Fabrica La Aurora

La Aurora spun and wove cotton from 1902 until the factory closed in the early 1990s, and when it reopened in 2004 as an art centre the developers did the intelligent thing: they left it looking like a factory. Ivy climbs the brick, original gears, looms and iron columns stand where they stopped, and the vast north-lit halls now hold some forty-plus galleries, working artist studios, antique and design dealers, a bookshop and a couple of good restaurants and cafes with courtyard tables. The mix is the appeal - contemporary Mexican painting and sculpture alongside colonial santos, mid-century furniture, textiles and the occasional artist actually at an easel with the door open - and the atmosphere is unhurried in a way San Miguel's crowded centre is not. Openings on the first Saturday evenings of the month pull the town's considerable expatriate and Mexican art crowd; ordinary weekday mornings are near-empty and perfect for looking. Prices span student work to serious collecting, and nobody minds browsers.

What you actually see

• The mill architecture - brick halls, iron columns and old machinery.
• The galleries - contemporary Mexican art across forty-odd spaces.
• The studios - artists working with doors open.
• The antiques and design - santos, furniture and textiles.

When to go

Weekday mornings for quiet browsing; first-Saturday openings for the social scene. Closed Sundays in part - check before a special trip.

Honest expectations

It is a commercial gallery complex, not a museum - no admission, no collection, and staff who will happily talk price. Some spaces close between exhibitions. The walk from the centre is uphill on the return.

Nearby

San Miguel's Parroquia and centre lie south; the Charco del Ingenio botanical garden is a short ride east.