Chasing A Phantom in San Miguel de Allende: Beat Inspiration Neal Cassady

by Anthony Maulucci

The city of San Miguel de Allende is a rock garden built into a chorus of hills and blooming with the vibrant colors of Mexico: ocher, rose, burnt orange, and bright green. Its narrow streets (sometimes comically so), which can be absurdly steep in the city's core, proudly display the stone work, carved wooden doors, arches, courtyards, balconies, and fountains dating from the time of the Spanish occupation in the 1600s. Rooftops, no more than three stories high, are graced with terraces and precariously placed potted cactuses. They frequently overflow with bright bougai...