From Natural Wineries to Boutique Bungalows, San Miguel de Allende Is a Next-Generation Creative Capital

It’s just after sunset in San Miguel de Allende, and a delightful desert chill is already descending on the colorful cobbled town. Here, in the heart of Mexico’s central highlands, I’ve arrived at the home studio of the Sonora-born hat designer Alejandra “Suki” Armendariz. After sharing cocktails across the street at the rooftop bar, Bekeb—helmed by her partner, the famed mixologist Fabiola Padilla—my friends and I stumbled our way uphill to her workshop, only a few blocks away. Winded, we passed through a thick wooden door of an unassuming façade to arrive at the studio, a subterranean room lined with well-worn cowboy saddles, geometric-patterned flannel tops, and antique silver and turquoise metal belts. Norteño music blasts from the speaker as Armendariz grabs beers from the refrigerator. She pops the cap off a bottle with her dusty leather boots and hands it to me; a smile sweeps her face at her trick as congratulatory applause ricochets throughout the room.