Fábrica La Aurora

A 10-minute walk from the center of town, Fábrica La Aurora, which was established in 1902, was the principal source of fine-quality muslin in the region until competition forced its closing. Decades later, it reopened as exhibition spaces for art galleries and antique- and modern-furniture showrooms; also, many local artists have opened studios here.

The concentration of art galleries draws visitors in huge numbers. The Generator Gallery, complete with the fábrica's original generator, is the exhibition space for a group of Canadian artists headed by Leonard Brooks, one of the founders of the local artists' colony. Galería Florencia Riestra is owned by one of Mexico City's leading galleries. The folks at Pedro Cerroblanco are locally revered jewelry designers working with modernistic designs in silver and precious stones.

Planning to decorate? You will find inspiration from the past in the numerous antiques shops, including Cantadora and La Buhardilla, with their superb collection of Mexican colonial objets d'art. Finca, Sisal, Atrium, and C. DeWayne Youts are the showrooms of some of San Miguel's most inspired interior designers. La Bottega di Casa sells jacquard cottons, fine linens, Capodimonte ceramics, alabaster vases, and traditional pewter from Italy.

Just outside the entrance to the fábrica stands a gigantic tent—La Carpa—which is a venue for circus, dance, and theater performances and workshops, as well as a setting for evenings of offbeat and international film screenings.

If you're shopped out and hungry, head for the Food Factory with its old-world atmosphere and comfortable sofas under a covered patio. Or pick up a snack at the outdoor Café de la Aurora coffee shop. Calzada de la Aurora s/n, El Centro.