salem, North Carolina, and takes the time to learn Spanish and volunteers at one of the more than 100 nonprofit organizations. “We are visitors,” said Bedingfield. “We must be respectful of the culture, get to know our neighbors, and offer whatever skills and time we have.” Bedingfield and her partner Peter are the only Americans in their residential area. “Life here is very involved,” she said. “We spend most of our time with Mexicans who treat us like family. We are the godparents of a young friend’s child.” Bedingfield volunteers at the Center for the Adolescents of San Miguel de Allende (CASA), a 30-year-old youth-driven organization that serves 80,000 people a year in SMA and beyond with its maternity hospital, school for professional midwives, child development center, and peer counselors. “The people at CASA are grateful for what we do, and I am inspired by the quality of the programs and the Mexicans who are helping other Mexicans. There are so many well-meaning people.”
As Luis Alberto Villarreal, a former mayor of San Miguel said, “This mestizaje, or cultural mixing, has profoundly changed and benefited both sides.”