Mark and I arrived in San Miguel de Allende (SMA), Mexico on January 21, 2020 to visit his sister, Beth and to have a brief respite from Chicago’s winter. Beth lives in a beautiful two-story home in an isolated construction zone on a hill in a neighborhood or “colonia” called San Miguel Tres Cruces with a magnificent view of the historic center and beyond. In English the area is called St Michael of the Three Crosses.
Lorena was one of the dozens of Uber drivers we’ve had during our stay because there is no public transportation one can take to the city center without walking for a mile past hordes of wild dogs. Lorena was the only woman driver we had, although she told us that there are 20 women Uber drivers in SMA.
She is originally from Mexico City and has lived in SMA for 12 years. She came with her eight-year-old son and four-year-old daughter to stay with her grandfather. She helped him and he helped raise her children. He died four years after her arrival in SMA and she spoke of him with great warmth and gratitude during a difficult time in her life. She didn’t share details about her 20-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter but she exuded so much pride in them that when I mentioned the pride I sensed in her, she enthusiastically agreed.
When I asked whether she would consider returning to the capital, she said no. Work is too difficult to obtain there now and her children’s lives are well established in SMA.
