Point South Mexico - Real Estate and Lifestyle Magazine

From the time Homo Erectus realized chasing mammoths around all week made for serious joint pain, there’s been a rush to find nature’s balms within every earthly nook and cranny.

Today, hundreds of natural locations around the planet have been enshrined as centres endowed with the capacity to heal an entire Gray’s Anatomy of physical illnesses. And while thousands of the halt and lame seek out these sacred groves and mystical energy “vortexes” that reputedly provide illusive cures, the jury is still out on whether these sudden health benefits have any medical basis or are simply the result of illusory, wishful thinking. So the question remains: Can exposure to nature and the earth’s peculiar climatic and geological components actually affect human health? Or are we just as effectively treated for our nagging maladies by dancing naked on the summer solstice wearing shells and feathers and hootin’ at the moon?

San Miguel de Allende offers visitors seeking an adventure of the spirit a unique opportunity for personal growth.

A curandero’s (healers) broom standing upside down in the corner of an ancient stone house, fresh chamomile flowers on the floor sending up an intoxicating aroma. A painter at work on a dazzlingly colourful canvas, a vision she had in a dream the night before. A wildly gyrating group of dancers ranging from teens to people in their seventies, passionately expressing themselves in movement—dance as a personal sacred ritual.

Welcome to the Mexico of spiritual healing, inner exploration, and mystical seeking—a place of wonder amid the already exotic delights of a vibrant, centuries-old culture steeped in spirituality.

In the 18th century, Catholic church fathers chastened the denizens of San Miguel de Allende for holding too many celebrations. Fortunately for us, no one seemed to listen and the fiesta goes on. Here are some highlights of the city’s many annual festivities.

November: Souls of deceased children are welcomed back by their families on November 1, Día de Todos los Santos (All Saints’ Day), and on November 2, Día de los Fieles Difuntos (All Souls’ Day), the adult dearly departed are enticed to visit. Altars laden with marigolds, candles, food, and photos of the deceased offer comfort and nourishment, and elaborately adorned plots serve as picnic sites as family and friends gather in the cemeteries to commune with the dead. Also called Día de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead,” this centuries-old tradition celebrates the continuity of life and a uniquely Mexican view of death.

Where there’s a word there’s a way

Going to Mexico to study Spanish is a worthy goal, and to make your linguistic dreams a reality in San Miguel de Allende, one of the town’s many language schools might be just the boleto (ticket).

The city is the adopted home of several thousand expats; visitors found staring helplessly as they flip through pocket dictionaries are likely to find a translator on the spot. Mexicans working in hotels and restaurants can usually ease the frustration. That “out-of-my-element” feeling is thus minimized, but learning takes more determination than it would in a town not known for its tourist trade.

The Warren Hardy Spanish School is the answer for many. Hardy’s goal is to get students to a conversational level as quickly as possible. Since the school’s start in 1990, Hardy has built an industry out of his method. These materials are available online, but the best way to learn, many have found, is to enroll in his San Miguel school and practice their newly discovered language skills with Mexican-born tutors.