A polished video about the changing face of San Miguel de Allende has triggered a vicious backlash, with Mexican commenters accusing foreigners of driving up property prices, changing local customs and expecting praise for the money they spend in town.
The video came from Griselda Contreras of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Colonial Homes San Miguel, whose page promotes property sales in the city. Her message was positive: foreigners have contributed to San Miguel, the city has evolved, and growth can continue while its culture and identity are protected. The video was posted on the SMAFriends Facebook page.
The comments were far less forgiving. “This is coming from a realtor, obviously,” wrote one person. Another dismissed the video as “puro bla bla de un post de un bienes raíces” (“just blah blah from a real estate post”) before adding: “ustedes son mafia en San Miguel” (“you people are a mafia in San Miguel”). Then came the money. “They invested in San Miguel because they want to live there and get more value for their dollars,” wrote one commenter. Another was considerably harsher: “We Mexicans don’t need their investment. We can live without it.”
The underlying accusation was clear. Foreigners are not buying San Miguel out of generosity. They are buying it because their dollars go further here, and local families are increasingly the ones paying the price. One commenter said gentrification was pushing locals toward the outskirts of town because they could no longer compete with American buying power. Another wrote that landlords favor foreigners. Another simply said: “The true Mexican citizen can no longer afford to live there.”
Then the argument moved from housing to something even more inflammatory: foreigners trying to change Mexican life after moving here. One woman said an American man had been collecting signatures to stop the fireworks. Another commenter wrote: “When Americans walk around with petitions to create dog leash laws it’s no longer Mexico.” That is the part that seems to enrage people most. Move to Mexico because you love Mexico. Then complain about the fireworks. The dogs. The festivals. The noise. The customs. Eventually people start asking whether you loved Mexico at all, or just the weather, architecture and lower cost of living.
San Miguel already accommodates plenty of foreign taste.
Silveyra’s on Zacateros is a good example, a family-run restaurant whose owner previously managed three other prestigious restaurants in Kansas. It has become a popular local luxury dining spot, describing itself as San Miguel’s “Cheers” and serving familiar comfort food in a welcoming setting. And chatting to your regular Mexican waiter does not automatically mean you have Mexican friends or that you are somehow integrated into life here.
Some commenters did not bother with subtlety. “Too many Karens have come to SMA. That kind of gringo’s should not be allowed.” Another wrote simply: “Gringos (USA) sucks.” Francisco De la Vega told foreigners: “You should pack your stuff and leave if you like America so much. Your place is there.” He then accused Americans of being “historical looters.” Setneuf Rub went considerably further, accusing some Americans in Mexico of being “racist maga supporters and supremacist republicans who hate Mexican people but love living in our cities, our culture, our food and the hospitality and respect we give to people from other countries.” He finished by saying he wished they could be arrested and deported.
Those are extreme comments, and they are individual opinions rather than the voice of San Miguel as a whole. But they expose a level of resentment that the polished version of expat life in San Miguel rarely shows. The harshest criticism is not really about nationality. It is about attitude. Buying a house is not charity. Eating in restaurants is not philanthropy. Hiring staff does not mean Mexico owes you gratitude. And spending money here does not buy you the right to decide which parts of Mexican life should be toned down for your convenience.
One commenter described San Miguel as “becoming a broken Tulum.” That may be the line that should worry everyone. More foreign buyers. More second homes. More short-term rentals. More expensive property. More development. More traffic. More pressure on water. More locals priced away from Centro. At some point, the people talking most loudly about “preserving San Miguel” may need to ask who exactly they are preserving it for.
One longtime foreign visitor in the comments perhaps put it best: San Miguel is still magical, but “it is not our country.” Another said she was learning the customs “AS I SHOULD.” There it is. Move here. Enjoy it. Buy the house. Spend your money. Go to Silveyra’s. But if the fireworks, dogs, church bells, fiestas and Mexican way of doing things become unbearable, perhaps San Miguel is not the thing that needs changing.
With information from SMAFriends
