The Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, whose distinctive spires close this view, has stood at the heart of San Miguel de Allende since the seventeenth century. Its unusual facade was redesigned in the late nineteenth century and has since become one of the most recognized silhouettes in Mexico. Papel picado — the delicate cut-paper banners strung across streets and courtyards throughout the city — is a tradition with roots in pre-Hispanic culture, carried into contemporary Mexican celebrations of every kind, from weddings to religious festivals to Día de los Muertos.

The afternoon light that warms these façades is at its richest in October and November, when festival season fills the streets and the paper flags are at their most abundant.