With so many foreigners around town, and with so many waiters and shop staff speaking English, you could be forgiven for thinking there's no point in learning Spanish in San Miguel. In fact, the town has a long history of teaching Spanish to foreigners, beginning in the postwar period when students came down to Mexico to eke out their grants on the GI Bill.

The two best-regarded schools are probably Warren Hardy's and Academia Hispano-Americana. The former is aimed rather more at beginners and at older students who have perhaps not studied a foreign language before; although it does have some more advanced classes. The latter, as its name implies, takes a more academic approach and courses tend to be quite intensive, from beginner to advanced.

Other schools: Centro Bilingue, which has excellent programmes for children and teenagers, Centro Mexicano de Lengua y Cultura (also has a children's programme), Language Point, Instituto Allende and Habla Hispana.

All these schools offer optional homestays with local families and one-on-one sessions.

The University of Leon San Miguel campus also has Spanish classes, ranging from beginners to a weekly 4 hour seminar for advanced students. The university is on the north-east corner of the Plaza Civica.