Sam Jariedi
West Virginia University College of Law, Rising 2L
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Delores Hidalgo and San Miguel

Today we took a field trip to the cities of Delores Hidalgo and San Miguel. It gave us a chance to experience two more beautiful Mexican cities. Delores Hidalgo is where Father Miguel Hidalgo called for the independence of Mexico from Spain. Today, Delores Hidalgo is a lively city full of Mexican men with cowboy hats and mustaches, driving trucks varying from Mexican-made GMC Silaos to Ford F150’s from the Nixon administration. It was a great example of how a fusion of Mexican and American culture looks like.

On the second leg of our day trip, we visited San Miguel. After World War II, United States GIs discovered that their education grants extended to the art schools of San Miguel. American ex-servicemen first arrived in 1946 to study art and by the end of 1947, Life magazine published a three-page spread that appeared in the January 5, 1948. The headline read, “GI Paradise: Veterans go to Mexico to study art, live cheaply and have a good time.” As a result, the city is full of older Americans who have moved to San Miguel to make their retirements go further. While having a drink at a restaurant, I almost felt as though I was back in the United States because the menu was in English and the waiter spoke fluent English as well.

Visiting these cities was eye-opening because they eroded many of the misconceptions I had when I would think of Mexico. Perhaps one day, I, myself, will join the thousands of American ex-pats who have found their niche in Mexican society.