Art, colonial flavor in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

With cobblestone streets and no traffic lights, San Miguel de Allende has the look of a sleepy Mexican town.

But behind the colonial-era facades it hums with cultural activity: the town of about 80,000 people, barely three hours north of Mexico City, supports an estimated 120 fine art galleries and folk art museums.

In 2008, UNESCO named San Miguel a World Heritage site, citing it as a cradle of Mexican independence and highlighting its integration of architectural styles, from Baroque to neo-Gothic, within a 16th century Spanish colonial layout.

The city's landmark is the Parroquia church . . .