Biblioteca's House and Garden Tour

We hope that you will join us on any given Sunday for San Miguel de Allende's most popular tourist attraction, the weekly House & Garden Tour sponsored by the Biblioteca Pública.

The tours were started approximately 50 years ago by local foreign residents in order to provide visitors with the chance to see “behind the hidden walls” of San Miguel. We have over 300 houses on our roster with new homes never-before-seen on the tour being shown on a regular basis. The House & Garden Tour shows different homes every Sunday (with the exception of those which fall on a holiday).

The local weekly newspaper, Atención, gives descriptions of the properties to be shown every Friday as well as alerting visitors if a holiday is upcoming. Our website will also post descriptions of the homes shown that week or advise if a holiday, festival or fiesta prevents a tour. All the tours are conducted via local buses so normally very little walking is required, although we would like to advise visitors with walking problems to ask at the cashier’s desk on any given Sunday how much walking will be required.

On YOUR Sunday visit you may see anything from a Colonial mansion to a tiny adobe house, a splendid new home or an artist’s domain. Reservations are not necessary – just come to the Biblioteca Pública on a Sunday between 11AM and noon, and purchase your tickets at the door. Tickets can be purchased in advance at our ticket counter located just inside the Biblioteca's entrance on Relox 50 .

Breakfast is served in our beautiful patio from 9AM till 11.30AM prior to the tour and music is played in the main patio between 11AM and noon. We offer discounts for groups of ten or more, and tickets cost $200 pesos or $15 U.S.D. Cash only, no credit cards or Traveler’s checks are accepted. Please join us! Proceeds benefit the Biblioteca Pública and its educational programs for children.

Special groups or specific information can be obtained by contacting Jennifer Hamilton at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or calling 152-4987.

House and Garden Tour

February 07, 2010

1.  Nestled surreptitiously amongst the softly rolling hillsides of Candelaria, this magnificent home is an outstanding fusion of Moroccan, Art Deco, and Indian design and decoration throughout.  High church vaulted ceilings are to be seen from beginning to end as well as cantera columns, arches, and its conceptualized plan of  an early 20s look and feel.   Tall glass doors and windows stream light to the indoors, and upon entering one is immediately struck by the view from the front door through the hallway which divides the dining from the living rooms over the 4.9 acres of land upon which the property lies.   Most striking is the fireplace in the living room to the left, representing the God of Fire.  Backing it are two arched nichos filled with an extraordinary collection of art deco pieces mounted on triangular wood shelves.   Ceiling cornices are artfully designed and painted in gold leaf.   A fully outfitted theater is filled with luxurious, deep leather chairs and sofas. At the end of the passageway a dazzling circular bathtub made up of shiny bright blue glass stones with matching blue lights placed in the floor around it.  The bedroom is very deco with its overstuffed bed, Moroccan bedside tables and camel reading lamps.   Curvilinear burled maple chairs front the fireplace.  Three guest bedrooms are on the opposite side of the house, two “jewel-boxes” with sensually draped beds and one with a Chinese opium bed which leads into a “volcano” red stone and glass beaded bathroom, all leading into a private garden also used for bocce ball.    Outside are many water features, and a long narrow channel of water to the ponds and pool.  The spacious rooftop affords dazzling views over the countryside.  

 2.  This art-filled, Mexican contemporary house has been photographed for books such as “Mexicolor”, “In a Mexican Garden” and “Mexican Style Exteriors”.  A commanding 85-foot vaulted ceiling greets visitors upon entering.  This special house radiates from two courtyards and spills into a large garden complete with a 30-foot fish pond.  Notice how the owners have used the vibrant and exciting colors of Mexico.  This home overflows with beautiful objects from their collection of contemporary American craft, American modern paintings and an ever-expanding and fine collection of Mexican folk art.  This casa is a feast for the eyes and a lift for the spirit!  A new garden and gallery was built two years ago on an empty lot next to the house.