The following chart presents our predicted temperatures (High and Low) for San Miguel de Allende.

These prediction are based on temperatures for the month over the last couple of years.

The rainy season in San Miguel extends from late June through October.

Most of the rains occur late in the afternoon or early evening. While sometimes heavy, they usually do not last for more than an hour or so.

The weather from November through June is dry and sunny almost every day.

Occasionally in the winter months there will be some early morning fog or low clouds.

San Miguel sits at 6400 feet, keeping the humidity and temperature down and the air crisp and clear

The Mexican Indian, in his attempt not only to conceal the face, but more extraordinarily to conceal the naked soul, has created a unique universe of magical masks. For a few moments in some frenzied dance or religious ceremonial performance, the magic is born.

Masks are an element in the history of personal and cultural expression. The function of the mask varies from society to society. Some are used for religious purposes to this day. Others are used for drama, dance and healing. Many cultures believe that donning a mask reveals the true inner person and culture. This act is, therefore, really an “unmasking”. Others believe that the wearer becomes the actual deity represented by the mask and treat their masks ritually as religious objects.

Masks create magic, they enchant, they assume a life of their own. They connect us with transformations and rituals, they release the imagination and they reveal a universe of personalities.

To the Mexican Indian a mask is more than a disguise. It functions as a means of contact with the spirit and protects the community from the malevolence of the unknown and negative forces of nature, while prevailing on the ancestors and the gods to bestow their benevolence in all matters related to life.

In pre-Hispanic Mexico there were no all-evil or all-good entities; all gods were dual, good and evil in one, like nature itself, life-giving but also life-taking. The idea of one good god and one devil is purely a Spanish import, and it is not unusual to find animal masks other than cows bearing horns, which simply means that an animal with already bad connotations like the boar, have the added horns to signify Christian evil as well. Thus masks become an element of utmost importance within the Indian world, providing the catalyst so necessary to keep the required balance of power and fate in the ever changing tide of life events.

Many masks depict a combination of human and animal features: jaguars, birds, bats and alligators can be found lurking within the humanized faces.
In some instances snakes, lizards and birds emerge subtly from the nose and eyebrows, in others they are full blown entities attached to the face and there are others in which it is almost impossible to discern the animal from the human.

The large bearded or “barbones” faces are wildly expressive masks, with angry bulging eyes and teeth bared in ancient testimony of the wrath of the Spanish conquistadors. Fading paint on some masks attests to their use and adds to their individual personality. Tiger masks from Guerrero are particularly
attractive. They are used in the Tecuani dance of the Jaguars–An ancient deity, the jaguar is lord of the jungle, master of death and protector of life.

Masks are made of wood, metal, clay, stone and Huichol Indian beaded masks. A few copper repousse´masks (hand hammered and painted or with
patina) can be found. Masks carved from alabaster stone, and unique masks with inlays of turquoise and other native stones are created in the tradition of the pre-hispanic craftsmen.