I arrived at San Miguel by car and left it in the parking lot of a row of megastores on the outside of the city center. Easy to park and free. I then took a collectivo into town, whose driver was clearly used to navigating the narrow cobblestone streets. These streets together with San Miguel's hillside location just give it an edge beyond other Spanish-colonial cities.

No wonder American and Canadian "snowbirds" have found this place to seek shelter during the winter. I saw many of them sitting at the central square, reading a newspaper, or doing a crossword puzzle. They were joined by several less fortunate-looking indigenous people, selling trinkets or begging.

I started by checking out the "Former Royal Hospital of San Juan de Dios", part of the Camino Real WHS. I then walked around the small town for an hour or 2 without seeing anything very remarkable. Had a good lunch though consisting of fish tacos.

From San Miguel, I drove the short stretch north to the Sanctuary in Atotonilico. It lies in a sleepy and dusty village, such a change from the vibrant Mexican cities I had seen so far. The sanctuary is right at the heart of town and can't be missed. It has a fairytale castle-like exterior (see large photo above). Inside it is fully covered with kind of crude religious drawings. It's a bit of a stretch to call this the "Sistine Chapel of Mexico": folk art such as in the wooden churches in Europe came to my mind. The most ornate chapel is to the right when you leave. I was prepared to look for "the lady with the key" to open it for me for a tip, but no one was around. But you can look inside anyway through the iron raster.