Casa Sierra Gorda

Tucked away in a small callejón, this stunning house integrates the geometric forms of 16th century arches with the clean lines of modernist design. Built in approximately 1595 adjacent to one of the oldest churches in San Miguel, the original structure is believed to have sheltered soldiers protecting the church. Four hundred years later, the house is a sun-filled family home and the ideal place to welcome friends and relatives. The huge garden, designed and maintained by famous landscape architect Timeteo Wachter, is a magical world with winding paths, flowers, and trees laden with pomegranates, oranges, lemons, limes, and apricots. Walking along one of the paths, you will come upon a 16th-century grotto containing a stone hot tub. In another area, you will see a fountain pouring water down a set of Aztec-inspired steps into a small pool with aquatic plants. And off in one corner, you will find a “secret garden” — a small, semi-enclosed hide-away with banana trees, a working grill, stone benches, and a fountain in the shape of a dog.

The house itself has three spacious bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, plus one and a half extra bathrooms. On the ground floor, there is a cozy screening or TV room with theater-style velvet curtains, original 16th-century walls, a fireplace, and a large flat-screen television. The downstairs also includes a large foyer with original walls and arches and a fountain, and two of the three bedrooms, each opening onto the garden. A stone stairway with a large skylight leads to the second floor, where the living room, dining room, and third bedroom all have open views of the garden, the town, and the mountains. The dining room opens onto a large balcony, which is ideal for meals and cocktail gatherings. Stone steps lead from the upper floor to the garden. Much of the furniture and virtually all of the lights were designed and hand made for the house.

The house is in one of the oldest sections of San Miguel, an elevated area where the air is far fresher and cooler than it is in the lower parts of town. The view from the balcony has inspired several people to say, “I feel as if I’m in Tuscany!” The charming walk to the main plaza begins in 16th-century streets, taking you past the Arches of Atascadero, the original Stirling Dickenson home and orchid garden, the houses where Diego Rivera and other famous artists stayed when visiting San Miguel, and several restaurants.